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Reflections on the Passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Townhall.com ^ | September 20, 2020 | Michael Brown

Posted on 09/20/2020 7:21:29 AM PDT by Kaslin

The news came as a shock in the midst of a year of unrelenting shocks, yet another jolt of massive proportions. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died at the age of 87. That her death took place as Jews around the world had begun to observe (or were about to observe) Rosh HaShanah, the traditional Jewish New Year, was not lost on many Jewish commentators. (Heightening things even more was the fact that Rosh HaShanah this year began on the Sabbath.)

Upon hearing the news of her passing, I tweeted, “The timing of the passing of Justice Ginsburg (immediately before the beginning of the Jewish New Year, the biblical day of the sounding of the shofar) strikes me as an overwhelmingly sobering, significant event. May God's kingdom be advanced & may He comfort the grieving family.”

Some Jews who had already begun reciting the evening prayers were repeating the words of what is called the Mourner’s Kaddish, a prayer of praise to God recited in memory of the dead, when news of Ginsburg’s death began to spread. An event that was already of momentous proportions – the passing of this liberal warrior, feminist pioneer, and cultural icon – now felt even more momentous.

Others have written of Justice Ginsburg’s judicial legacy. And in the days ahead, there will be countless articles commemorating her life and, no doubt, a slew of biographies to follow. She was even the subject of two recent movies, “RBG” and “On the Basis of Sex.” More remarkably still for a Supreme Court justice, she was nicknamed “The Notorious RBG” (in the spirit of the late rapper known as “The Notorious B.I.G.”)

Such was the reputation and impact of this little Jewish woman who was, quite literally, larger than life. And, given the fact that she was a tenacious fighter, she must have battled with all her might to hold on through the November elections, not wanting to give President Trump the privilege of picking her replacement.

As passed on through her granddaughter, she said before dying, “my most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

Now she is gone, and Trump has made plain his desire to nominate her replacement, with the frontrunner being Amy Coney Barrett, herself just 48 years old. In fact, according to an article published back in March, 2019, when Trump was considering the replacement for Anthony Kennedy, he allegedly said of Barrett, “I’m saving her for Ginsburg.”

Given that Barrett is as staunchly pro-life as Ginsburg was “pro-choice,” the ensuing battle in Washington could be more intense than anything we have previously seen. (And I write this in full memory of Justice Kavanaugh’s 2018 confirmation hearings.) The two-word, headline story (with accompanying graphic) on today’s Huffington Post (September 19) said it all: “Apocalypse Now,” followed by a picture of a hanger (thus, what women will be reduced to using for abortions should Trump get a replacement on the Court).

What all this means is that the intense shaking of 2020 is about to switch into yet another gear, an even more intense gear, if that is imaginable. And we can expect it to continue to intensify in the weeks ahead.

Right now, on the traditional Jewish calendar, we are in the first of the “Days of Awe,” the 10-day period between Rosh HaShanah (the biblical holy day of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This period of introspection and repentance begins with the blowing of the shofar – Ginsburg passed away just hours after the shofar blast was sounded in Israel – as Jewish people, especially religious Jews, prepare their hearts before God the Judge.

As explained by Moses Maimonides in the 12th century, the shofar blast says, “Wake up from your sleep, you sleepers! Arise from your slumber, you slumberers! Examine your deeds! Return to God! Remember your creator! Those of you who forget the truth in the futilities of the times and spend all year in vanity and emptiness, look into your soul, improve your ways and your deeds. Let each of you abandon his evil ways and his immoral thoughts.” (Laws of Repentance, 3:4, as translated by Avraham Yaakov Finkel.)

Yet this is not only a time of prayer and repentance in the Jewish community. A significant number of Christians, especially evangelicals, have set aside these same 10 days for prayer and repentance, highlighted by two major events scheduled for Washington, D.C. this coming Saturday, September 26. (These are the Franklin Graham Prayer March and The Return; I’m scheduled to participate in the latter event.)

Significantly, this coming Saturday, the 26th, is considered the holiest Sabbath on the Jewish calendar, called “Shabbat Shuvah,” meaning the Sabbath of repentance and return, the Sabbath falling between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. And as these Christians gather to pray and cry out to God, the focus will not be on praying for a particular political candidate but rather on praying for God’s mercy on America and for our corporate repentance.

The sudden and unexpected passing of Justice Ginsburg drills home to us all the more the reality of death, when we will stand before the Judge and give account for our lives. It also drives home the implications of the coming elections, with many already focused on the courts. How much more now!

May the Lord get the attention of the nation, and may we turn to Him with all our hearts and all our souls. In words that we will be read in synagogues worldwide next Saturday, “Who knows but He may turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind” (Joel 2:14a).

We hang in the balance right now, holding on by a mere thread of moral and spiritual sanity. God’s mercy is our only hope.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2020preselection; rbg; supremecourt
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1 posted on 09/20/2020 7:21:29 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
...The sudden and unexpected passing of Justice Ginsburg

The above is my only beef with the article.

"Sudden and unexpected passing"?

Sorry, but she's been on death watch longer than Bob Hope was. Maybe the timing was inconvenient for some but there was nothing sudden and unexpected about it.

2 posted on 09/20/2020 7:26:20 AM PDT by SamAdams76 (Orange Man GOOD!)
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To: Kaslin
The news came as a shock in the midst of a year of unrelenting shocks, yet another jolt of massive proportions

Oh spare us. An 87 year old with decade old pancreatic cancer and many other health related concerns who finally passes is not, in any way, even a battery to the tongue level shock.

3 posted on 09/20/2020 7:31:14 AM PDT by LittleBillyInfidel (This tagline has been formatted to fit the screen. Some content has been edited.)
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To: Kaslin

“ The news came as a shock in the midst of a year of unrelenting shocks, yet another jolt of massive proportions.”
————-

The very first sentence tells me this guy is full of crap. Her death was not a shock to anyone paying the least amount of attention.


4 posted on 09/20/2020 7:38:28 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: Kaslin
Reflections? Sweetie...hope you brought your asbestos suit!
5 posted on 09/20/2020 7:39:45 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Thanks To Biden Voters Oregon Is Now A Battleground State!)
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To: Kaslin

More remarkably still for a Supreme Court justice, she was nicknamed “The Notorious RBG” (in the spirit of the late rapper known as “The Notorious B.I.G.”)

To some, maybe. But to others she was Ruth “Buzzy” Ginsburg. An SNL character; except for the fact that her main endeavor was the slaughter of infants in the womb, right up to full term, and gender bending, which will mess up children’s lives and destroy happiness. Not much there to admire, in MY view.


6 posted on 09/20/2020 7:42:56 AM PDT by Tucker39 ("It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." George Washington)
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To: Kaslin
when we will stand before the Judge and give account for our lives

I was taught to do that every day!

7 posted on 09/20/2020 7:43:25 AM PDT by Buttons12
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To: Kaslin

By her own admission she did not respect the Constitution and was a bad pick as a Supreme Court Justice.

Roe v Wade was bad law and should have been left to the individual states.


8 posted on 09/20/2020 7:43:34 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: Kaslin

I felt a disturbance in the force but just thought it was gas.


9 posted on 09/20/2020 7:44:28 AM PDT by bigbob (Trust Trump. Trust the Plan)
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To: Kaslin
Not too bad as a youngun.


10 posted on 09/20/2020 7:44:57 AM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Extremism.)
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To: Kaslin

I think Gods timing is perfect. We have been given an opportunity to do the right thing. This is a country with deeply religious roots. There are alway those who fight that but I think there is a hunger for a return to God.


11 posted on 09/20/2020 7:46:07 AM PDT by McGavin999 (Kamala tosses out race cards as fast as a Las Vegas Blackjack dealer)
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To: TangoLimaSierra

Hhmmmm....she was a smoker...


12 posted on 09/20/2020 7:47:16 AM PDT by goodnesswins (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution." -- Saul Alinksy)
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To: Jimmy Valentine

Her dying wish mean NOTHING. She cannot rule from beyond the grave. She MUST NOT rule from beyond the grave. This is power beyond what the founders could have allowed. She lived, she was a very poor judge, now she is dead. Her family should grieve, the Nation should move on like it has the importance of a hair falling to the floor.


13 posted on 09/20/2020 7:47:39 AM PDT by Glad2bnuts (“If there are no absolutes by which to judge society, then society is absolute.” Francis Schaeffer)
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To: Buttons12

Some will think what i have to say is irreverent. I think the Rutabaga growers need to take advantage of this
Whenever you hear the name of Ruth Bader Ginsburg you will think of eating R U T A B A G A
Rutabaga
Rutabaga.com


14 posted on 09/20/2020 7:49:37 AM PDT by Honest Nigerian
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To: Kaslin

From this author...”We hang in the balance right now, holding on by a mere thread of moral and spiritual sanity.”

Ginsberg oversaw and played a large role in the decline of morality and spiritual sanity in this country. I would spit on her grave.


15 posted on 09/20/2020 7:51:22 AM PDT by goodnesswins (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution." -- Saul Alinksy)
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To: McGavin999

Amen!


16 posted on 09/20/2020 7:53:43 AM PDT by Guenevere (**See you at the Franklin Graham Prayer March in DC on September 26!**)
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To: McGavin999
“I think Gods timing is perfect.”

Can't remember who said this: “God is never late - but He is sooo last minute.”

17 posted on 09/20/2020 7:54:04 AM PDT by jeffersondem
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To: SamAdams76
It took Francisco Franco less time to die.

As passed on through her granddaughter, she said before dying, “my most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

Not "until after the next election". Not even until after the 2021 inauguration. No, a new president must be installed. Her Supreme Court seat must be held open until at least 2025 when Trump is reelected.

Also, interesting word "installed". That choice makes it seems that she really didn't believe in elections.

18 posted on 09/20/2020 8:00:01 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (In 2016 Obama ended America's 220 year tradition of peaceful transfer of power after an election.)
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To: KarlInOhio

I wonder what the granddaughter would say if the next president “installed” would be Mike Pence in 2025. Would she then say we need to keep the seat open until 2033?


19 posted on 09/20/2020 8:03:53 AM PDT by SamAdams76 (Orange Man GOOD!)
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To: Kaslin

The guard of Tophet has been denied atonement.

God is just.


20 posted on 09/20/2020 8:08:20 AM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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