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Rabbi’s Corner
As Rabbi of Temple Beth Shalom of Chula Vista, California, a Conservative/egalitarian United Synagogue congregation, Rabbi Michael has concentrated on developing the youth and adult religious education, social action initiatives, and Israel programming. TBS draws from the entire San Diego area enjoys getting together as a “family” celebrating not only Shabbat services, religious holidays and life cycle events, but also summer Bar-B-Q’s, and Oneg Shabbat vegetarian potluck dinners. We teach our members how to cook for kosher; it’s really not that hard. At TBS, we attract a diverse group of Jews. By the way, anyone who is interested in exploring Judaism for the first time, or is interested in learning how to read Hebrew–you are welcome to come and check out our programs!
For our Hispanic Jewish brothers and sisters, we have an ever expanding Hispanic Jewish membership whose membership comes from all over Latin America. When you come, you will discover a spirit of camaraderie and family that will immediately touch your heart and soul. As a result, TBS’s services are unique; we continue drawing new people every week to our ever expanding congregation.
Our congregation offers about three - seven classes a week on a variety of different topics ranging from the Talmud, to male and female spirituality. It’s really unlike anything you have ever experienced in a Shul before. Everyone is welcome to attend our weekly Shabbat vegetarian pot-luck luncheon; come enjoy Jewish singing and prayer. If you find Modern Judaism is much too stiff, come and experience a Shabbat service. Our philosophy is simple: We need to preserve the embers of our wonderful tradition–not perpetuate its ashes!
Each month, Rabbimichaelsamuel.com attracts about many readers from all over the world. Rabbi Michael also writes a weekly column at the San Diego Jewish World and for Jewish Values Online. Feel free to read some of the other articles he has written.
TBS proudly promotes interfaith dialogue and sponsors forums and symposiums that deal with issues affecting our communities today. All are welcome to come to our services; or any of our programs—We would love to have you join us.
A Brief Autobiographical Sketch
I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area. I am the child of a Holocaust survivor; my father, Leo Samuel (z”l ) descended from a long line of rabbis who lived in an area of Europe a that used to be part of Czechoslovakia. My father was one of the founding members of Alameda’s Temple Israel in Northern California and he dedicated his life to serving a variety of Jewish causes and was an ardent Zionist. To this day, he remains my inspiration.
Several years later, I discovered that my mother was related to two noteworthy rabbinical scholars of the 19th century: Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (1810-1883) who was the founder of the Musar Movement (Musar is the study of Jewish ethics) in Lithuania and R Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896). As I thought about this personal discovery, it occurred to me that many of us probably have more rabbinical lineage than we realize! Here at TBS, many of our members are Spanish Jews who have reclaimed their Jewish roots and have demonstrated that not even the power of the Inquisition could force them to abandon their Jewish heritage. There is no doubt in my mind that our Spanish returnees are descended from some of the finest Jewish families who produced scholars, physicians, scientists, and rabbinical leaders.
Here, at TBS, we aim to help you become such a person!
Every rabbi has a personal narrative and my particular narrative differs from many of my colleagues. To begin with, I was raised in a non-observant Jewish home. As a young teenager, I became very interested in comparative religion and Jewish mysticism.
After finishing high school, I received a scholarship to study at a yeshiva in Israel. By age 21, I received my first ordination in Yoreh Deah (semicha) as an Orthodox rabbi. In 1986, my synagogue co-sponsored the country’s very first pulpit exchange involving Professor Rabbi Jacob Milgrom (UCB) and Rabbi Robert Kirschner, the leader of Temple Emanuel. We even sponsored the very first Jewish night club called, “Catskills West,” which attracted between 300 and 490 people.
As my thinking about theology and Judaism evolved, I moved from Orthodox pulpits to congregations within the Conservative tradition. (I also continued my formal education, earning a doctoral degree in pastoral counseling in 1995 at the San Francisco Theological Seminary). Every rabbi has a vision for what they would like to see in Judaism today. My personal philosophy begins with the belief that the human mind is a wonderful gift. Curiosity is one of the greatest qualities that have endowed our souls. Asking questions is essential for our spiritual and intellectual growth as a people.
When we properly worship God, we must engage in critical thought and self-reflective thinking. The Hebrew word for “prayer,” tephilah, conveys introspective thinking and meditation. Prayer must never become a rote exercise that signifies nothing.
Today’s Judaism must also reclaim its sense of heart and soul. We possess a wonderful tradition that reflects diversity and creativity. At Temple Beth Shalom, we focus on cultivating a sense of Heart-Centered Judaism—and that is what defines our overall philosophy and theology. When I first arrived here tin July 2010, the synagogue had dwindled to a handful of families. There wasn't even a minyan to greet my arrival. Now we have a remarkable cadre of Spanish and Anglo Jews who have helped transform our little congregation into a dynamic and heartfelt synagogue in San Diego County. I'd like to share a letter that I recently received from one of the first congregants I met after arriving in Chula Vista:
I just wanted to send you a note before I left for my trip to tell you THANK YOU for being the spiritual leader of TBS. Thank you for giving our little shul a swift kick in the pants (or skirt, lol) with your energy and dedication. Looking through the shul's web page, I was very happy to see so many smiling faces there, and all the activities. It was also so uplifting to stand on the bimah and see all those new faces (Ok, well they're new to me, ;-)) What a wonderful sight to see! It's all because of you Rabbi . . . I think you're one terrific Rabbi, you're 'A-OK' with me!
B’shalom u’vracha,
The TBS Chevra
For our Hispanic Jewish brothers and sisters, we have an ever expanding Hispanic Jewish membership whose membership comes from all over Latin America. When you come, you will discover a spirit of camaraderie and family that will immediately touch your heart and soul. As a result, TBS’s services are unique; we continue drawing new people every week to our ever expanding congregation.
Our congregation offers about three - seven classes a week on a variety of different topics ranging from the Talmud, to male and female spirituality. It’s really unlike anything you have ever experienced in a Shul before. Everyone is welcome to attend our weekly Shabbat vegetarian pot-luck luncheon; come enjoy Jewish singing and prayer. If you find Modern Judaism is much too stiff, come and experience a Shabbat service. Our philosophy is simple: We need to preserve the embers of our wonderful tradition–not perpetuate its ashes!
Each month, Rabbimichaelsamuel.com attracts about many readers from all over the world. Rabbi Michael also writes a weekly column at the San Diego Jewish World and for Jewish Values Online. Feel free to read some of the other articles he has written.
TBS proudly promotes interfaith dialogue and sponsors forums and symposiums that deal with issues affecting our communities today. All are welcome to come to our services; or any of our programs—We would love to have you join us.
A Brief Autobiographical Sketch
I was born in San Francisco and grew up in the Bay Area. I am the child of a Holocaust survivor; my father, Leo Samuel (z”l ) descended from a long line of rabbis who lived in an area of Europe a that used to be part of Czechoslovakia. My father was one of the founding members of Alameda’s Temple Israel in Northern California and he dedicated his life to serving a variety of Jewish causes and was an ardent Zionist. To this day, he remains my inspiration.
Several years later, I discovered that my mother was related to two noteworthy rabbinical scholars of the 19th century: Rabbi Yisrael Salanter (1810-1883) who was the founder of the Musar Movement (Musar is the study of Jewish ethics) in Lithuania and R Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor (1817-1896). As I thought about this personal discovery, it occurred to me that many of us probably have more rabbinical lineage than we realize! Here at TBS, many of our members are Spanish Jews who have reclaimed their Jewish roots and have demonstrated that not even the power of the Inquisition could force them to abandon their Jewish heritage. There is no doubt in my mind that our Spanish returnees are descended from some of the finest Jewish families who produced scholars, physicians, scientists, and rabbinical leaders.
Here, at TBS, we aim to help you become such a person!
Every rabbi has a personal narrative and my particular narrative differs from many of my colleagues. To begin with, I was raised in a non-observant Jewish home. As a young teenager, I became very interested in comparative religion and Jewish mysticism.
After finishing high school, I received a scholarship to study at a yeshiva in Israel. By age 21, I received my first ordination in Yoreh Deah (semicha) as an Orthodox rabbi. In 1986, my synagogue co-sponsored the country’s very first pulpit exchange involving Professor Rabbi Jacob Milgrom (UCB) and Rabbi Robert Kirschner, the leader of Temple Emanuel. We even sponsored the very first Jewish night club called, “Catskills West,” which attracted between 300 and 490 people.
As my thinking about theology and Judaism evolved, I moved from Orthodox pulpits to congregations within the Conservative tradition. (I also continued my formal education, earning a doctoral degree in pastoral counseling in 1995 at the San Francisco Theological Seminary). Every rabbi has a vision for what they would like to see in Judaism today. My personal philosophy begins with the belief that the human mind is a wonderful gift. Curiosity is one of the greatest qualities that have endowed our souls. Asking questions is essential for our spiritual and intellectual growth as a people.
When we properly worship God, we must engage in critical thought and self-reflective thinking. The Hebrew word for “prayer,” tephilah, conveys introspective thinking and meditation. Prayer must never become a rote exercise that signifies nothing.
Today’s Judaism must also reclaim its sense of heart and soul. We possess a wonderful tradition that reflects diversity and creativity. At Temple Beth Shalom, we focus on cultivating a sense of Heart-Centered Judaism—and that is what defines our overall philosophy and theology. When I first arrived here tin July 2010, the synagogue had dwindled to a handful of families. There wasn't even a minyan to greet my arrival. Now we have a remarkable cadre of Spanish and Anglo Jews who have helped transform our little congregation into a dynamic and heartfelt synagogue in San Diego County. I'd like to share a letter that I recently received from one of the first congregants I met after arriving in Chula Vista:
I just wanted to send you a note before I left for my trip to tell you THANK YOU for being the spiritual leader of TBS. Thank you for giving our little shul a swift kick in the pants (or skirt, lol) with your energy and dedication. Looking through the shul's web page, I was very happy to see so many smiling faces there, and all the activities. It was also so uplifting to stand on the bimah and see all those new faces (Ok, well they're new to me, ;-)) What a wonderful sight to see! It's all because of you Rabbi . . . I think you're one terrific Rabbi, you're 'A-OK' with me!
B’shalom u’vracha,
The TBS Chevra