by Rabbi Benjamin Blech
Is Wall Street sending us a Rosh Hashana message?
Even as we face divine judgment on the high holy days, it's hard not to think about the worldwide monetary melt-down and the carnage of corporations that we thought were invincible. After all, it's not just our lives that stand in the balance when God makes his decisions about our future. As the deeply moving prayer of Rabbi Amnon, Unetane Tokef, puts it, these are the days when both our fate and our fortune for the coming year are sealed: "Who will live and who will die, who will become impoverished and who will become wealthy."
The Hebrew word "Damim," the rabbis tell us, means not only blood, but also money. A strange combination at first sight, but one filled with profound insight. Judaism does not denigrate the importance of money. It is not the root of all evil; it is morally neutral. Just as it can be misused for improper purposes it can also serve to ennoble our lives and the lives of others. We are permitted to pray for wealth, just as our forefathers did. The Kohanim, the priests who are commanded to bless the ...   more »

Iran's supreme leader brushes aside recent overtures by top Iranian officials to Israeli citizens with statements that could inflame tensions.
By Ramin Mostaghim and Borzou Daragahi
TEHRAN — Iran's highest authority lashed out against Israel on Friday with some of his harshest comments in recent memory about the Jewish state.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is Iran's top political and military figure, said his country's hostility to Israel extended beyond the government to the Israeli people as well. In saying so, he was brushing aside recent overtures by top Iranian officials to the Israeli public.
Khamenei said Iran and Israel were on a "collision course," a statement that could further increase tensions in a Middle East already fearful of a conflict between the two countries.
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By RICHARD HOLBROOKE, R. JAMES WOOLSEY, DENNIS B. ROSS and MARK D. WALLACEArticle
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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits the United Nations in New York this week. Don't expect an honest update from him on his country's nuclear program. Iran is now edging closer to being armed with nuclear weapons, and it continues to develop a ballistic-missile capability.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Such developments may be overshadowed by our presidential election, but the challenge Iran poses is very real and not a partisan matter. We may have different political allegiances and worldviews, yet we share a common concern -- Iran's drive to be a nuclear state. We believe that Iran's desire for nuclear weapons is one of the most urgent issues facing America today, because even the most conservative estimates tell us that they could have nuclear weapons soon.
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Gil Hoffman and Greer Fay Cashman ,
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni will begin efforts to form a new government on Tuesday via direct and indirect negotiations with potential coalition partners following President Shimon Peres's formal appointment of her to compose a new coalition Monday night.
Livni was inspired by Peres, who met with the 13 faction heads in less than 24 hours. While she doesn't intend to go at the same pace, she pledged in her acceptance speech at Beit Hanassi to form a government as soon as possible.
"We need to work as fast as possible to end the uncertainty that has stretched on for way too long," Livni said. "We have more in common than what divides us. Such a government can make needed reforms and return people's faith in their elected officials."
Livni called on all the political parties represented in the Knesset to put their differences aside and to join in a national unity government for the common good. She made particular mention of Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu and did not forget to credit Labor for starting the process that led to the resignation on Sunday of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and to her election as ...   more »