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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
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Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
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Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
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January 30, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
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January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
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January 13, 2012
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Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 29, 2009 / 11 Tishrei 5770
Who Needs Religion?
By
Mona Charen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Well, that's one way to look at it. Writing in Haaretz, Orna
Coussin praised Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement that began Sunday
night and ended Monday night) as the ultimate green holiday. Coussin is a
secular Israeli and was expressing her appreciation for the fact that
everyone is obliged to travel by foot on Yom Kippur. All traffic stops in
Israel. No cars, busses, trains, or taxis clog the streets on that day. The
shops and offices are closed and the city is given over to pedestrians.
"Last year, on Yom Kippur," she exults, "carbon monoxide levels fell from
205 parts per billion, on the day prior to the holiday, to just 2 parts per
billion at its height a phenomenon unmatched anywhere in the world."
That's nice. But for millions of Jews worldwide the Day of
Atonement continues to exert its traditional power. Coussin may see it as a
day for walking the city; religious Jews are trying to walk with G-d. But
even non-religious Jews can find uplift in the Yom Kippur service.
Fierce secularists like Christopher Hitchens deny that religion
is necessary for morality. In any particular case, this is impossible to
deny. Many highly moral people are non-religious (though, I would venture,
less often anti-religious). But people being the way they are
rationalizing, lazy, self-satisfied, absent-minded, and evasive (to list
only some of our milder shortcomings) the religious tradition, with its
weekly (or in some cases only yearly) kicks in the backside, prods us toward
virtue, or perhaps even righteousness.
Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and repentance. This is well
known. But the fast though severe (it lasts 25 hours and requires
abstention from food and water) is not the substance of repentance, only
a symbol. The whole High Holiday season, which begins with Rosh Hashana, is
a period of prayer, self-examination, and repentance. This is a time to give
generously to charity both for its own sake (the Hebrew word for charity
is "justice") and to demonstrate our sincere repentance. We are encouraged
to pay our debts during this time, and to ask forgiveness from those we have
wronged. If we are rebuffed, we're expected to ask again … twice. Offenses
against our fellow human beings are not forgiven on Yom Kippur unless the
wronged party has extended forgiveness. As for offenses against G-d,
worshippers are reminded that G-d is not interested in fasting alone, only
in genuine repentance. The measure of sincerity is altered behavior.
The confession of sin is communal and quite exhaustive. For
those who might have thought they had a pretty good year, the Al Cheyt prayer
makes them think again. The offenses listed include, as one might expect,
lust, gluttony, envy, cruelty, gossip, and dishonesty. But the liturgy also
requires confession of impertinence, foul language, being stiff-necked, and
"haughty looks." We ask forgiveness for sins of commission and sins of
omission, and for sins committed knowingly and unknowingly. Come to think of
it, considering its breadth and comprehensiveness, the Al Cheyt could have
been drafted by a lawyer. In any case, it stands in stark contrast to the
narcissistic spirit of our age.
The concept of communal confession may seem odd to Christians
whose traditions tend to stress individual repentance and reconciliation
with G-d. One explanation frequently advanced for this practice is that the
entire Jewish community is expected to take responsibility for the sins of
all of its members. Peoplehood and nation remain key features of the Jewish
faith. But it is also the case, I think, that when reciting that long list
of offenses, only the most self-deluded sinner could fail to recognize that
he had committed more sins that he cared to acknowledge during the preceding
period of self-examination. The ancient catalogue of wrongdoing remains as
fresh today as ever because however much the outward world has changed,
the human soul remains what it has always been.
Even with the best will in the world, we are inclined to
backsliding. If we haven't been reminded lately to give generously to those
in need, or to visit the sick or bereaved, or to extend ourselves to the
handicapped, or to thank a member of the armed services, or in other ways to
try to please G-d, we will fall short.
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Mona Charen Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
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