Dear Friends,
As we approach Yom Kippur, I hope that each of you who fast, find meaning in your fast and that the opportunity to seek forgiveness and give forgiveness, enriches your life.
I continue to quote the Rod Stewart song, “Reason To Believe” because I believe it is difficult to “leave the past behind.” As Stewart writes,” If I’d only let you change my mind, I’d find a way to leave the past behind….knowing that you lied straight faced while I cried, still I look to find a reason to believe. Someone like you makes it hard to live without somebody else…someone like you makes it easy to give, never thinking about myself…”
We often do hurt the people we love and seeking forgiveness from them and granting forgiveness to them is not easy. It takes courage to admit a mistake and then to seek forgiveness. It also takes courage to be able to forgive someone who has wronged us.
I hope that each of you will dig deeply into your heart and somehow seek out someone who you have wronged and ask their forgiveness and I hope that if someone seeks you out to ask forgiveness, that you will be compassionate toward that person.
To be totally frank…it doesn’t always work and it can be very frustrating when we seek someone out and they won’t forgive us or if we try to forgive someone but they continue to hurt us….I wish I had a magic wand and could make these interactions lead to happy endings. We don’t always get what we had hoped for and can be very disappointed at this time of year….BUT…I hope we will make that call, send that e-mail, see that person, or do whatever we believe in our hearts will help lead to forgiveness and new beginnings.
Good luck in your efforts and may you and those you love be sealed for a healthy, fulfilling, and safe new year.
G’mar chatima tovah,
Rabbi Bruce Aft
GMU Hillel Rabbinic Advisor
Congregation Adat Reyim
GMU Adjunct Professor