Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
Finis Leavell Beauchamp, The Terrible Beauty of the Evil Man
Kodesh Press (New York, 2014); 396 pages; ISBN-13: 978-0692237885
Price $14.95
Philo of Alexandria once said that every person who has ever become a proselyte walks a similar path that Abraham, our Father, once walked. According to Jewish folklore, Abraham came from a highly dysfunctional home. One legend tells us that his father Terah had his son arrested for breaking the idols of his father’s business. Yes, for ...
Learn More ShareSometimes even the most obvious biblical passages can be perplexing. One interesting verse is a case in point:
“Therefore, do not say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we do not then sow or reap our crop?’ I will bestow such blessings on you in the sixth year that there will then be crop enough for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, you will continue to eat from the old crop; and even into ...
Learn More ShareThe origin of idolatry is a fascinating study in and of itself. Maimonides traced the origin of idolatry to the pre-Diluvial era of Enosh. Maimonides writes:
During the days of Enosh, humankind made a serious mistake, and the wise men of that generation gave foolish advise. Enosh himself was one of those who erred. Here is what developed: They said for as much that God created the stars and the celestial planets with which to control the world. He placed them ...
Learn More ShareI have often felt that misogyny has been one of the oldest sins since Adam and Eve. The woman’s liberation movement has some remarkable antecedents in American history. It is remarkable how much the 20th century fight for gender rights have completely overturned thousands of years of male hegemony. It is no wonder why traditional religious societies across the globe fear it-change is necessary as it is inevitable.
Seducing By Scents
I came across an interesting article from House and Garden Magazine ...
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When Numbers Become Obscene
In the beginning of Exodus 30:12-13, God commands Moses not conduct a head count of the Israelites before they go into battle against future adversaries:
“When you take a census of the Israelites who are to be registered, each one, as he is enrolled, shall give the LORD a forfeit for his life, so that no plague may come upon them for being registered. Everyone who enters the registered group must pay a half-shekel, according to the standard of the sanctuary ...
Learn More ShareCategories: American Jewish Issues, Bible, biblical history, biblical theology, Current Events, ethics, good and evil, Holocaust Related Issues, Jewish and Jungian ideas, Jewish Folklore, Jewish History, Jewish symbolism, judaism, Political Commentaries, The Future of Judaism, Theology and Philosophy