Page 15 - HaMizrachi Australia Rosh HaShana Yom Kippur 5781

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Rabbi David Stav

A TIME TO Forgive

om Kippur is upon us, and Why must we go through this sins against G-d if he has not effected
anyone who has ever been hurt complicated process that may be reconciliation with others.
Yby a friend, or some other indi- demeaning or frustrating for one or
vidual (haven’t we all?) knows exactly both of the sides involved? This idea seems somewhat puzzling.
how hard it is to forgive. Those on the What does a person’s unwillingness to
receiving end have nothing but their Our Sages tell us that “Whoever lets excuse someone for having wronged
anger to use as a defense. What else things ‘slide’ a little, G-d will also let him have to do with how he sinned
are they left with? Their dignity has his sins ‘slide’” (Rosh Hashanah 17a). against G-d?
been crushed by having been publicly In other words, nobody can claim to
insulted. Their bodies are still bat- have a spotless record when under The answer to this question relates
tered after being hit or run over. close scrutiny. back to what we’ve just discussed.

After all that, how can we now ask If someone was wronged by someone Those who cannot make an effort to
them to set aside those feelings and else, the one who was wronged had approach those they have wronged;
forgive those who wronged them? obviously wronged another person, those who cannot set aside their (or
In doing so, the perpetrators walk and vice-versa. the other person’s) frustration and
freely, with a broad smile on their ego will probably not take the matter
faces, while their victims, who are Therefore, the only way we can seriously when they appear before
compelled to forgive their attackers, face our Creator in judgment with their Creator as well.
often continue to carry the incident some degree of confidence is if we Once a year, as we approach Yom
with them throughout their lives. say to our Creator: “I’ve been able Kippur, it seems as though we all
to be forgiving in my scrutiny. I’ve
Those asking for forgiveness don’t desire a moment of grace – this is the
have it any easier. What they did may repressed my anger and frustration time when we all know we can still be
have been completely inadvertent, against someone who has wronged different, regardless of how much we
but now they need to peel away their me, so now, You could do the same for have endured.
respectability and approach someone me. If I was able to humble my heart
claiming to have been wronged by and ask for forgiveness from someone We can be reconciled with ourselves
them and ask for forgiveness for what I’ve wronged, perhaps You too can and with those around us, for this is a
they may have done to that individual. ‘humble’ Yourself and judge me with time of forgiveness.
mercy.”
And it might not end there. The
victim might make things difficult for There are those who say that Yom Rabbi David Stav is Chief Rabbi of
the one trying to ask for forgiveness. Kippur does not atone for a person’s Shoham and the Chairman of Tzohar.

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