Uri Misgav, seems pretentious enough to think there is. For me, it's another "ho-hum" opinion piece (or something of that nature). Incidentally, a free man can also "choose" to fast, circumcise his (male) children, keep Shabat, remain kosher and not fast on Yom Kippur. So what? Really Ynet, a genuinely quality discussion of what's right about not believing in a higher power would be an excellent discussion piece but Uri Misgav's arguments lack the requisite quality.

Buddy, nobody gives a damn about what your are or are not doing.

In fact we are famous for our yom kippour dinner parties, eat drink and be merry.

indeed it is each to their own, so why the comment "don't decide for me what to eat, when to fast...."? The beauty of Israel is that you have freedom, nobody is deciding for you, and many would humbly accept and respect your decision to be Athiest, so why not respect others' decisions to respect and believe their religion?

It's very intresting while Uri is a non believer he would still justify occupying Israel from the once Arab majority. You can't have it both ways. If the Bible and its laws are just a fairy tale then so is the whole history of Abraham. So pick up your rear end and get the heck out of the country you stole for 70 years ago

clearly Ynet thought their online space is cheap. There is no other explanation for such a whining article on Erev Yom Kippur.

Atheists sure do believe in one thing - themselves.....

Why did you bother writing this article? The truth is we couldn't care less whether or not you fast, as long as you don't offend others.

There is no god and man is nothing but an organic machine. Our existence means nothing and there is no such thing as tragedy or happiness. Good and evil are just two different sides of the story. The strongest machine will win. Nice place.

Atheists try to convince other people they're right (otherwise, they won't be writing papers, huh ?). Atheists are convinced they're right. Atheists tend to reject the other points of view. Seems to me that atheism is the new-brand religion, ever stupider than the others since it doesn't need texts and/or study... Oh, and I'll be fasting, too. When my daughter will be asking me "Dad, what is a Jew ?", I still want to be able to answer her the best I can. Enjoy your meal, and Hatima tova none the less :)

Why are there 50-50% - Male and Females in the world ? Why not 70-30% ?. Whom or What can count or rule to those proportions ? Arn.Sweden.

So God brought the Jewish people out of Egypt and gave them all prophecy to experience His communication with mankind and you still dont know He exists? God= creator. If there is no creator there is no creation. Unless of course your logic allows you to believe that creation created itself (before it existed of course). That is the sound logic of an atheist. Creation must have just created itself without a creator of course. Otherwise God would exist and then there would be a purposeful creation which would demand from me and require me to recognize a higher authority and and absolute truth -God forbid.

A weird article,this is a self absorbed guy,who needs to pull his head in. I repeat we don't give a rats what you do or don't do.......Grow Up.......You sound like a silly child.........

Judaism is different from all other religions because it's based on logic rather than faith. Go study the origins of Judaism and you'll see (at aish or arachim!) And about evidence to God's existence, just open your eyes! The complexity of the world makes it SO clear that He exists. No matter what evolutionists say, things just don't get created on their own! you'd have to be an idiot to believe that something as complicated as the human brain evolved by itself. A lot of people shut their eyes to all this because they're afraid that if they admit to God's existence, they'll have to follow the laws-and they simply don't want to, Such people are in reality liars, or sometimes they are so afraid of keeping the laws that they convince themselves that they are right. And by the way, the individual who keeps the Torah is more free than any other person because by following the Torah, one learns not to be a slave to his desires. The aetheist is actually the narrow minded one because he closes his eyes.

This is written in the style of some sort of rant or atheist internet troll post. Some of us, like myself, do not fast because we are commanded to do so. Some of us fast because we choose to do so.

Dear Uri, Having read your piece, I must say that really feel your pain, and in no way is this to be interpreted as a patronizing remark of an observant Jew. You try so hard to make a simple statement, yet in that effort the conflicts that surely pervade your essence burst forth. I, like you, never had the privilege of being raised in a family where Shabbat represented the quintessence of freedom, the ultimate free choice between engaging and elevating one’s humanity or indulging in self-deification, lusting only after one’s personal desires and base needs. If you ever want to truly feel liberated join my family for Kiddush and motzei and the singing, learning, and love that pervades our household. I, like you, believed that I was in control of my destiny in its entirety, and as long as one did what he wanted in the privacy of his own home and didn't bother me, then all was just fine and dandy. But to say that you are a Jew but believe in nothing is like saying that you are a nuclear physicist but you negate the existence of the atom; that the fundamental principles of fission are unknown entities. I care for your pain – for I am my brother’s keeper. I only wish that were living in the Land of Israel so that I could have the honor of inviting you into my Succah next week. I assure you that you will leave feeling differently about your Judaism - about your love of G-d, the Torah, and his beautiful and holy Jewish nation. Have a Tzom Kal, Steve

To be a Jew, you do as the Jews. Maybe you're an Israeli atheist.

This sounds like the rant of a petulant child, not someone who has actually thought and reasoned through what he is saying. I would certainly respect the right of someone who chooses not to fast on Yom Kippur to express a rational explanation of his or her choice. In fact, I clicked on this article hoping to find such an explanation. But this is just a tantrum. Pity.

Spiritually is experienced just like anything else (pain, love, hate, sexual attraction, etc.). All pain is in the mind. To choose to not partake in the joy of spiritual experience is like choosing not to have sex since pleasure is only "mental". Religious systems are the most effective systems for spirituality that man kind has developed. To not be part of a religious system is to curse yourself to not fully partaking in life. You don't have to believe in anything, but to not practice anything is to seriously miss out on life. All pleasures are most meaningful when enjoyed with others. Somehow, they bond people together and eliminate the feeling of separateness that comes from being a self-aware being. That is why sex without emotional attachment is missing out on the full potential of sex, and why spirituality without a group is also a big mistake. I don't believe in G-d. I know that G-d exists. Why? Because my definition of G-d is the spiritual experience itself. Hence, I can't prove that G-d is good or bad, intervenes in the world or is just a "clock maker", and I don't care. Maybe G-d is not entirely good, it wouldn't matter, I still have a strong desire towards "G-d". All I can talk about is the god of my experience, but I don't care to talk, but rather to experience. The thing that pisses me off the most about the church nearby to me is that they only have services once a week. I can't go a week without it... and I am a practicing Jew who is fasting. btw, I consider many drugs to merely help heighten our sensitivity to the world or to other people or to our own thoughts. For example, two common drugs are caffeine and alcohol. Music also helps one liberate oneself from the oppression of mundane experience.

Wow - shocking and new! A non observant, non religious person. YNET - why is this even interesting to you. And to you - you call yourself Jewish because you were 'born to a Jewish mother' - why should you even recognize THAT. Silly, immature boy. YNET - it's a nothing piece...

Dude... If you are right I will have wasted 40 to 50 years of my life (keeping mitzvot). I the religious are right YOU HAVE WASTED ETERNITY... I will take may chances with a harsh, boring life of servitude to G-d.

You are trapped in a determined body and you canno't change this, as you canno't change your parents, you family, your live, and you canno't change your mortality.

...I'm not infuriated, seriously. I don't agree with atheism, but it doesn't offend me any more than vegetarianism does. Actually, less.

So Judaism is defined by a genetic reality. Will you accept converts to your Judaism? Do you care if Jews marry out? Does it worry you if there were no Jews? If God forbid you were expelled from Israel would you be Israeli? We still love you even if you struggle with God. In the spirit of unity, why not join the vast majority of us at Kol Nidrei. You can just meditate. ITS fine.

Who cares? Does he want somebody to convince him that he is wrong? Why does this have to be anybody else's business?

I am Jewish, but not "shomer shabat" I am fasting on yom kipur, because I want to belong to my people, i want to share with them the day when most jewish people in the world will fast. It want take away from me being free. I feel very pround I can share it with other Jews in the world.

WIthout Torah, morality is relative. Moral relativity is poison.

anyone who needs to write such an article is more self-conscious about his own beliefs than he is against another man's beliefs. If you are secure in your own beliefs, you do not need to bother with what anyone else thinks. Clearly, your issues are personal and should be dealt with by yourself.