Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Have you ever wondered about the beginning of Genesis in the context of the three thousand years of pondering prompted by these seminal three chapters? It is hard to imagine a more enjoyable use of time than to join the “Timeless Theological Conversation” (subtitle) of Michael Samuel in his engagement with the likes of everyone from Plato through Pelagius and Augustine up to philosopher Derrida and literary theorist Bahktin—and countless more.

This magnificent interdisciplinary work will prompt, will compel, its reader to consider fundamental issues of the dynamic among text, self, and others within the context of cultures and time. These 439 pages (plus indices) deal superbly with nothing less than everyone’s journey of “Birth and Rebirth” (title), a dialectic of visiting, re-visiting, and adding to the insights of any classic text.

Paul Borgman, Author of Genesis: The Story We Haven’t Heard

Children have an unusual ability when it comes to confronting our spiritual hypocrisy as parents and as adults; very often they get to the essence of the problem as they perceive things. Frequently, as parents, we often fail to hear the questions our young people ask of us; often we overreact whenever we feel that our beliefs and values are being questioned or attacked. Rather than listening with an inner ear, as parents, we often react with harshness and anger.

Sometimes we wish our children were more respectful and compliant, or at least, “mind their place” at the Seder table and not misbehave or draw undue attention to themselves. As any Woody Allen fan certainly knows, passionate family discussions always have been a part of Jewish life since ancient times. Unanimity never has been the goal of any kind of discussion wherever you have two or more Jews together engaged in dialogue.

Passover is no exception to this rule.

During Passover, this thought finds expression in the question of the “Rasha” (better known to most of us as the “wicked child”). Without his presence and participation, the entire Seder would be a dull experience. Here is a literal translation of the controversial passage we read in the Passover Hagadah:

“The wicked child, what does that he say? ‘What is this service to you?’ Note the Torah says, to you, but not to him; because he has excluded himself from the community. He has denied a basic teaching of the faith. Therefore you shall smack his teeth and tell him, It is because of this that God wrought for me in my going out of Egypt (Exod. 13:8). . . . ‘For me--but not him. Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed.”

As a parent, I often have wondered how anyone could call their child “wicked.” The glaring meaning of “Rasha” is arguably offensive. If we are to choose a less offensive title, let us describe him or her as a “Wayward Child,” or perhaps more accurately a “Rebellious Child.”At any rate, our “Rasha” is a person who is a young person who stands perilously close to the edge of his/her Judaism. Without a proper pedagogical response, the “Rasha” may grow up to disaffiliate as a Jew. So we wonder: Why does the “Rasha” strike such a visceral note? The anger of the father deserves special attention. Why does he get so upset? How could a simple question push a parent to act so violently at the family Seder? Clearly, the “Rasha” has touched a raw nerve in his father.

If my conjecture is correct, the “Rasha’s” question now begins to make more sense, for she/he may be a child who is dissatisfied with superficial answers. The father may love tradition, but he lacks the ability to articulate to his rebellious adolescent child what it means to be a Jew, especially in a modern age. Of all the children who are present at the Seder table, the “Rasha” is asking the best question of them all. Continue Reading

This thread continues our earlier discussion regarding the possible existence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life and its implications for the faith community in general, and with respect to Judaism in particular.

Over the last decade, scientist discovered the presence of microbial life living within the plumbing of deep-sea mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Mexico where conditions may resemble those in extraterrestrial environments as well as an early Earth; this finding has excited scientists about the resiliency of life and its ability to thrive even in the most hostile environment. Could such a phenomena exist also on other worlds as well? Professor Paul Davies, a physicist from Arizona State University, asserts that instead of scanning the skies, we should probe inhospitable areas such as deserts for signs of ‘weird’ microbes that might belong to a ‘shadow biosphere. Pretty interesting stuff, no?

It gets even better-space missions there have shown all of Saturn’s major moons are active worlds filled with even water, liquid water, water vapor, organics and ammonia in these huge plumes extending more than 250 miles into space.

Earlier Discussions

The universe is a mysterious place, and the wisdom of Epicurus (340-270 B.C.E.) still makes considerable sense when he wrote, “There are infinite world both like and unlike this world of ours. For the atoms out of which a world might arise, or by which a world might be formed, have not all been expended on one world or a finite number of worlds, whether like or unlike this one. Hence there will be nothing to hinder an infinity of worlds. . . .We must believe that in all worlds there are living creatures and plants and other things we see in this world.” [1]

Centuries before the discovery of extrasolar planets, Giordano Bruno (ca. 16th century) exclaimed, “There are countless suns and countless earths all rotating around their suns in exactly the same way as the seven planets of our system. We see only the suns because they are the largest bodies and are luminous, but their planets remain invisible to us because they are smaller and non-luminous. The countless worlds in the universe are no worse and no less inhabited than our Earth.” [2] He was burnt at the stake for espousing this and other controversial “heresies.”

Well, as they say, “Better late, than never!” A year ago the Vatican had a convention of theologians and scientists to discuss the very issue Bruno was burned at the stake for, and guess what? Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the commission governing Vatican City, told the participants that “truth from research cannot make us afraid; what is to be feared is error. “Science opens up the human mind to new knowledge and contributes toward the fulfillment of humankind,” the cardinal said, according to Father Funes.[3] The soul of Bruno must be saying, “See, I TOLD you so!”

Early Judaic Reflections on Parallel Earths

But what are the theological implications of sentient and intelligent life? Would such life-forms invalidate the commonly held biblical notion that humankind and this world are the most important creation in the cosmos?

L. Ginzberg cites a number of early medieval views from midrashic sources, which bear witness to the early rabbinic discussions on the subject:

“Corresponding to the seven heavens, God created seven earths, each separated from the next by five layers. Over the lowest earth, the seventh, called Ereẓ, lie in succession the abyss, the Tohu, the Bohu, a sea, and waters. Then the sixth earth is reached, the Adamah, the scene of the magnificence of God. In the same way the Adamah is separated from the fifth earth, the Arḳa, which contains Gehenna, and Shaʿare Mawet, and Shaʿare Ẓalmawet, and Beër Shaḥat, and Ṭiy ha-Yawen, and Abaddon, and Sheol, and there the souls of the wicked are guarded by the Angels of Destruction. In the same way Arḳa is followed by Ḥarabah, the dry, the place of brooks and streams in spite of its name, as the next, called Yabbashah, the mainland, contains the rivers and the springs. Tebel, the second earth, is the first mainland inhabited by living creatures, three hundred and sixty-five species, all essentially different from those of our own earth. Some have human heads set on the body of a lion, or a serpent, or an ox; others have human bodies topped by the head of one of these animals. Besides, Tebel is inhabited by human beings with two heads and four hands and feet, in fact with all their organs doubled excepting only the trunk. It happens sometimes that the parts of these double persons quarrel with each other, especially while eating and drinking, when each claims the best and largest portions for himself. This species of mankind is distinguished for great piety, another difference between it and the inhabitants of our earth.” [4]

Needless to say, Jay Leno could do some great parodies on this midrash, but if nothing else, the ancients truly wondered whether this world is truly unique in all the universe, evidently their fantasies about extraterrestrial life were not much different from our own.

Early Judaic Theological Discussions on the Uniqueness of the Earth

Jewish tradition has already wrestled with this inquiry in the past. Following in the footsteps of Ptolemaic science, the great 10th Century Jewish philosopher Saadia Gaon was convinced that entire universe revolved around the earth. Humankind was seen as THE goal of ALL creation—without him the universe could NOT exist—everything would be devoid of meaning. Just as the kernel is lodged in the center of the fruit, just as the yolk is at the center of the egg, so too this planet earth is at the center of the universe. God created the entire universe existed for the benefit of humankind. Continue Reading

I came across another article about the high cost of Passover products. In Atlanta, a can of tuna costing $16.99, a $5 jar of jelly, and a $6 box of cereal . . . $24 for a box of matzah. The writer of the article quipped, “I felt like I was in a foreign country with rampant hyperinflation. Is this really in dollars? Maybe I’m supposed to convert the currency. . . . It seems we should add another question to the traditional four associated with Passover: Why is this food so darn expensive?” I guess the political photo-op has expended its shelf-life. That’s too bad.

Another friend writes from New York, “The concern I will share today is most definitely not a new one, but it is an issue that comes up every year, and we have yet to find an answer to this dilemma. Why in the world is Pesach food so expensive? The prices of Pesach food products are outrageous. These kosher-for-Passover items, from ketchup, to mayonnaise, to cakes, candies and dairy products are all so much more expensive than these foodstuffs are during the year. Is there any good reason that a box of a handful of chocolate leaves costs the kosher consumer over 7 dollars? Is there a good reason why a bottle of kosher l’Pesach ketchup cost over a dollar more than it does during the year? Why do I have to pay close to ten dollars for a box of sorry tasting kosher l’Pesach sponge cake? Why do we continue to allow food companies to fleece us - yes, fleece us - every year Pesach time?”

Oh, I could add to the stories from the Chicago area. A small package of cream cheese costs $6, a three pound kosher brisket 20% more, Houston, I think we have a problem here. Kosher slaughter houses are kosher for Passover all year round; they are not four star restaurants one could order a prime rib at. When the kosher companies like Streits, Manishegetz, and others charge such exorbitant sums, one must wonder for when kashrut businesses steal from the public, ask yourself an important but obvious question: Why should I rely upon their hechser (Kosher approval), if they are so darn unethical? Dear friends, the Kosher Emperor has no clothes. Another good friend of mine in New York told me that her family once spent $15,000 a week at a Passover certified hotel-where the food was rotten! I went to a once formerly 5 star restaurant where the food was fit for a Doggie Diner. Continue Reading