That’s the sound of selichot. Of saying sorry. The special prayers we say at this time of the year as we come close to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Jewish New Year and the Day of Atonement. And there’s something so powerful about the ability to say sorry. Out there in secular society we live in a non penitential culture. When was the last time you heard a politician say, “I’m sorry”? Or a Rabbi, say, “I got it wrong”? Or a pundit say, “I made a mistake.” Yet we’re always getting things wrong. That’s what it is to be human.
So, to be able to say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong, forgive me,” is important. It’s a moment of honesty in a lifetime of keeping up appearances; of trying to look infallible. And I can say sorry to God because I know He forgives me. I know that because that’s the kind of God He is. That’s why He gave us Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
So try saying sorry to God. It might just help you, as it’s helped me say sorry to the people I’ve hurt. Saying sorry is the superglue of interpersonal life. It mends relationships that would otherwise be broken beyond repair. You won’t be sorry that you said, “I’m sorry.”
Shanah Tovah.
