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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
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
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
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)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
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
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
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
January 18, 2012
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
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
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
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
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. 25, 2003
/ 28 Elul, 5763
Reason to hope
By
Jonathan Rosenblum
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http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
Jews around the world can be counted on to share one thought this Rosh Hashanah: Let 5764 be a better year than the one just ended. While there are no guarantees on that score, if we take to heart the messages of Rosh Hashanah, there is reason to hope.
On Rosh Hashanah, the Mishnah tells us, "all who come into the world pass in front of G-d as bnei Maron." The Talmud uses three metaphors to elucidate the puzzling term bnei Maron. All share one idea: The judgment is on the individual in absolute isolation, stripped of all social context. In that respect, the judgment resembles that on the day of death, where the individual confronts G-d in absolute solitude.
Remembering that we are not being judged in comparison to anything other than our own potential would go a long way to lessening the bitter divisions that typify much of Jewish life. It is always easier to concentrate on what someone else is doing wrong than to focus on one's own failings. Rather than working to improve ourselves, we hide from our failures by noting those of others.
One lesson of Rosh Hashanah is that defending oneself by pointing out that someone else is doing worse will not avail. If all the subgroups within the larger Jewish community would remember that, and focus on fixing their own houses, the Jewish community would be not only better but more peaceful.
Standing alone before G-d, and being forced to explain, "Who am I?" ``What makes me different than my neighbor except that he wants this and that for himself, and I want it for myself?" is not a comfortable experience. But the very questions alert us that each of us is unique. Each of us has been placed on the earth with a specific mission.
In the Mussaf section of the Rosh Hashanah prayers, we find a description of G-d's remembrance: "When the remembrance of every created being comes before you - every person's deeds and mission. . . "
Every Jew is judged according to his "deeds," the mitzvos, religious duties, that are equally incumbent every Jew. But he is judged no less according to how well he fulfills his specific mission, the one which he or she alone can perform because no one else was ever born with the same configuration of strengths and weaknesses, or familial
background.
To discern our particular mission, we must know our strengths, not just our weaknesses. As Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, founder of the Mussar movement emphasized, a Jew has to develop his in-born strong points for they are the primary tools for the fulfillment of his or her unique role in the Divine plan. Devoting part of our Rosh Hashanah to contemplating what is special about us, as individuals and as a nation, would be a good way to start the new year.
Though Rosh Hashanah is referred to in our prayers as the first day of Creation, it is in fact the day on which G-d created Adam by breathing into his nostrils. The rest of creation was but a prelude to that act of literal inspiration.
When G-d breathed into Adam, He gave part of Himself to man. That breath of the Divine, or neshama, is the soul. The Shofar blasts of Rosh Hashanah, created by a powerful expiration, recall that primordial breath with which man came into being.
G-d created the entire world only for an another being to whom He could give of Himself. Perfect and complete unto Himself, G-d nevertheless desired to give to another. That is the meaning of the verse in Psalms, "The entire world is founded on chesed," on G-d's original act of lovingkindness.
On Rosh Hashanah, we seek once again to attach ourselves to the original purpose for which the world was created -- the giving that proclaims G-d's existence. Thus did Nechemiah tell the exiles who had returned from Babylon, on Rosh Hashanah, to rejoice in G-d by "send[ing] portions to those who have nothing prepared."
Acts of chesed, whether through word or deed, with money or just a smile, connect us to G-d and to one another. By engaging in the G-d-like chesed, we experience the Divine within ourselves and are better equipped to perceive it in others.
Attachment to the congregation of Israel, is a crucial component of our service on Rosh Hashanah. How can we recite the same prayers two consecutive days? How can both be the Day of Judgment? The answer is that there are two judgments. On the second day, all those who might not be found worthy on their own are judged again in terms of their contribution to the Jewish people.
Participation in an organic community is the antidote to the grasping selfishness that prevents us from either appreciating the good that G-d has done for us or acting in His image through deeds of chesed to others.
The Jewish people have been sorely tested this year. To a remarkable degree, Jews around the world rallied to the side of their brothers in Israel.
May that act of identification be a harbinger of a better year to come.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in uplifting articles.
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JWR contributor Jonathan Rosenblum is a columnist for the Jerusalem Post and Israeli director of Am
Echad. Comment by clicking here.
© 2003, Jonathan Rosenblum
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