Rabbi Michael Leo SamuelThe principle of annulment for failed marriages has been used throughout Jewish history since the days of Late Antiquity.
In one Responsa of the Rashbam, he writes:
The correct rationale for all Talmudic statements that ?the Rabbis annul this marriage? is that the court has the authority to expropriate the money used to effect the marriage, since the law recognizes the principle of hefker ...
Continue ReadingWhat we can we do to bring civility back to faith, and remove its thorn of toxicity? Decades ahead of his time, the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber argued that one of the great spiritual challenges of our time is the process of purging our faith of all imagery that portrays the Divine as either vindictive or abusive. In his short but insightful ...
Posted by: Rabbi Michael Samuel
As the 11th century Jewish philosopher Judah HaLevi observed in his Kuzari, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, is intimately concerned about the life of humankind.
Rather than focus on the explosive religious issues of the day, I thought I would write about the importance of providing pastoral care. Often times, we hear that providing such care is usually the ?job? of the professional clergy. Nothing can be farther from the truth! Mirroring God’s love and compassion is a?responsibility we all?share. I personally know of a number ...
There is an intriguing law from the Torah concerning the law of the ?goring ox? found in the Torah:
If the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not restrained it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and ...
Q. I need some help.? II Samuel 6:16 says Michal ?despised him in her heart? (NKJV)/?was disgusted with him? (TEV).? My wife has asked me why Michal?s attitude changed towards David.? What happened?? My research has not given me an adequate explanation. So, I come to my resident rabbi for help.
A. Dear Reverend Don,
As per our earlier conversation on this subject, David never particularly cared for the royal pomp that went with being king. In his heart of hearts, David ...
Continue ReadingPosted by: Rabbi Michael Samuel
In a recent interview, Yeshiva University Chancellor Rabbi Norman Lamm expressed some pessimistic thoughts about the future of Reform and Conservative Judaism. According to the article, “With a heavy heart we will soon say kaddish on the Reform and Conservative Movements,” said Lamm, head of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. “The Conservatives are ...