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Happy New Year - L'Shana Tovah from JewishIndy!

We wish our readers a Happy New Year - Shana Tovah.

Due to observance of the holiday and the following Shabbat, article posting will resume after the Shabbat at 8:40 pm.

ROSH HASHANA 5771: POSITIVE THINKING

BS"D

By Rav Zvi Leshem
September 8, 2010

One of the most famous aggadot regarding Rosh Hashana tells of the three books in which everyone is inscribed for the coming year, the righteous, the wicked, and those in the middle, whose inscription is pushed off until Yom Kippur.[1] This idea, reflected in our prayers, such as Avinu Malkenu, in which we repeatedly mention this idea of inscription, is a powerful motif in the holiday atmosphere and in our popular imagination.

The Baal Shem Tov[2] has a remarkable understanding of this concept; all of the thoughts that come into one's head on Rosh Hashana – they are the inscribing, whether for good or for bad (G-d forbid) and if one has negative thoughts he must sweeten them and do battle with the yetzer hara that purposely sends us these thoughts….

Rosh Hashana Guide for the Perplexed

By Yoram Ettinger
The Ettinger Report
September 8, 2010

1. Rosh Hashanah – unlike all other Jewish holidays – is a universal (stock-taking, renewal and hopeful) holiday. It is celebrated on the sixth day of The Creation, which produced the first human being, Adam. Rosh (Hashanah) means in Hebrew "beginning," "first," "head," "chief." The Hebrew letters of Rosh constitute the root of the Hebrew word for Genesis, "Bereshit", which is the first word in the Bible. Just like The Creation, so should the New Year and our own actions, be a thoughtful – and not a hasty - process. Rosh Hashanah is celebrated at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which means beginning/Genesis in ancient Akkadian. The Hebrew spelling of Tishrei is included in the spelling of Genesis. Rosh Hashanah is referred to as "Ha'rat Olam" (the pregnancy of the world), and its prayers highlight Motherhood, Optimism and the pregnancies of Sarah and Rachel, the Matriarchs, and Hanna, who gave birth to Isaac, Joseph & Benjamin and Samuel the Prophet respectively. Sarah (the root of the Hebrew word, Israel ) and Hanna (the root of the Hebrew words Pardon, Amnesty and Merciful) were two of the seven Jewish Prophetesses: Sarah, Miriam, Hanna, Deborah, Huldah, Abigail, Esther. Hanna's prayer has become a role-model for God-heeded-prayers which are recited by the "non-privileged". Noah – who led the rebirth of humanity/world – also features in Rosh Hashanah prayers.

2. The transient/tenuous nature of human beings is highlighted by the celebration of Rosh Hashanah (the beginning of a New Year) and the end of the previous year. Recognizing human fallibility, Rosh Hashana highlights humility, soul-searching, responsibility, renewal/rebirth and the need for systematic education.

3. The Shofar (ritual horn) is blown on Rosh Hashanah as a wake-up call to mend human behavior. Rosh Hashanah is also called "Yom Te'roo'ah" (the day of blowing the Shofar). Shofar is a derivative of the Hebrew word for Enhancement/Improvement (Shipur), which is constantly expected of human beings. It requires humility, symbolized by the Shofar, which is bent and is not supposed to be decorated.

The Shofar is the epitome of Peace-Through-Strength: It is made from the horn of a ram , which is a peaceful animal equipped with strong horns, in order to fend off wild animals. The numerical value of the Hebrew word,"ram", is 41, equal to the value of "Mother."

A Bloodless Revolution

By Prof. Paul Eidelberg
Foundation for Constitutional Democracy
September 8, 2010

Please examine the article below this one regarding Al-Qaeda, and then proceed to my remarks.

1) The training of children to kill Jews has been going on for years under the PLO-Palestinian Authority. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (BB) knows this, but hasn’t the wherewithal to translate this horrendous matter into a foreign policy that can save Israel from the disaster which he and his five predecessors are responsible .

2) Suppose BB was to have a televised “State of the Nation” message attended by the international media as well as foreign ambassadors; and suppose he was display the PA’s indoctrination and training of small children to become terrorists, hence to murder Jews

3) BB could then ABROGATE OSLO—explaining:
(a) How Oslo has been violated by the PLO-Palestinian Authority;
(b) How the PLO-PA has violated the WYE AGREEMENT, THE UN CHARTER, THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION, ETC., ETC.

4) BB then issues an ultimatum to Abbas and the PA indicating the Israel will not stand passively by while they train kids to hate and kill Jews, indeed, that Israel, like other UN members, is obliged by international law to stop—and certainly not to reward— this terrorist training. Indeed, Israel will resort to force to uphold the law.

MY PRAYER FOR ISRAEL ROSH HASHONA 5771

An editorial form the October 2003 issue of THE MACCABEAN ONLINE. Re-issued every year I need to.

By Bernard J. Shapiro
THE MACCABEAN ONLINE
Freeman Center For Strategic Studies

As I survey the fragile planet we call home, my mind makes note of the chaos, blood, and tears. The cries of a million lost souls shatter the night in a million corners of the earth. The sensitive, compassionate among them try to feed the hungry, heal the sick, clothe the naked. One by one their energies dissipate. They try to hold back the tide with a teaspoon and then see the impossibility of the task. The Jewish people are but a cosmic speck in this universe. To many Jews who feel deeply about their own people, that speck becomes the whole world. Other Jews are irrevocably tied to non-Jewish pursuits.

May we as a people open our eyes and begin to see the world as it really is. Without becoming depressed and morose, we must realize that there are powerful forces in the world that wish us ill. May we mobilize our strength to fight our enemies until they are defeated. May we not succumb to false prophets of peace. We all want peace. We pray for peace in our Sabbath services every Friday night. After thousands of years, being victims of persecution, expulsion, extermination, and discrimination, it is natural that we yearn for peace with every ounce of our bodies and souls. It is because our hunger for peace is so strong that we must be doubly cautious not to fall for a pseudo-peace. Today none of us believe Chamberlain really negotiated "peace in our time" with Hitler. Why do some Jews believe that Peres and Rabin really negotiated "peace" with Arafat, one of today's Hitlers? The Jewish people must learn the value of unity in the face of so many enemies who wish them ill.

A prayer for 5771

With introductory comment by Paul Eidelberg:

In her September 8 article, “A prayer for 5771,” Caroline has written her finest article. She far transcends the leaders of the so-called national camp (BB included). She sees that we have had no leaders since Herzl—none to assert the Jewish creed. Allow me to say that her article confirms the title of my book (2000) Jewish Statesmanship: Lest Israel Fail.

By CAROLINE B. GLICK
Jerusalem Post
September 8, 2010

At his rally, Glenn Beck reminded us of the importance of loud, boisterous celebrations which recommit nations to their destiny and creed.

On August 28, Fox News commentator Glenn Beck confounded his colleagues in the media when he brought hundreds of thousands of Americans to the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC for a rally he called “Restoring Honor.”

While former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker, the rally was decidedly apolitical. The speakers said nothing controversial.

The crowd was enthusiastic but not rowdy.

REVOLUTION

By Prof. Paul Eidelberg
Foundation for Constitutional Democracy
September 8, 2010

Where are the Sons of Liberty to get rid of the fraud in the White House?

Get out of the intellectual strait-jacket. Stop being politically correct moderates. If you’re going to use the name “Tea Party,” stop behaving as if you’re at an tea party. Get serious!

Glenn, Coulter, Farah—are pussy cats. The authors of the Declaration of Independence did not stop with words. Jefferson wrote “letters of correspondence.” Know what that means? And don’t think November will solve America’s problems.

[end]

Arabs and the Mastery of Modern Algebra

By Gerald A. Honigman
September 7, 2010

     It’s official now…

     Soon, Israel will once again be expected to give away the entire store simply because Arabs have merely agreed to show up to discuss the giveaway.

     That’s what’s to be expected now that Israel finds itself in the direct negotiations which began last week, surrounded by Arabs who openly admit that their idea of "negotiations" is Israel–and Israel only–doing all of the concrete giving while their role is purely receiving.

     Add to this an American President who has repeatedly stated that Israel “would be crazy” not to accept the Saudi Peace Plan, which calls for a total withdrawal to the ‘49 armistice lines (i.e., giving up the promise of UNSC Resolution 242 regarding secure, defensible borders and a return to a fragile, sub-rump state existence instead) and an inundation of Israel by “returning” jihadi refugees, and you can see the fun which awaits those who care just in time for the High Holy Days. Oh yes, there are others of the same ilk present adding yet more to the one-sided nature of what’s to come.

     In light of this breaking news, it’s essential to look deeper into the heart of what Israel really faces in its conflict with the Arabs. So, let’s begin…

     Two newspaper articles caught my attention over the last month that really got me thinking–about math…algebra, to be specific. More about those particular articles later…

Next year: Let's end consumerist Judaism by becoming Jewishly ambitious

By Gil Troy
Jerusalem Post
September 7, 2010

Two of the most traumatic cataclysms Westerners endured this past decade coincided with Rosh Hashanah. September 11, 2001 fell one week before the Jewish New Year. Some religious Jews who normally would have been in the Twin Towers when the planes hit were delayed because of the slichot, repentance, hymns which extend the morning service in Elul. Then, two years ago, the financial system melted down during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In some synagogues in New York, rabbis had to implore their congregants to turn off their Blackberries as the constant buzzing with market updates interfered with the PA system.

Alas, to echo White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, we collectively have wasted these crises. The high anxiety experienced around the High Holidays did not propel us collectively to greater spiritual or moral heights. Traditionally, wars and economic crises have triggered geysers of self-sacrifice, streams of idealism, pools of communal concern, amid waves of revulsion against the complacency that often accompanies peace and prosperity. After 9/11 some regretted not having done more good works during the good times. Americans considered making September 11 a national day of voluntarism. But most of us followed President George W. Bush's advice to get back to normal, to return to the malls. The opportunity for mass reckonings or dramatic reform vanished.

Instead, an unchecked consumerism continues to pervert our politics, our culture, our intimate relations, even our spiritual lives. Consumerist Judaism distorts across the religious spectrum. Consumerist Judaism reduces our profound link in the chain of Jewish civilization to another take-it-or-leave consumption choice. It fosters a paradoxical sense of harsh judgmentalism and enervating passivity. We scrutinize Judaism hyper-critically, picking and choosing whatever fragments work for us, if and when it is convenient.

Before you boycott Israel!

Before you boycott Israel! (video 8:18)