It would be hard to imagine that even Woody Allen could come up with a scene more comically cynical than the following: A woman attends Rosh HaShanah services, opens the book to the correct page, stands up and sits down with everyone else, but does not pray because she does not believe in an “external” God (“Choosing Soul Over Mind,” Sept. 3).
It reminds me of the scene in “Annie Hall” where the Jewish family talks about fasting on Yom Kippur for undefined and unimagined sins — except that this real-life story is “Annie Hall” on steroids.
The author, Hali Weiss, claims that she grew up in a “religious household,” which allows the reader to ask: which religion? Neither the Orthodox nor Conservative movements with which she is affiliated have any place for a non-external “god” [sic].
With no references to any supporting theological or philosophical ideology or thought, the reader is left with the inability to engage in any serious contemplation of the words put forth in this article. The conclusions are based simply on what the writer “believes.”
While an article like this may have a place in The Jewish Week, it would seem to be more appropriate in the pre-Purim edition, as opposed to under the heading “Reflecting on the Days of Awe – Tefillah, Teshuvah, Tzedakah.”
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