Comments for Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Comment on In Memory of Kurt Sax by Michelle Kleinman

Michelle Kleinman — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:32:47 +0000

Kurt was like a grandfather to me. I will miss him.

Comment on Hebrew Numerology: A Primer on Gematria — Part 1 by admin

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:28:04 +0000

I would be interested in knowing your results. The human mind loves to discover order in seeming random sequences.

Comment on Hebrew Numerology: A Primer on Gematria — Part 1 by Jane Brenner

Jane Brenner — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:41:57 +0000

I love calculating gematrias, Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel, because I believe that the whole world around us is governed by numbers. I tried doing that on paper but that just took too much time and online calculators require Internet connection. Now I am using Gematriel (version 2.0) software made by Rabbi Raphael Polyakov (http://raphael.eu.pn/gematriel/). It really speeds up the process. Now I am slowly assembling huge lists of numbers. Hope to share them soon.

Comment on In Praise of Brit Milah (Ritual Circumcision) by Yochanan Lavie

Yochanan Lavie — Sun, 20 May 2012 02:06:52 +0000

Of course, metzitzah b’peh is not a necessary part of the ritual, and is harmful. The anti-circ crowd is given ammunition by it.

Comment on Music & The Jewish Funeral by Yochanan Lavie

Yochanan Lavie — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:09:22 +0000

This article reminds me of my Uncle Jeffry’s funeral. It was in the 1980′s, before AIDS was manageable, so he died tragically young. My uncle was involved with the theater, including the musical Cats. They played a medley of songs from the show before the service, and the famous song “Midnight” afterwards. I can’t hear that song without tears welling up.

(NB: My Uncle, z”l, was not traditionally observant).

Comment on Since when is the hare considered a ruminant?! by Eric

Eric — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:27:59 +0000

Thanks for the explanation! I was just reading in Leviticus and had a hard time understanding why the rabbit and hare are unclean. Thanks!

Comment on A Postmodern Rabbinical Perspective on Same-Sex Marriage by Yochanan Lavie

Yochanan Lavie — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:55:01 +0000

Do you also approve of same sects marriage? (LOL).

I agree with your position, and I daven in a Modern Ortho congregation and feel closest to the MO tradition. The torah never prohibited a gay orientation and never mentions lesbianism at all. The only thing forbidden is a single sex act- male anal intercourse, which I have on authority that not all Gay men practice. For some reason, fundies of all religions are obsessed by homosexuality; methink they doth protest too much…

Comment on Rav Kook’s Vegetarian Ethic by Theresa

Theresa — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:21:45 +0000

Thank you once again for your post. I truly believe that man is supposed to protect all living creatures and the earth. I have tried to buy only Kosher meats or limit how much meat we eat. Alas, it is difficult to exclude all meat from our diet. Thank you again for this post.

Comment on Book Review — Society and Self: On the Writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik by Yochanan Lavie

Yochanan Lavie — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:21:10 +0000

“He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again.”- William Shakespeare. (Hamlet).

Comment on Ethical Monotheism vs. Radical Monotheism by Yochanan Lavie

Yochanan Lavie — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:34:47 +0000

Yashar koach. Jews are also at the forefront of the western Palestinian movement, and the anti-circumcision movement, so Schwartz doesn’t surprise me.