As we examine the month of Tishrei |
and our High Holy Days , we find a |
profound |
answer |
to |
this |
probing |
question ... |
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As a centerpiece to our Fall Feasts , the Yamim Nora ’ im ( or Days of Awe ) shine as a beaming light , beckoning us to make teshuvah ( return ) afresh and anew to personal introspection , repentance and reconciliation to the heart of God and His will for our lives . Not only do these Days of Awe remind us of our need for a restored relationship with our Heavenly Father , but also , for our calling to covenant relationships in Messiah Yeshua .
Regret in itself has the power to destroy us , for when full grown , it holds the power to produce in us absolute hopelessness in an individual . In looking at this terrible pathology of the soul , we must ask , “ can there ever be a place where regret can be constructive ?” Or are we doomed to the the consequences of our failures ?
Many years ago , while living in Baltimore , MD I experienced something so profound that I ’ ve never forgotten it ! The time of the year was as it is now , during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur . At the time , my wife Kat and I lived in an Orthodox community , and our nextdoor neighbors were a young , newly married modern-Orthodox Sephardic family . To my amazement , one day , I was home studying when there was a knock on the door . As I answered , I was greeted by my dear next door neighbors who asked to come in and speak to me for a moment . As we stood and talked , their voices softened , and with tears in their eyes , they said , “ Rabbi , it is yontif , If there is anything that we have ever done or said to you that may have hurt or offended you in the last year , please forgive us ?”
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