Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal List of honorees Louis Rose Society Jewishsightseeing home
Writings by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
-1992-
July
27, 1992—Eulogy for Sam Brenes, delivered by
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
September
6, 1992—Eulogy for Katherine Fleishner delivered
by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
November
18, 1992—Eulogy for Irving A. Goodman delivered by Rabbi Leonard
Rosenthal
December
1992—Eulogy for Abraham Ratner delivered by
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
-1997-
November
2, 1997—Eulogy for Helen Cohen delivered by
Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
-2000-
August
2000—Eulogy by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal for
Lillian Weiss (November 29, 1910-August 12, 2000)
-2001-
December
2001—Eulogy by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal for Rabbi Aaron Gold (May 13, 1920—December 2,
2001)
-2002-
July
10, 2002—Eulogy by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal for
Steve Gumbiner
December 10, 2002—Eulogy
by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal for Mickey Newman.
-2003-
January
17, 2003—Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal, "Word of Torah: Only God should
'play God,'" San Diego Jewish Press-Heritage
-2005-
July 11, 2005—Eulogy
by Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal for Seymour Okmin
September 23, 2005—Weekly Torah commentary: Parshat
Ki Tavo contains the tochecha, the curses that will befall Israel if
she does not obey God’s commandments. In the synagogue we read the tochecha
quickly and quietly. We are embarrassed that we need such harsh warnings to
keep us true to Torah. This is the second time the tochecha appears in
the Torah. The book of Leviticus contains similar warnings. There is, however, a
significant difference between the two tochechot: in the Book of
Leviticus the warnings are in the plural ("If you do not heed (tishmeu [plural])
...") whereas in the Book of Deuteronomy, they are in the singular (If
you do not heed (tishma [singular])..." The rabbis explained the
difference. They said that the curses described in the Book of Leviticus
predicted the destruction of the First Temple as punishment for the
Israelite’s sins, and those in the Book of Deuteronomy predict the destruction
of the Second Temple. According to Rabbinic tradition, the First Temple was
destroyed because of the sin of idolatry whereas the Second was destroyed
because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred, that is, the unfounded enmity
every Israelite held towards his fellow Jew. The tochecha in Leviticus is
in the plural because at least when the Israelites engaged in idolatry they did
so as a community. But when they hated each other towards the end of the Second
Temple period, when every Israelite was divided against his/her neighbor, all
was lost. We recite this tochecha in the singular to show how hatred and
anger lead to alienation and isolation, and destroy communities. (Iturei
Torah) A lesson worth remembering as we approach the upcoming High Holy
Days.
October 2005—"From the Rabbi's Desk," The Shofar (Monthly
Newsletter of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, San Diego), pages 3-4 :
Dear Friends: Even after seventeen years at Tifereth Israel there are still
things that surprise me! As I walked into the office this week I overheard Bob
Gordon who, with Sid Weinberg, runs our daily minyan, speaking with my
assistant, Linda Marus, about a donation the minyan wanted to make to the United
Synagogue of Conservative Judaism's Hurricane Relief Fund (www.uscj.org). I
asked him if the minyan had taken up a special collection. He said: "No.
For the last several years members of the minyan have contributed $2.00 each
week for the breakfast they share after services. We always collect more than we
need. The balance after expenses goes to tzedakah." From this modest effort
our minyonaires have contributed $2,530 to youth scholarships, Tifereth Israel
Synagogue, and other good causes since the year 2000. In addition, the minyan
keeps a silver tzedakah box in the Goodman Chapel. Each morning members of the
minyan deposit coins and bills in the tzedakah box during the service. Since the
year 2000 over $2,500 has been collected in this tzedakah box and distributed to
numerous charities. The minyan has used these funds to support causes as diverse
as planting trees in Israel, the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, prayer books
for American service personnel, and pizzas for Israeli soldiers! Without
fanfare, fuss, or expectation of acknowledgment or reward, members of the
Tifereth Israey Minyan have quietly collected and distributed over $5,000 to
worthy causes over the last five years. Their actions demonstrate what people
always say but rarely believe: when it comes to giving tzedakah every littele
bit helps! All too often I have found people who are hesitant to give to worthy
causes because they are embarrassed by the modesty of the amount they can
contribute and believe their gifts insufficient. No one should be embarrassed by
the amount they give as long as it corresponds to their means. As God tells the
Israelites regarding the building of the Mishkan, The Tabernacle which
accompanied the Israelites during their journey in the desert: "You shall
accept gifts for Me from every person whose heart so moves him." (EX 25:3)
Every contribution to a worthy cause is a mitzvah, and as we can see from the
example of our minyanaires, small gifts given consistently end up as large
amounts. During the upcoming High Holy Days we are reminded that tzedakah, along
with teshuva (repentance) and tefillah (prayer), is one of the ways in which we
persuade God to judge us mercifully, and to grant us a New Year filled with
health, happiness and fulfilment. As we prepare to enter the New Year we should
review the tzedakah we already give and pledge to increase our generosity to
people in need (including victims of Katrina) and Jewish institutions (including
Tifereth Israel!) we find worthy. When it comes to tzedakah, even a little bit
often goes a long way. Judy and I, Adina, Adam and Sarah, and Martgalit
wish all of our friends a healthy and happy New Year. Shana Tova, Rabbi
Leonard Rosenthal.
November 2005—Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal, "From
the Rabbi's Desk," The Shofar, (monthly newsletter of Tifereth
Israel Synagogue), page 3: Please Do This Today! Dear Friends: During the
High Holy Days I spoke of the importance of demonstrating our pride in being
Conservative Jews and supporting the work of our movement here and in Israel. We
now have an opportunity to do so at minimal cost and effort: by voting for
Mercaz in the upcoming World Zionist elections. Mercaz is the Conservative
Movement's Zionist organization. It supports our movement's work in Israel
and the cause of religious pluralism in general. The World Zionist Congress is a
meeting in which representatives of major international Jewish organizations
meet to discuss matters of mutual concern, particularly those affecting the
State of Israel. Additionally the WZO controls 50 percent of the votes that
control Jewish Agency Israel funding allocations. The number of Mercaz
representatives we elect to the World Zionist Congress directly affects
the amount of money that Israel's Conservative movement receives from funds the
world wide Jewish community already contributes to Israel. Currently, the
Masorti, or Conservative Movement in Israel, receives approximately 1.7 million
dollars a year from the Jewish Agency. However, electing an increased number of
Mercaz representatives to the World Zionist Congress will result in increased
funding. Any American Jew 18 years or older is eligible to vote. However, you
must register in advance! The process is simple. Each member of your family, 18
or older, must fill out a separate registration form and send it in with a $7.00
check or credit card number. Separate checks and registration forms must be
mailed in for each registrant. A copy of the registration form may be found in
this month's Shofar. You may also register with a credit card on-line at www.mercazusa.com.
Additional information about the elections and the Conservative Movement's work
in Israel may be found on the website. When your ballot arrives, make sure that
you vote for Mercaz. That's all you have to do to support our movement's efforts
in Israel. The last time elections were held, members of Conservative
congregations did not register to vote in proportion to our numbers. Please help
us make sure that we receive full representation this time! Don't delay!
Register today! Shalom, Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal.
-2006-
January 2006—Rabbi Leonard
Rosenthal, "From the Rabbi's Desk," The Shofar (monthly
newsletter of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, San Diego, California), pages 3-4: A
Mystery Solved: Our Earliest Living Member—After our congregation's Centennial
Rededication Service in December, we discovered that our beloved friend, Anne
Ratner, has been a member of Tifereth Israel Synagogue longer than anyone
else! Anne's family moved to San Diego in the 1920's, and was deeply
involved in the early years of our congregation and its subsequent history. Anne
and her beloved husband, Abraham of blessed memory, are long time supporters and
champions of Tifereth Israel. Two small examples: our Torah School is named
after Abraham Ratner and Anne founded our Sisterhood in her living room. Anne's
kindness and generosity continue today. In addition to her generous support of
Tifereth Israel and the Jewish community, she is also the sponsor of our
"Abraham and Anne Ratner Scholar-in Residence Weekend." She also
recently sponsored TICO's Centennial Concert, and just made an extremely
generation to help us replace our Cohen Social Hall air conditioner. All of
that...and our longest membership as well. You will be able to read
further details of Anne and her family's history, as well as those of our other
founding families, in the Tifereth Israel Centennial Book that is being
assembled by Laurie Gore and will be published in March. We have found a
"sixth generation" member of our congregation, Leah Fish, is the
great-great-great granddaughter of Elias Jacobson, one of our founders. Also
present at our rededication service, but not properly acknowledged, were other
members of the Jacobson family. Elias's granddaughter, Audrey Kapelus and her
husband Marvin, his great-granddaughter, Kathi Fish and her husband, Larry; his
great-great-grandson, Cory fish, and his wife, Pamela. Cory and Pamela are
currently members of Tifereth Israel and their daughter Leah attends our
Silverman Preschool! Capital Campaign and Torah Mantles—I am sure
that you agree that our synagogue looks spectacular! Special thanks go to
Leslie Bercovitz, Arlene Orlansky, and all of our other volunteers, for their
expertise and devotion. WE will be honoring contributors to our Capital Campaign
and rededicating the Cohen Social Hall, Board Room and Outside Entry during our
Centennial Ball on March 25, 2006. We are currently working with an artist
who will fabricate new custom Torah Mantles fo the eight Torah Scrolls in our
Sanctuary. To date, only four of these have been dedicated. If you would like to
perform a mitzvah by helping dedicate one of the remaining four mantles, please
speak with me or Leslie (the donation to Nitchadesh, Our Capital Campaign, for
dedicating a sanctuary Torah Mantle is between $5,000 and $10,000 payable over
three years.) Two major areas remain to be renewed and refurbished: the
Silverman Preschool playground and the kitchen. We are also looking for a donor
to dedicate outside lighting to illuminate our sanctuary's beautiful stained
glass windows at night. Again, please see me or Leslie if you would like
to help. World Zionist Congress Elections—Time is Running Out! A couple
of months ago I wrote about the importance of registering and voting in the
World Zionist Congress elections. These elections determine the amount of
financial support the Masorti-Conservative movement receives in Israel. So far
our congregation's response has been lacking and only a few weeks remain to
register and vote. Registering and voting takes nominal effort and little cost.
If you have not registered, please do so at www.mercazusa.org
immediately or call the office for a printed form. Your vote does count!
Shalom, Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal.
2006-01-27—Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal, "Joshua Nelson performance expands 'Jewish music'" jewishsightseeing.com