How is this news and who cares

Hmmmm, your article says, "secular prayers on Yom Kippur". Can some one explain to me what a secular prays on Yom Kippur that is different than what believers pray? I thought that being secular means that you don't believe in the 'belief' thing. Perhaps my definition of 'secular' is wrong? Maybe today's seculars believe, but in something else, like movies, Lady Gaga, or the Internet? Do they pray to items like these? Can some one clarify this for me? I am in the dark.

I'm not secular so I may be wrong, but I would suspect secular prayers may not focus on the Confession which is the repeated key prayer of the traditional Yom Kippur services. Perhaps they focus on reconciliation and forgiveness on a purely human level. G-d hears their prayers just the same!

My interpretation of secular is having the freedom to believe or not and if you believe, you are free to choose how to. Belittling people, the way you do in your comment puts you into a totally different category, one I don't care to talk about on Erev Yom Kippur. A, secular, Gmar Chatma Tova and a happy healthy and peaceful New Year

turn to get a nice treat, after that we have been caring for our body,during whole the year. Don t you think so? Gemar Hatima Tova and Shana Tova Umetuka.

that i do not appreciate,not only i do not appreciate ,but i dislike it .Your cynism is completely out of the place here. You could have tried to explain your point of view in a nice way.Not everybody had the privilege to have a religious education.Who are we to judge to which prayer Hashem listens? Forgive me Larry if i offended you,but it had to be said. Gemar Hatima Tova.

Light up the barbey and lets party

While I agree with your comments, to apologize for hurting Larry's feelings is wrong. Being secular, he offended me on the eve of Yom Kippur. Being secular, my first priority is to show love, respect and compassion for other human beings. After that, then its time to talk to the Almighty. Yes, the Almighty, not Lady Gaga. Signed, a proud secular.

"Secular" means the effective and complete SEPARATION of Religion from the State. Essentially this means that, were Israel a secular state there would be NO PUBLIC HOLIDAYS on any of the Chagim, NO stoppage of public transport on Shabbath, and NO acceptance of Jews back to Israel from the Diaspora by right! In other words, Israel would not be a JEWISH state... This is what the secularists want; this is what Ha'Aretz would love; this is our enemy. Beware the secularists; they are worse than those who hate Israel, because what they hate is ZION!

A secular states does mean separating church from state, but not like you conceptualize it. 1) Many who support it don't care about the public holidays. 2) Why do you care if people use public transportation on Shabbath? 3) That's plain false. 4) Israel will remain a Jewish state, but a SECULAR Jewish state. That means we could both live side by side. 5) I am secular, and am no less Zionist than you are. Please, live and let live. Gmar hatima tova.

Kippur in Israel and people there not reading this and so to everyone, I wish you an easy fast and a meaningful Yom Kippur.

As a secularist (and unapologetic atheist), I can assure you there are some of us who are also ardent Zionists.....because they're not necessarily mutually exclusive. However, I'll grant you that it's the secularists who are also on the far left politically who are a whole other story.

" Buddhist prayer is a practice to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life." It depends on how you define prayer.

Every time I read I read one of Ora's talkbacks, I am pleasantly reassured that I am her antithesis in every respect.

Excuse me but France IS a secular country where religion has been separated and banned from the state and public sphere more than a century ago, still official holidays in France ARE christian holidays so your comment is a big nonsense. Israel is not a Jewish state since its laws aren't hallachic laws but secular laws. Israel is a secular state based on Jewish traditions but that's all. I am a proud anti religion secular activist who'll fight whole his soul for secularism and freedom

There is conflict about what is G(o)D, the nature of truth, and what is considered Jewish. For those who have no qualms about the literal truth of religious texts, or about any contradictions, omissions, errors etc (its all 100% true) then they do whatever it says to do - pray/worship etc. But there is an infinity in the ways one can find the religious texts and teachings wanting. Thus there is a whole range of non-belief, from Atheist to Agnostic and some other yet unexplored versions. The paradox is this: Without belief in "G(0)D" there is no Judeism aka Jewish Religion- but there is the cultural, genetic, political, tribe of "jews". If all such "jews" are atheists, are they still considered "Jews"? Yes, they are all related, have same culture, etc- but what is the essence of Judaism but the belief in some version of the big guy in the sky? Or is judaism just a culture, a style, a political wing, with a tag-along religion? So what is my big-fat-opinon? OK - but first a quick analogy. If your question on what, why etc is treated as a search request, say on the web, and it returns "no such answer" do you accept it? That is, if you search, mentally, and find no answer, does this mean the answer is not there? Or is it that you need to adjust the terms, change the language, the search mechanism, etc? If one asks, even of oneself, is there some sort of god vs one exactly described in the search query, one would be forced to admit that while the search did not produce any or exact match, it doesnt preclude a closer match with better search. If one uses science to look for god, which by its own admission cannot be used to find anything that is outside of the physical realm, its like a character in a book asking if there is an author. To the character it seems that there is not- yet without the author, as we all know, there would be no character's ability to ask. This is the possition we might be in- unable to access the mechanism by which reality functions not on the physical but on the next supporting layer. We can ask where everything came from but cannot really know. So I don't really claim to know much, hense I know next to nothing. So I use probabalistic thought instead- instead of being sure and believing or non-believing, I weigh the evidence, and it may change with what I consider a fact (the closest approximation of truth, as construed). Should you pray or not- it doesnt really matter, you see, because G(0)d would see your actions instead; your words don't matter as much as your actions. This would explain the poor effect of prayer for most- they are asking, talking etc, but not acting the right ways. But if you did pray, it doesn't hurt either- at least you promised to be good (lol). Should you eat- it doesnt matter either- you probably can use to lose a pound or two, but if you did eat, it doesn't make you do evil things does it? Food is fuel for the body, thought is fuel for the mind. I would be concerned if you did not think vs not eat for a day. Does G0d care? Well, not in the way you think- remember you are mortal either way, so no matter how much you think you will be spared death, you will still wind up there. Try doing something for self and others, and keep death at bay- it might make some deiity angry or happy, or not, but you still do what is right. Thanks for reading.

After 120 years, the only thing that's going to light up is you!

Is the ''Jewish State'' defined by what people believe in (or not) or what people are, namely: Jews? You make the mistake that Judaism should solely be defined by religion. It is much more than that and if you do not comprehend that, then I am not going to explain it to you, as it would probably be an excercise in futility. Your argument that seperation of state and religion would constitute no public holidays on the Chagim boders on the insane. Look around in the Western World, I challenge you. Christmas, to name but one, is celebrated everywhere, but as a tradition, not as a religious exercise, except for the people who choose to make it so. And everyone is off during those days. They have the choice, but are not obligated. Why couldn't this also apply to Israel? You cannot force people to be religious, only to accomodate your vision of Am Yisrael, which apparently includes determining for others what's best for them. What any of this has to do with the right of return is also beyond me, as is why you would be hurt in any way if others (not even yourself) use public transportation to make their day off more pleasant for them. Also remember you guys have yet to prove any word of the stories you base these restrictions for others on. You are completely at liberty to fill in your holiday and your religious experience as you see fit, but you should bear in mind that your freedom stops where that of others begins.

What about the 20%+ of Israelis who are not Jewish do on Yom Kippur? Surely they neither fast nor pray out of the normal routine.

I used to think whatever" flops your Mop ". If you think not eating for a day, waving a chicken over your head ,throwing stones at a car because they choose to drive on this day {which is why most people do not drive from fear} and being a completely mindless sheep is your idea of a good use of a day go for it But you should know there is no such thing as a god and as much as you know I'm going to hell for saying this you are going to the same place .When you are dead you are dead, live a decent useful life now going hungry for one day is not going to make any difference

Elixelx, Being Jewish means more than believing in God. Secular/atheist Jews serve in the Israeli army. They eat Jewish food. They like Jewish/Israeli music. They watch Israeli movies. They listen to Jewish comedians. They speak Jewish languages. ALL these people are Jewish too. To say they hate Zion is idiotic.

of" love your neighbour as yourself" ? Do you still think that you are my antithesis?I don t think so. I think,while you just lie on the other side,we yet can remain part of one big family,the Jewish people.

So easy if the day before you have a couple of hearty meals of the above...Shana Tova to the Jews of the World...