by Rabbi Yitzchak Berkowitz
The "Slichot" prayers occupy a prime spot in the High Holiday prayers. But what is really behind these puzzling verses?
Beginning the Saturday night before Rosh Hashana, and continuing through Yom Kippur, Jews around the world say "Slichot," a special set of prayers designed to awaken us to the significance of the High Holidays.
After the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses asked God to explain His system for relating with the world. God's answer, known as the "13 Attributes of Mercy," forms the essence of the "Slichot" prayers.
Merciful God, merciful God, powerful God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in kindness and truth. Preserver of kindness for thousands of generations, forgiver of iniquity, willful sin and error, and Who cleanses. (Exodus 34:6-7)
ACTUAL CHANGE
For serious Jews, what counts in life is meaning and substance, not the illogical or the quick-fix, quirky "spiritual" stuff. We're not into playing games. Therefore it's very puzzling that a good part of the liturgy for the High Holiday season includes repeated requests for God to recall our ancestors merits on our behalf, and invoking the "13 Attributes of Mercy" so that He may forgive us.
If ...   more »

By Hillel Fendel
(IsraelNN.com) Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman and his Yisrael Beiteinu party have taken the unique step of releasing a "party platform" in between national elections - in what some see as not only a promotional endeavor, but also a well-timed political ploy.
Named the party's "vision," the paper begins by terming itself a "sincere and genuine effort to present Yisrael Beiteinu's outlook, without using worn out phrases or vague terminology that leave room for misunderstandings."
The paper deals with issues such as the clash between Islam and the West, personal and national security for Israelis, the expulsion and unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Israeli economics, education, the Jewish character of the State, and more.
Released as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is negotiating with Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas the terms of an Israeli withdrawal from nearly all of Judea and Samaria, the paper appears to be an attempt by Yisrael Beiteinu to curb Olmert politically.  However, the party only has two ministers in the Cabinet, and will therefore not be able to vote down Olmert's proposals. 
In addition, Yisrael Beiteinu's 11 Knesset Members are not a critical force in the coalition.  The current Kadima-led coalition has five parties ...   more »

In order to prevent misuse of conversions as means to obtain Israeli citizenship, ministry plan sets stricter conditions for immigration of converts to Israel. As a result, people who were acknowledged as Jews by Chief Rabbinate may not be able to make aliyah
Kobi Nahshoni
The Interior Ministry has drafted new criteria that would place stricter restrictions on immigration of Jewish converts to Israel. While the document aims to prevent the misuse of conversions for purposes of obtaining an Israeli citizenship (such as in the case of foreign workers), it will likely make aliyah difficult for people whose conversion has been approved by the Chief Rabbinate.   
Immigration and Absorption Ministry recommends establishment of new conversion authority in attempt to help olim complete conversion process, encourage an increase in applicants    
Among other things, the ministry draft plan demands that conversion candidates attend classes for nine months and take an active part in their community's life prior to their conversion, and that they continue to play an active role in the community in the nine months following the conversion.  
Rabbi Dr Shaul (Seth) Farber, head of Itim, the Jewish Life Information Center, said it was absurd that the Interior ...   more »

More and more religious high school graduates evade army service; IDF officials, rightist leaders attribute drop to ideological crisis caused by disengagement
Yossi Yehoshua
Draft-dodging among the graduates of national religious high schools has grown by 7% in the last two years, while the number of draft-dodgers among the general public increased by only 4%, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.  
Longer Service?  
Hesder soldiers' service to be extended / Hanan Greenberg  
IDF chief of staff, chief of Personnel and head rabbi meet with hesder yeshivot board to discuss extending their soldiers' service from 16 to 24 months    
According to new data, more and more religious youths chose to continue studying in higher yeshivot, instead of enlisting in the army.  
IDF officials and rightist activists attributed the sharp drop to the deep ideological crisis that followed the disengagement from Gaza in the summer of 2005.  
"These figures are not surprising at all," said Rabbi David Stav, head of a hesder yeshiva in Petach Tikva. "We warned before the disengagement that it would push the religious youths to draft-dodging… we warned that many teens would have to do serious soul-searching, but no one listened to us."   ...   more »

The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has issued a statement strongly urging Bible-believing Christians to petition their governments and the government of Israel to put an end to Muslim destruction of important Jewish artifacts atop the Temple Mount.
The Islamic authorities in charge at the Temple Mount have been carrying out unauthorized excavations and renovations they say are necessary to replace aging electrical cables. Footage taken on a cellphone camera and broadcast on Israel's Channel 2 News last week showed a trench that had been dug into the floor of the complex as part of the work. Deep within the trench an ancient decorated wall was visible, a wall experts say was part of the outer courts of the ancient Jewish temple.
If the wall is part of the ancient temple courtyards, it would be the most significant Israelite Temple find in history. But experts may never have a chance to verify the find if the Muslims are allowed to continue destroying it and every other piece of Jewish history at the site.
In a desperate effort to halt Islamic plans to erase Jewish history, the Temple Institute called on Christians everywhere to “rise up and stand with their brethren in ...   more »

Syrian minister: 'Israel can't survive without aggression'
Yaakov Katz
"Israel in fact does not want peace. It cannot survive without aggression, treachery and military messages," Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said Thursday, a day after IAF aircraft allegedly violated Syrian airspace in an overnight operation.
Bilal said the government was "seriously studying the nature of the response," but refused to indicate in an interview with Al-Jazeera whether the reaction would be on the military or diplomatic level. He would not give any more details about the incident, but said it proved Israel's policies are based on hostility.
He said recent US aid of $30 billion over 10 years to Israel encouraged its government to "such arrogance that it delivered this morning message."
Syrian officials reported that four or five IAF aircraft broke the sound barrier and dropped fuel tanks over deserted areas of northern Syria, along its border with Turkey. Witnesses said the incident occurred in the Abyad area.
A Syrian military spokesman said that Syrian air defenses opened fire on the IAF aircraft. "The Israeli enemy aircraft infiltrated into the Arab Syrian territory through the northern border, coming from the Mediterranean heading toward the eastern region, breaking the sound ...   more »

ROME (AFP) — Israeli President Shimon Peres arrived in Rome Wednesday for talks with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI, airport officials said.
It is the Israeli president's first visit abroad since being elected on June 13.
He will begin by meeting Prodi, who has held a series of discussions with leaders from the region. Prodi was in Jordan last weekend and had talks on Tuesday night in Rome with Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
His foreign minister, Massimo d'Alema, is currently on a tour of Israel and Egypt, part of a flurry of diplomatic activity to prepare for the US-proposed international conference to relaunch the Middle East peace process this autumn.
Peres said before leaving Israeli that the radical Islamist movement Hamas had to choose between feeding children on the Gaza strip and firing rockets into southern Israel.
Peres is due to have an audience with the pontiff on Thursday at his summer residence outside Rome.
He met the pope in April last year in his capacity as a former prime minister.
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