Monday, September 28, 2020
An apology
As some long-time readers of this blog may already know, each year between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur I make an effort to apologize to everyone I know for any hurt I may have caused them during the past year and to forgive anyone for any wrongs that they might have done to me.
When possible, I try to do this in person, but most often I either send out a mass e-mail or post it here for everyone to read.
Not because I was feeling arrogant and stiff-necked as to
claim that I was perfect and have not sinned, when that’s clearly not the case.
Like everyone else, I admit that I am imperfect, have gone astray and have
sinned and transgressed.
It’s just that with
everything going on in the world this year, I wasn’t feeling in the spirit of
the Jewish High Holidays. The pandemic, the social turmoil, and the bitter political
atmosphere has left me feeling kind of numb. It seemed the best thing I could
do was remain passive and like current events, let these holidays wash over me,
until the tides change and better times return.
Then last night, while attending virtual services on my
laptop, something changed. We came to a part in the liturgy that seemed custom written
for 2020 even though it has been in Kol Nidre (the evening Yom Kippur service)
for as long as I can remember. Suddenly, I knew I needed to share it with you
all.
So as well as extending to you all my apologies and
forgiveness ask you to take the following words to heart:
Oh source of mercy, give us the grace to show forbearance to those who offend against us. When the wrongs and injustice of others wound us, may our hearts not despair of human good. May no trial, however server, embitter our souls and destroy our trust. When beset by trouble and sorrow, our mothers and fathers put on the armor of faith and fortitude. May we too find strength to meet adversity with quiet courage and unshaken will. Help us to understand that injustice and hate will not forever afflict the human race; that righteousness and mercy will triumph in the end.
My sincerest hope is that if we all take these words to
heart, act on these sentiments and make peace with those who don’t share our
views something good may come out of what’s turned out to be a horrible year.
Then maybe we all can be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a new
year filled with blessings and happiness.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Making the world a better place, one apology at a time
And while I have written about doing this before, this year's message was a bit different, brought on by things I've been observing now for a while and find quite troubling.
So now I'd like to share my message with everyone here in the hopes that you too will take it to heart, and will join with me in making the world a better place...
An Apology...
It is that time of year again where I need to send out my usual Yom Kippur apology letter. But this time as I forgive all who may have offended or wronged me, and beg for forgiveness for any hurt I may have caused – knowingly or unknowingly – over the last 12 months, I’d like to ask all of you all a favor.
I'd like to do it a bit as I forgive all who may have offended or wronged me, and beg for forgiveness for any hurt I may have caused – knowingly or unknowingly – over the last 12 months, I’d like to ask all of you all a favor.
I’d like you all to consider joining me in making amends with everyone you know, whether you celebrate Yom Kippur or not.
I ask this of you because I’ve been noticing a hardening of hearts in our society and a slide toward intolerance of those who don’t agree with us or our opinions.
It has made the world a meaner place and made it acceptable to purposefully hurt another person with little regard for anyone’s feelings but our own.
This, of course, runs contrary to the spirit of Yom Kippur, where Jews around the world are not only supposed to atone for their sins against G-d, but must also seek forgiveness from others who we might have wronged over the last year. As it is written in the Talmud, a collection of writings that covers centuries of Jewish law and tradition:
“For sins between man and G-d Yom Kippur atones, but for sins between a one and one’s fellow, Yom Kippur does not atone until one appeases one’s fellow.”So, in addition to my usual litany of apologies I make to you every year, I’d like to add this:
If I have been less tolerant or dismissive of your views and/or opinions, I apologize and promise to try and be more understanding of them in this coming year. I also promise to try and realize that I do NOT need to prove your beliefs and opinions are wrong just to justify my own. Nor do I need to prove you wrong just to delude myself that I am somehow morally superior to you, because only G-d can make that judgement, not me.
I further apologize if I offended you in my zeal and perhaps self-righteousness to support those causes I believe in.
I ask you all to join me in making this apology to everyone you know, because another part of the Yom Kippur tradition is Tikkun Olam – which means doing an act that “repairs the world.”
I know that making an apology doesn’t seem like it can make a big difference in the world. But it could make a small difference to our little part of it. And just imagine the kind of change that could happen if everyone decided to repair their small corner of the world.
Perhaps then we could live up to the potential for good that G-d gave to all of us and earn our place in the book of life for another happy and healthy new year.