On 4 March 1987, then US President Ronald Reagan addressed the American people from the Oval Office about the Iran-Contra Scandal. It involved senior government officials secretly facilitating the sale...
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Brad Schlang
Government Relations Committee Chair
for
The Jewish Federation
of Cleveland
Brad says it's easy to correct small things, but the key to changing more difficult habits is being honest with oneself.
Daily Reading
Daily Sources
מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָ֫וִ֥ד יְ֭הֹוָה מִי־יָג֣וּר בְּאׇהֳלֶ֑ךָ מִֽי־יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן בְּהַ֣ר קׇדְשֶֽׁךָ׃ הוֹלֵ֣ך תָּ֭מִים וּפֹעֵ֥ל צֶ֑דֶק וְדֹבֵ֥ר אֱ֝מֶ֗ת בִּלְבָבֽו
תהילים ט״ו: א – ׳ב׳
A psalm of David. Hashem, who may sojourn in Your tent, who may dwell on Your holy mountain? He who lives without blame, who does what is right, and in his heart acknowledges the truth.
-Psalms 15
לְעוֹלָם יְהֵא אָדָם יְרֵא שָׁמַֽיִם בְּסֵֽתֶר וּבַגָּלוּי וּמוֹדֶה עַל־הָאֱמֶת וְדוֹבֵר אֱמֶת בִּלְבָבוֹ וְיַשְׁכֵּם וְיֹאמַר:
סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, הכנה לתפילה, עול מלכות שמים א׳
A person should always be in fear of God, privately as well as openly, [he should] admit the truth, and speak truth in his heart.
-Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Preparatory Prayers, Sovereignty of Heaven 1
וְהִתְוַדּ֤וּ אֶת־עֲוֺנָם֙ וְאֶת־עֲוֺ֣ן אֲבֹתָ֔ם בְּמַעֲלָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר מָֽעֲלוּ־בִ֑י וְאַ֕ף אֲשֶׁר־הָֽלְכ֥וּ עִמִּ֖י בְּקֶֽרִי
ויקרא כ״ו:מ׳
And they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forebears, in that they trespassed against Me, yea, were hostile to Me.
-Leviticus 26:40
We are commanded to confess before God our sins that we have sinned, at such time that we feel remorse for them… We see from the source of this commandment that through the verbal admission of iniquity, the sinner reveals his thoughts and opinion: that he truly believes that all his deeds are revealed and known before God, blessed be He, and that he will not act as if ‘the Eye that sees’ does not see. Furthermore, through mentioning the sin specifically, and through his remorse about it, he will be more careful about it on another occasion not to stumble in the same way again. Since he declares verbally, “I did such-and-such, and I stumbled in my deeds,” he will have created a fence so he will not repeat what he did.
-Sefer HaChinuch 364