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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 2001Eulogy 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, 2003Rabbi 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.

2006-01-27Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal, "Joshua Nelson performance expands 'Jewish music'" jewishsightseeing.com