Keep the Faith with Shammai Engelmayer

The title says it all. A happy—AND SAFE—Thanksgiving to all. Support the show

If (hopefully not when) his white supremacist supporters take to arms to "pay back" the ones who "stole" the election from the man who greenlighted them these last four years, he's already used "dog whistles" to tell them who their main targets should be—the Jews. And no, I'm not being unnecessarily alarmist. The evidence is all in his words, echoed by some...

I'm guessing that most people don't realize that Jewish law requires us to vote in elections—and to count every vote that's cast. That's this week's topic. Support the show

This may sound political, but it's really a warning. President Trump's reliance on fake science to fuel his callous disregard for the lives of the people he leads. This podcast is about that fake science and it's about who we should be listening to over the next weeks and months as the COVID-19 rates continue to climb back up. Support the show

Bluntly stated, one candidate running for president fails on every count, from the Jewish view of what a leader should be. You won't be surprised about who it is I believe that leader is. Support the show

We're beginning the annual Torah reading cycle this Shabbat and we begin at the beginning, Creation, the chapter that most people believe is the biggest fairy tale of them all. I hope this podcast changes that perception for you. Support the show

This episode is guaranteed not to win me many friends among the ritually rigid Jewish communities here and abroad, but it had to be said. Jews who should know better are blatantly violating a prime Torah-originated directive and add to their sin by bringing disgrace to God's Holy Name. Support the show

We moderns may think Sukkot is just one big antiquated festival filled with silly rituals and, yes, even an embarrassment of sorts, Well, think again—and listen to the reasons why. Support the show

Yom Kippur is NOT about such things as keeping kosher or keeping Shabbat merely because we're supposed to. It's about understanding what these rituals are really about—and what Yom Kippur is really about: How we relate to other people and to the world around us. Also, there's no "absolution" at the end of Yom Kippur because that's when repentance actually begins. Supp...

This is the second installment of my High Holy Days series. Tere nay be a few surprises here. A happy, healthy, SAFE, and peaceful 5781. Support the show

When you consider the image of God sitting on a throne and reviewing a list of who was naughty in 5780 and who was nice, it makes it difficult to take Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur too seriously—and that would be a mistake. Support the show

We're doing things a bit differently this week. In an effort to discover how High Holy Days services can be more meaningful, especially for peoplr who don't often attend synagogue during the year, if at all, we've brought just such a sometimes shul-goer and a cantor (he's also a rabbi) for a conversation. Support the show

The Torah, including in this week's reading—Ki Tetzei—has much to say about our responsibilities to the so-called "lower life forms" on our planet, and the kosher laws have a role to play in that concern, as well. We also have two very special guests from Southern California who understand those responsibilities and act on it in their daily lives. Support the show

A 4 1/2/-year-old knows more about keeping safe amid COVID-19 than many adults, especially if you believe some recent surveys Support the show

How we and the other adults behave serve as influenbces on our children, with frightening results according to one important survey. And it is compounded by the kinds of dirty campaigning we're currently being subjected to. Support the show

The Ten Commandments are viewed by so many as being the ultimate religious document, the only words God ever spoke to an entire nation. Non-Jews especially see this as the only words God spoke and its contents are the only "commandments" God cares about. But are these really commandments? And are they even meant to be commandments? And is this a "religious" document at all? Tha...

The Supreme Court ended its term with an abortion ruling—but not one conservatives were hoping for. Judaism's take on abortion is this week's topic. Support the show

The federal government has resumed executions (although the timing is suspicious to my mind). People on both sides like to say "the Bible suppoorts me on this." Does it? Support the show

Judaism is not about mourning past tragedies; it's about living life in a way that will improve the world. Tishah B'Av is the exception. It's all explained here. Shabbat Shalom. Support the show

It's the July 4th weekend—the "secular Shavuot. America has given us much to be thankful for—but America also has much to be thankful for to us because its Jewish roots are showing (although maybe not as much as the promise of America would require). There's lots here that may pleasantly surprise you. Support the show

Demonstrations, whistleblowers, tell-all books—these are all in the news, and they also are different ways of speaking truth to power. Speaking truth to power is something Judaism takes very seriously and, from the Torah on, requires it of us. Support the show

Benjamn Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the West Bank is foolhardy and selfishly motivated. It also most likely violates a number of Jewish laws. Support the show

Benjamikn Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the West Bank is foolhardy and selfishly motivated—and it probably violates many Jewish laws. Support the show

That's what the Tanach (the Bible) says, it's what the sages tell us, and it's what we've seen with our own eyes in our lifetime But the wrong words don't just kill people; they can also kill ideas whose time has come. The idea behind "Defund the Police" is such an idea and deserves support. It won't get all the support it will need to succeed because of one...

If, as the Torah tells us, we're all descended from the original First Couple through their son Seth, then color, race, ethnicity, even religion, are artificial devices designed to separate us from our borthers and sisters—meaning all humanity. So where is OUR outrage when events such as what we're seeing today occur? There's more. Please listen and send this podcast to all your con...