I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get — twice-weekly fasting (Monday and Thursday were the voluntary fast days of the pious): beyond the Torah requirement (which required only one day per year, Yom Kippur). Give a tenth of all I get: beyond the Torah requirement (which required tithes only of agricultural produce). The Pharisee's religious performance is genuinely exceptional — and the prayer makes it the ground of standing before God.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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