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What meaningful eulogy can a rabbi possibly add to the many heartfelt tributes being paid to the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II? Ancient Jewish wisdom advised that in this world a man is known by his father. Not only a man's last name, but much of his identity comes from his father. However, after the process of death transforms us to spirit, we look to our children and grandchildren for clues to our eternity. In the future world of the spirit, where all is light and truth, Judaism teaches that each of us will be known by the actions...

What meaningful eulogy can a rabbi possibly add to the many heartfelt tributes being paid to the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II? Ancient Jewish wisdom advised that in this world a man is known by his father. Not only a man’s last name but much of his identity comes from his father. However, after the process of death transforms us to spirit, we look to our children and grandchildren for clues to our eternity. In the future world of the spirit where all is light and truth, Judaism teaches that each of us will be known by the actions...

I am an Orthodox Jewish rabbi sadly denouncing one of the box office hits of 2004. Which movie has earned my wrath? Here is a clue—it surprised everyone by selling over one hundred million dollars of tickets in its first week in theaters. No, it’s not Mel Gibson’s Passion. The movie causing me deep distress is a Rosenthal/Tenenbaum production starring Dustin Hoffman, and Barbra Streisand. I was sorry to see Barbra Streisand involved in the flagrant defamation of Judaism found in this, her latest movie hit. While she was making her film Yentl, for which I served as a consultant,...

I am an Orthodox rabbi angrily denouncing one of the biggest recent box office hits. Which movie has earned my wrath? Here is a clue: it surprised everyone by selling over one hundred million dollars’ worth of tickets in its first week in theaters. No, it’s not Mel Gibson’s “The Passion.” The movie causing me deep distress is a Rosenthal/Tenenbaum production starring Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. I am sorry to see Barbra Streisand involved in such a flagrant defamation of Judaism. While she was making her film Yentl, for which I served as a consultant, she studied Judaism regularly...

Monday, January 3, 2005 Don't blame God for Asian casualtiesPosted: January 3, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern By Rabbi Daniel Lapin © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com With the final death toll in Asia yet unknown, analyzing the calamity can appear callous, especially in the light of ancient Jewish wisdom's advice to refrain from even comforting mourners whose dead still lie before them, let alone analyzing their loss. Still, once we have, in some human way, associated ourselves with the disaster by means of financial or other contribution, we surely are obliged to try and learn something from it. Sometimes before the answers can be found, the...

At least five million fervent Jews and Christians, most of whom are conservative politically, sat out the election of 2000. There are very disturbing indications that these same citizens of faith have no plans to vote this coming November. Politics is nothing more than the practical application of our most deeply held religious convictions. Any passionately held belief must surely translate into some specifi c practical policy that would further that belief. Why would so many otherwise patriotic and law-abiding citizens avoid the ballot box? It turns out that large numbers of fervent Christian and traditional Jewish conservatives plan not...

It's open season on Christians – again By Rabbi Daniel Lapin One-time girlfriend of quirky California Gov. Jerry Brown in the '70s, singer Linda Ronstadt has been busy lately. She dedicated her song "Desperado" to Michael Moore and his bogus-mentary, "Fahrenheit 911," she got herself tossed out of the Aladdin casino in Las Vegas, and she gave an interview to a newspaper. Although I doubt this was her intention, she has actually taught us three lessons: One, she and many of her fellow entertainers do have a religion – I'd call it "secular fundamentalism." Two, it's open season on Christians,...

Sunday, July 18, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M. Pastor's election-year crusade: 60,000 new voters in state By Janet I. Tu Seattle Times staff reporter If the idea of devout Christians running the country makes some Americans nervous, Joseph Fuiten has no such qualms. The senior pastor of one of the largest churches in the state, who is leading a statewide effort to rally social conservatives to re-elect President Bush, Fuiten believes "God wants us to be involved in government. "Along with the church and family, it's an institution God created which ought to be under the will of...

For a while now America has been trending secular. Prior to that time, being wise and educated meant knowing God. That is why most universities and schools of earlier periods were established and attended by religious Christians. The same is true in Jewish history. Until the 19th century education and knowledge were inseparable from religion. Even the etymological origin of the word "secular" is linked to the Hebrew word for a fool. (SaCaL as in "Am sacal-oh foolish nation" Jeremiah V: 21) This obvious link between God and education was clearly recognized in the wording of that great document that...

by Jonathan S. Tobin The first time I heard Rabbi Daniel Lapin speak, he told a story that struck me as odd. ...[snip] Rising to address a gala luncheon, Lapin sounded the message that all people of faith had more in common with each other than with their nominal co-religionists. To reinforce this point, Lapin confided that he and his wife had chosen for their children to be born in a Catholic hospital that had a cross on the wall of every room rather than at Cedars-Sinai, a Jewish hospital in Los Angeles where he then lived. Why? Because abortions...

Why Mel Owes One To The Jews February 12, 2004 By Rabbi Daniel Lapin President, Toward Tradition Two weeks before Mel Gibson's Passion flashes onto two thousand screens, online ticket merchants are reporting that up to half their total sales are for advance purchases for Passion. One Dallas multiplex has reserved all twenty of its screens for The Passion. I am neither a prophet nor a movie critic. I am merely an Orthodox rabbi using ancient Jewish wisdom to make three predictions about The Passion. One, Mel Gibson and Icon Productions will make a great deal of money. Those distributors...

By Rabbi Daniel Lapin President, Toward Tradition Never has a film aroused such hostile passion so long prior to its release as has Mel Gibson's Passion. Many American Jews are alarmed by reports of what they view as potentially anti-Semitic content in this movie about the death of Jesus, which is due to be released during 2004. Clearly the crucifixion of Jesus is a sensitive topic, but prominent Christians who previewed it, including good friends like James Dobson and Michael Novak who have always demonstrated acute sensitivity to Jewish concerns, see it as a religiously inspiring movie, and refute charges...

America’s Real War: An Interview with Rabbi Daniel LapinTHE PASSION OF THE CHRIST CBN.com – Rabbi Daniel Lapin is a well-known speaker and radio talk show host, president of Toward Tradition, an organization dedicated to building bridges between American Jews and Christians, and the author of a book called "America's Real War," which touts the importance of our shared Christian-Judeo values. Pat Robertson talked with Rabbi Lapin about the intense reaction to Mel Gibson’s newest film "The Passion of The Christ," anti-Semitism in America and Europe, and much more. PAT ROBERTSON: "The Passion of The Christ" opens in theaters across...

Two weeks before Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ flashed onto movie screens, online ticket merchants reported that up to half their total sales were for advance purchases for The Passion of the Christ. One Dallas multiplex reserved all 20 of its screens for The Passion. That said, I am neither a prophet nor a movie critic. I am merely an Orthodox rabbi using ancient Jewish wisdom to make three predictions about The Passion. First: Mel Gibson and Icon Productions will make a great deal of money. Those distributors who surrendered to pressure from Jewish organizations and passed on The...

Two weeks before the opening of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," online ticket merchants reported that up to half their total sales were for the film. One Dallas multiplex has reserved all 20 of its screens for "The Passion." I am neither a prophet nor a movie critic; I am merely an Orthodox rabbi using ancient Jewish wisdom to make three predictions about the movie: One, Mel Gibson and Icon Productions will make a great deal of money. Those distributors who surrendered to pressure from Jewish organizations and passed on "The Passion" will be kicking themselves, while Newmarket...

Why Mel owes one to the Jews By Rabbi Daniel Lapin © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Two weeks before Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" flashes onto two thousand screens, online ticket merchants are reporting that up to half their total sales are for advance purchases for the film. One Dallas multiplex has reserved all 20 of its screens for "The Passion." I am neither a prophet nor a movie critic. I am merely an Orthodox rabbi using ancient Jewish wisdom to make three predictions about "The Passion." One, Mel Gibson and Icon Productions will make a great deal of money....

The Biblically-based moral framework that once unified all of western civilization has already been exiled from Europe. Not only have right and wrong lost their meaning but art is now indistinguishable from degenerate propaganda designed to degrade. Rome let in the barbarians and they toppled the empire from within. For us in America, this is both the pernicious promise and the sinister legacy of secular fundamentalism. Martin Luther King Day can perhaps be best observed by contemplating how the God of the Bible, worshipped by both Bach and Reverend Martin Luther King, is the same God whose values are now...

How good people can vote for good people Posted: January 16, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern By Rabbi Daniel Lapin© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com In July 1788, after Dr. Benjamin Rush, the only physician to sign the Declaration of Independence, watched a federal parade in Philadelphia, he wrote the following words. The rabbi of the Jews locked in the arms of two ministers of the Gospel was a most delightful sight. There could not have been a more happy emblem. Dr. Rush would be disappointed, I am sure, to learn that many of the spiritual heirs of the three clergymen who so buoyed his spirits, often...

Rabbi Lapin explores what Adolf Hitler himself might have thought of Move On's degenerate derangement.

Hitler writes from the grave -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: January 10, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern By Rabbi Daniel Lapin © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com 2004 arrived safely, whispering how successfully the Bush administration has waged our war on terror. Although those who hate us intended us harm, Providence, along with our government's vigilance and pre-emptive actions, prevented all holiday season attacks. The only shocking attack the New Year brought us was the Democratic organization Move On's demented action providing a platform for potential television advertising comparing President George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler. I thought it might be interesting to explore what Adolf Hitler...