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A wonderful book, which helped when my little sister was taken. and 5 months later when my other half of many years was taken . Reply

Talk with people and ask questions. God will find you! Reply

See, this is one of many reasons I love being Jewish: we're not scared to ask the hard questions. I'm no expert myself, but I personally define a Jew as a person who self-IDs as Jewish, has a Jewish soul and isn't messianic. Personally, I don't care what kind of Jew you are. To antisemites, it won't matter if someone is religious or not, Ashkenazi/Sephardic/Satmar/Chabad/Reform/Patrilineal. They'll want you dead either way. Atheist Jews exist, and I see them as valid Jews. Atheist Jews can be supportive of their more observant counterparts by not giving them a hard time for choosing to be religious, attending important synagogue events like weddings/bar mitzvahs, etc. It also helps to keep a stash of ready to eat kosher snacks at the ready. Even if the other person doesn't keep any form of kosher, it's nice to see a show of support and Jewish representation, especially in the wake of 10/7. Jewish diversity is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated, but so is Jewish unity. Reply

I know two jews that are declared atheists. They come to shul almost every shabbat and participate in services as they still feel they receive guidance from the Torah for everyday things in life. Just because you are an atheist does not mean you can't be spiritual. One of them even reads Torah. There are quite a lot of "degrees" of participation. Just coming to shul would be wonderful. Reply

What an atheist does not believe about in Judaism does not necessarily mean that he or she is not interested in our history nor in how we behave. By participating in some of the problems and their discussions, such a thinker is making a small contribution to our lives too. But to be" a good and supportive Jew" one needs to accept our religious beliefs, so it is impossible for a real atheist to be one.

Perhaps if he or she were an sitting on the fence of agnosticism, it would be different. Reply

YES Reply

Thank you. That is well said and sound advice. Reply

Thank you. Reply

Thank you. You touch it with a needle. I agree with you, but my Rabbi does not. The Rabbi appears to believe that being part of the community makes me as "Jewish" as I need to be for him and Chabad. He sees no disrespect to G-d or the community. I still feel like an outsider, yet my Judaism identity is still important to me. This feeling of being an outsider is what I am trying to overcome. Reply

God always gave/gives ample warning before taking punitive action! And He works diligently on hearts to correct self-destructive behaviors. I would say focus on His long suffering, patience, and love in raising kids. Reply

Wow. Great question! Personally I'd have to give this a good think, or maybe have a running conversation on the question to attempt to bring about a peaceful conclusion. Just off the top of my head, though, what you are talking about discarding or destroying belongs to HaShem, right? So that would mean that your children (although borne by you and raised in your household, belong to HaShem Who has given you authority over them to teach them, to prepare them, to guide them, etc., but not to destroy them *there is such a thing as "giving them over to destruction" which is another matter. As parents, we can lose sight of the fact that HaShem has entrusted these children to us for purposes of our past, present, and future. It can be a short walk from perfectly clear to mildly blurred to philosophically blind. Just my ₪0.02 worth Reply

I believe that the terrible acts of killing and destroying cities as if we were following G-d's instructions, is justified ONLY if it ensures our own preservation. Such a situation is happening today with the Hamas murderers, torturers, rapists, arsonists, hostage-takers and destroyers from Gaza. But is no pleasure to have to proceed in this way and since a lot of less guilty civilians of Gaza are badly involved, we are surely being emotionally taxed for this necessary retaliation and defense. Reply

Please see beyond the words. The joy of innocent living in a wonderful place ,I think of a child moving from the loving shelter of parents to the material world.
Removed from HIS presence. Reply

My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts, you can't even begin to fathom who I am.Adonai Reply

G-D is living in our souls no matter who or what we are or what we believe. Humanity will never understand until the TIME is perfect. Chiros-Time not our time. Reply

Not a bad idea Reply