Repentance and forgiveness are the central themes of our High Holy Days. Jewish tradition teaches that repentance requires a real change in our behavior and an apology. Offering and accepting an apology is one of the most profound human interactions. Apology has the power to heal grudges and humiliations and to generate forgiveness for those who have wronged another. Apologies have the power to relieve guilt and shame that can overpower us. The healing result of an apology process is the repair and reconnection of human relationships.
Forgiveness can be equally challenging and rewarding. How many of us forgive others, ourselves and/or God, and yet still keep score? How many of us seek forgiveness from others, ourselves and/or God, and yet still follow our accustomed patterns? If we are still holding on to a wrong done to us, we have not fully granted forgiveness. If we are still doing the same things we were doing before, we have not earned forgiveness.
Forgiveness is our practice for September -- let go of the wrongs, let go of the engrained patterns -- forgive and be forgiven.
Click here for an Exercise for Forgiveness
As we approach the High Holy Days, I am working on breaking those engrained patterns related to forgiveness which have become habits thwarting my goals. Thank you for bringing us the ideas, practices, and values of Mussar, which I am using to create a new and more fully intentional way of approaching forgiveness this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This discipline, and your thoughts on forgiveness, are so useful for everyday living, and also take on an enhanced meaning and value for the High Holy Days.
ReplyDeleteIt's so exciting to be bringing this to TAE and I can't wait to bring the monthly midot to my religious school class and other Youth Programs, it's going to make a huge impact-both for my students and for me!
ReplyDeleteForgiveness Practices for Parents at Home
ReplyDeleteI Did It, I’m Sorry
Do our words and actions help, or hurt others? These are questions that we should ask ourselves and that we should encourage our children to be aware of. The family is the primary character builder in a child’s life. The toughest step in character education is setting a good example. This is often difficult, but with a community approach, involving school, family and synagogue it becomes more manageable! Everything we do and don’t do sends a message to children about our values. When we slip, we need to model what we want our children to do when they make mistakes. Take responsibility, ask for forgiveness and vow to do better! (contributed by Michelle Princenthal)
Forgiveness is the natural outcome of love, the image of Allah. We are made in that image and called to live it. It isn't so much that we have been forgiven, but that we come to be that image; we come to be forgiveness on this planet. Can you plz see the crazy video goo.gl/KIZRf. How important it is for our health that we learn how to forgive.
ReplyDelete