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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
September 25, 1998
A Day of Reckoning
By Dennis Prager
With the advent of the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, the
Day of Atonement, most Jews are, or should be, preoccupied with
sin and forgiveness. On that day Jews are asked to fast and pray,
acknowledging their sins over the past year and making amends
for wrongdoing. But you don't have to be Jewish to be preoccupied
with such matters at this time.
Given the national soul-searching brought on by President Clinton's
travails, some of Judaism's insights into sin, forgiveness and
atonement may be of help to us all. Judaism has developed a very
precise understanding of what wrongdoers must do to repair themselves
in the sight of God and man.
First, Judaism holds that God directly forgives only sins against
God. For God to forgive our sins against our fellow human beings,
we must first get the forgiveness of those who have been sinned
against (which, incidentally, is why it may be impossible for
murder to be forgiven -- the victim is unable to forgive).
Second, Judaism holds that only the victim of a sin may forgive.
If I steal from Jones, Smith is in no position to forgive me.
Jones, and only Jones -- not Smith, not all of humanity, not
(yet) God -- can forgive me the wrong I have done.
Third, to obtain forgiveness, I must repent -- that is, I must
feel genuine regret for what I have done. This is axiomatic,
but it must be stressed because of the current, bizarre trend
toward forgiving people who have never even said "I'm sorry." God
himself does not forgive us unless we repent, which is one reason
why our own forgiving of those who have never repented is not
allowed. Another is that doing so removes the incentive all of
us need to face our wrongdoing honestly. If we are forgiven without
repenting, why repent?
Fourth, also axiomatic, a sinner must acknowledge that he has
sinned in the first place. Unfortunately, many people these days
have rejected the concept of sin altogether. They prefer "mistake." This
is the term the president used to describe his White House affair;
it was also the term used by the young New Jersey couple at their
sentencing a few months ago to describe their murder of their
newborn child in a Delaware motel. But a mistake is unintentional;
it is rarely the right word to describe wrongdoing. A second
preferred term is "sickness." We have substituted psychological
categories for moral ones. Yet "sickness" is entirely
different from "sin." If I have sinned, then I am responsible
for what I have done. But if I did something because I was sick,
how can I be held responsible? My sickness (or "addiction")
caused me to do it. And if I am not responsible for my sin, repentance
is unnecessary.
Fifth, Judaism holds that a sin must be acknowledged precisely.
To merely say "I have sinned" is mostly meaningless.
We are all sinners, after all. Only by specifying the sin can
the true penitent move on to the next step.
Sixth, the penitent must resolve not to commit the sin again.
The third-century Babylonian teacher, Rabbi Judah, defined a
true penitent as one who twice more encountered the object that
caused his original transgression and yet managed to avoid committing
the sin. He gave as an example (ironically, in light of current
events), "the same woman, at the same time, in the same
place."
Seventh, the person who wishes to make amends for wrongdoing
-- to truly atone for what he has done to other human beings
-- must acknowledge that he deserves punishment. Otherwise expressions
of regret can be hollow. "I take full responsibility" is
a meaningless phrase unless it is accompanied by a willingness
to suffer consequences.
Obviously, all of this is difficult to do. But Judaism holds
that when these seven conditions are met, the penitent is not
only forgiven but "even a righteous and pious person cannot
stand on the high plain on which a penitent stands."
Penitence is a great human achievement. That is why the Day of
Atonement is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. And that
is why penitence must never be cheapened by giving forgiveness
to anyone who has not earned it. |
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