10 days of repentence

Part of asking G-d to forgive us during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is that we must ask our fellow man to forgive us. This is the time of year when, if you know you have offended someone, you must go to them and ask them to forgive you. The Rabbis say you must ask three times -- sincerely ask three times, and mean it. If the person refuses to forgive youeven after that, then the sin is on the other person's shoulders and your slate is clean.

Often this becomes a ritualized process. Perhaps because we can never know who we may have offended during the year. The president of the synagogue will stand up and ask forgiveness from the congregation if they have done anything to offend during the year. Kids seem to think it is quantity not quality. They will run from classmate to classmate asking for forgiveness, barely listening to the answers before moving on to the next person.

I tend to be somewhere in the middle. I have a fairly good idea of who I may have offended, but I can be obnoxious, and who knows what I have said that I didn't mean the way it sounded, and therefore caused both offense and hurt. In that respect, to the people who read my blog regularly, or even occasionally, if I have offended you in any way in the last year, I hope you will forgive me for that offense, and know that it wasn't intended.
Erica