Dear Friends,
It’s the season of Teshuvah, of repentance. It’s not about saying we’re sorry, it’s about being sorry. For Teshuvah to work, Being sorry must lead to action to correct our sins. So….
Dear God,
Sorry that we Sinned.
Sorry for not Admitting when we mess up.
Sorry for Boasting as much as we do.
Sorry for not taking better Care of ourselves.
Sorry for not becoming Deeper people.
Sorry for not being Evenhanded when we should be.
Sorry for Forgetting about You, God.
Sorry for taking so many of Your blessings for Granted.
Sorry for not Helping those we could easily help.
Sorry for being Insensitive when we should be sincere.
Sorry for ignoring our Jewish commitments.
Sorry for all the Kvetching we do.
Sorry for being Lazy in our Jewishness.
Sorry for not filling our days with Meaning.
Sorry for being so Negative when we should be more positive.
Sorry for being so Obstinate.
Sorry for being so Pessimistic.
Sorry for Questioning the little things and ignoring the important things.
Sorry for thinking we’re being Reasonable when we know we’re not.
Sorry for being as Selfish as we are.
Sorry for not making better use of our Time.
Sorry for not being more Understanding of others.
Sorry for not Volunteering more of our time.
Sorry for not Waiting to cool down before getting angry.
Sorry for being Xenophobic especially when we tell ourselves we’re not.
Sorry for not paying attention to Your Presence, Your Call to us, Your love.
Sorry for not showing any Zeal to do Your will and become a better person.
May these days before and after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur be filled with true Teshuvah, and a change in our behavior for the better.
L’Shanah Tovah!
–Rabbi Larry Kaplan
