Post Chagim Catch Up [Almost]

I apologize for my inconsistent writing schedule! Now that all the chagim are over, and now that my birthday has passed, I might finally be able to stick to a schedule. Although, there are all those midterms...

Day 276: Is There Someone You're Ignoring Whom You Should Ask for Forgiveness?

On and leading up to Yom Kippur, we ask forgiveness from those we owe an apology. On Yom Kippur, we atone for sins we have committed against G-d, not others. As a rule of thumb in Judaism, we must ask forgiveness from a person 3 times before we are able to move on.

Judaism doesn't believe we should spend the rest of our lives chasing for forgiveness.

"Many years ago, the novel Love Story popularized the line 'Love means never having to say you're sorry.' Jewish ethics believes the contrary. Love and goodness mean learning how not to hurt others and how to apologize when you do" (388).

Day 277: Don't Forgive on Other People's Behalf

I can honestly say that the first time I saw a headline announcing that someone had forgiven the murderer of heir child, I was stunned. I remember thinking "I'd like to be that forgiving" and then, as I grew up with that story in the back of my mind, I remember thinking "I don't know that I could ever forgive that person."

And now, I know I couldn't. If I tried hard enough, I could forgive them for the pain they had caused me, I could forgive them for the sorrow I felt, but I could never forgive them fully. This isn't because I am an unforgiving person or anything like that, it's because I wouldn't be the right person.

In a case such as a murder, the only person who can grant full forgiveness is the person against whom the crime was committed. And in the case of a murder, the victim is, I would guess, never able to grant that forgiveness.

We cannot forgive crimes that were committed against someone else. It is difficult to do, firstly, and secondly, it isn't even our place.

Day 278: The Punishment of One Who Humiliates Another

It almost physically pains me when I see someone embarrassing someone else. I feel bad when I know that the person causing the embarrassment doesn't know they're doing it and I feel bad knowing that that person has been publically embarrassed.

Judaism teaches us that the punishment for humiliating another in public is to lose our share in the World-to-Come. This is pretty serious stuff!

If we realize we have humiliating someone else publically, we should go to them and ask for forgiveness and then try to build them up publically. 

"May you never cause anyone else embarrassment and may you never be caused any embarrassment yourself." -Mo'ed Kattan 9b

Day 279: When You Can't Give Money

On Shabbat, Jews are forbidden from handling money. On Shabbat, Jews are forbidden from carrying things in the public domain. Eruvim have been created to get around that whole carrying thing, but we still cannot carry money.

Something I've always wanted to do, whether on Shabbat or not, is to give granola bars to the homeless people and beggars I pass. While I haven't yet started doing this, I've talked to my roommate about trying it on the main street of our college town. She's totally on board, so I'll let you know how it goes when we finally try it!