We are used to the idea of elected officials grabbing the spotlight when high-profile crimes occur. However, I have never witnessed a politician going to a scene where an unsolved homicide took place and asking God for forgiveness. Nevertheless, the Bible requires the leaders of a municipality to perform a ritual known as egla arufa when an unsolved murder takes place anywhere in the land of Israel (Deuteronomy 21: 1-9). The atonement rite culminates in a confession to God, asking for expiation for the crime that has taken place so close to home. These nine biblical verses suggest that blame for violence cannot be confined to the immediate perpetrator, but has to be shared by those mandated to create and enforce safety within their municipality.

 
From the most menial task such as measuring the distance between the corpse and the nearest city to the highest point in the ritual service, the elders, judges and priests are present or actually conducting the procedure. No part of the ceremony is given over to just any resident. The Land of Israel is sacred territory, and behavior in it must represent the highest example of morality. The land itself is holy, and when evil manifests itself in the form of murder, this is a matter of the greatest severity. The Bible makes it very clear that murder must never be accepted or tolerated, especially in the land that God has given.

 
The "blame game" should never be played by Israel's leaders. We must

The Bible commands us to celebrate the festival of Passover (Exodus 13:3): "Remember this day when you came out a free nation, from the land of Egypt." The Hebrew word for remember is expressed in a very special way - zachor. There is another zachor: "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." These two remembrances are linked together because they demand re-experiencing, a remembering by doing.

In the Ten Commandments, the celebration of the Sabbath is both linked to creation and the Egyptian servitude. In keeping the Sabbath, we are testifying that God is the creator and

The Talmud tells of a rabbi explaining how God will judge the world. There will be an announcement: "Everyone who helped those who engage in the study of Torah, come and receive your reward." Immediately, all the nations send their heavenly representatives to claim a share. The first is Rome.
"What are your merits?" God asks.
"Why, Heavenly Master, You are surely aware of our glorious contribution to the culture and civilization of Your world. We constructed public markets, baths, and places of enjoyment and business. We amassed gold and silver as no other nation before or after us. And for whose sake did we do all this? Only for the purpose of permitting Your people Israel to study Torah free of care and worry."
God replies: "How dare you present such a claim? Did you not build these amenities for your own enjoyment? Whom did your so-called civilization serve but yourselves?"
And so it goes with Persia and all the other nations, as each withdraws empty-handed.
Then an idea is proposed that the nations join forces and return to the Almighty with one last plea. A spokesperson approaches God and argues: "If we do not deserve a share for active merits, You should consider that You never obligated

The LORD said, I do forgive, just as you have asked (Numbers 14:20)

In my discussions with Christians, I'm often asked how Jews receive atonement. My response is simple: acknowledgement of sin, confession of sin and cessation of sin, along with asking God for forgiveness. In our prayer liturgy, recited three times a day, we ask God for absolution for the wrongs committed against Him. Confident that God forgives us, we say in our morning prayers: My God! The soul that you have given me is pure.

My soul is the essence of me, and the liturgy teaches that its most fundamental quality is its purity. No matter how I miss the mark in my daily undertakings, every morning I begin with a clean slate.

Of course, a second question usually follows: How can one receive