Sins

Q: In the Yom Kippur confessional prayer there are two items which are puzzling: “For the sin we have committed under compulsion” and "for the sin we have committed unwillingly.”  Surely there are no sins performed under duress or in total ignorance!?

A:  While it is true that an act carried out under compulsion is not sinful, it is entirely possible that the person enjoyed the forced act. Although he is blameless for the crime he committed, he can be blamed for the enjoyment of the opportunity to sin in and for this he must confess.

An example that comes to mind are the Kapos of the concentration camps under the Nazis.  People were often taken from lines slated for death and given responsibility to keep order in the barracks and follow all the orders of the S.S..  While compelled to follow the Nazis, the Kapos sometimes went beyond their orders and violence.

The other example you cited of sins committed “unwittingly” is called b’lo yodeim, in Hebrew, literally “without knowledge.”  This refers to those who sin in ignorance. They cannot be blamed for the actual sin because they were unaware that it was a sin of the time. Yet, they are held to blame for their ignorance as they had the means of overcoming their lack of knowledge

Greeting on the High Holy Days

Q: What are we supposed to say on the High Holy Days to one another?  There are so many expressions!

A: On all holy days, including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is permissible to say, “Gute yontif” (also Americanized as Good Yom Tov).  Yom Tov literally means “good day.”

More specific, less generic, are the following four expressions:

L’Shana Tovah Teekatayvu, “May you be inscribed for a good year.”

L’shanah tovah tikateyvu v’teihateimu, “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.”

K’teeva v’hatimah Tovah, “May you merit a good inscription and sealing.”  This is the phrase most frequently used as it can be used on Rosh Hashanah and the days leading up to and including Yom Kippur.

G’mar hatimah tovah, “May you have a favorable sealing.”  This is generally just reserved for the holy day of Yom Kippur as it reflects the final judgment.

Sin and Forgiveness

Q: I understand that on Yom Kippur we are forgiven from ALL our sins.  Is this true?

A:In the Mishna we find, “For transgressions between a person and God, Yom Kippur brings atonement; but for transgressions between people, Yom Kippur only grants atonement when there has been forgiveness between the aggrieved.” (Yoma 8:9)  People are generally familiar with the first point, less so with the second.

There is an entire section in the Shulchan Aruch (the Code of Jewish Law) devoted to what people must do to appease one another when there has been a hurt (O.H. 606).  Until the victim has been asked for their forgiveness  -- and they have granted it—the sin remains.  A wrong that has not been resolved or redressed remains a wrong.

The Shulchan Aruch also indicates that a person should be predisposed to accept an apology and not cruelly refuse to forgive.

If the sin involves fraud or theft the guilty person must make the victim whole.  What if the theft cannot be repaid but the victim wishes to repair the relationship?  Someone who has a financial claim on another person should waive what is owed to him or her or there cannot be remission from sin.  In some instances they might say, “I forgive you but I am not erasing the debt that you owe.”

One final note:  Even forgiveness must be done with kindness.  One can run over someone with our contrition by telling them all the ruthless, terrible things we said about them or specifying the slander we heard all year long.  That is not nice.

Rabbi Israel Salanter said that it is not right to hurt another human being while seeking atonement for oneself.  “Your steps to piety should never be on someone else’s shoulders.”

Sneakers at Synagogue

Q: Why do some Jews wear sneakers on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year?

A: Contrary to popular opinion, sneakers are not worn for comfort during the long service on the Day of Atonement.  They are worn out of respect for life.

We think nothing of wearing a dead animal.  Think of furs.  Think of alligator wallets or pocketbooks.  Snakeskin boots.  Even leather belts come from an animal.  In our faith these things have a dual meaning.  First they represent a life.  We always need to cognizant of the lives that sustain us whether for food or clothing.  Secondly, animal skins are considered by our tradition to be luxuries.  As such, we refrain from using them on the day when we deprive ourselves of all comforts.