Sermon on Forgiveness and Atonement

Sermon on Forgiveness and Atonement
Kol Nidrei 5768
Rabbi David Kaufman

On Rosh Hashanah, I noted the fact that I have been involved in an interfaith dialogue concerning the concepts of Might and Right. That discussion has led us into several other topics, of which one is very appropriate for Kol Nidrei.

It was stated by a participant in our dialogue that, in her mind, one of the most important areas of difference between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism is the Christian call to forgiveness, which brought us into dialogue about forgiveness in our religious traditions.

As Jews, we prioritize repentance and atonement in particular much more than forgiveness.

In the words of Claude Montefiore, the great nephew of Sir Moses Montefiore and a tremendous scholar in his own right:

For us there is but one atonement—the atonement wrought by human repentance and the divine forgiveness; by God’s grace and help on the one hand, by human remorse and effort on the other…That is the Jewish atonement; we know no other… We do not ask that our past sins may be forgiven in the sense that their effects may be cancelled, for that is impossible. All we can ask and do ask for is better insight, purer faith, fuller strength. We want to grow in holiness of life and in the love of God.

In Judaism, forgiveness cannot be given until the sinner atones, that is, corrects or compensates for damage done. Some sins cannot be forgiven by Human beings at all, such as murder, since nothing can bring the dead back to life and nothing can compensate the dead person, much less his or her loved ones. Forgiveness in the Jewish tradition CANNOT be given without atonement and one cannot atone if one cannot remedy the damage done. Just as saying "sorry" does not atone, neither does forgiveness without repentance and atonement effect the removal of sin.

The philosopher Hermann Cohen tells us that:

God in mercy can grant atonement only to those who strive for the good, who recognize sin and wish to avoid it. Without our moral work in repentance, God would be unable to redeem us.

Yet, can we not forgive? Is not forgiveness a part of Judaism also? Yes, but in a different way. We may forgive our anger, removing our own hatred of people who have committed a sin. That forgiveness we may do. That is within our power, it is our choice, but forgiving an action which is unforgivable is not possible and forgiving an action for which atonement is possible, but has not been accomplished, is not acceptable.

One cannot seek forgiveness of a sin, if repair is possible, but has not been done. If you have stolen from someone, you cannot seek forgiveness for the theft while withholding the means to restore what you have stolen. You must try to restore it first. Atonement is not simply seeking forgiveness, nor changing your ways, but involves repairing the damage you have done.

Additionally, atonement requires intent. The rabbis tell us in the Mishnah that “One who says, ‘I will sin and repent, then I will sin and repent again,’ is not really repentant. And one who says, ‘I will sin, and the Day of Atonement will atone for me, will find that the day will not avail for atonement.”

On this day, we think not merely of forgiveness for sins, but also of the effect that such forgiveness will have upon us. Our tradition talks about this in terms of the Book of Life. A discussion concerning the Book of Life leads to the following question: What is the difference between achieving forgiveness and achieving salvation?

You can only be forgiven for specific actions for which you have repented and if possible atoned. Achieving salvation on the other hand requires that your good works outweigh your bad ones, particularly sins for which atonement has not been or cannot be made. In Judaism, one is not doomed for failing to atone for any single sin, nor "saved" by any single good deed. Furthermore, belief in anything without works atones for nothing.

One can be an ATHEIST and do good deeds and receive the best of the afterlife, but one who believes devoutly in God after all is said and done, but has lived an evil life absent of righteousness cannot be. Some say that such a person is allowed to live again, literally bringing reincarnation into Judaism, so that they may try again to live well. The Jewish tradition believes that NO ONE has THE answer about the afterlife, but that a righteous God would prioritize deeds and not faith. Thus, in the Jewish tradition it is believed that the righteous of all religions will benefit the best of the afterlife and not just the righteous among Jews. There are likely even more non-Jews in this state in the afterlife than Jews, simply because there are far more non-Jews. The Jewish view of who may merit in God's eyes is very definitely not tribal. Ours is but one path, one way to live a righteous life.

One interesting question that arose in our dialogue about forgiveness and sin is the description in Christian Scriptures of the response to acts of healing performed by Jesus on Shabbat. Christian Scriptures make it clear that the religious authorities argued that acts of healing on the Sabbath violate the Sabbath, something that clearly results in a negative view of the Jewish leadership, who would prioritize the rule of law above all.

Yet, from a Jewish perspective, the story of healing on the Sabbath as depicted in Christian Scriptures makes absolutely no sense in a Jewish context because saving a life does and has always surpassed the prohibitions of the Sabbath.

One is not only allowed, but even mandated to take up arms in ones defense on the Sabbath, surely a more extreme action than an act of healing would be. Even in ULTRA-Orthodox communities today doctors visit patients on the Sabbath in order to heal. When a life is on the line, the rabbis argue that we are commanded to break any law except murder, idolatry, incest, or adultery in order to save a life. To not break a law in order to defend or save life is considered an evil and could even be likened to murder.

Rabbi Simon Glustrom, past chairperson of the Rabbinical Assembly's Publications Committee, a Conservative rabbi, speaking about the imperative to save life said:

The Talmud emphasizes this principle by citing the verse from Leviticus [18:5]: "You shall therefore keep my statutes…which if one does, he shall live by them." The rabbis add: "That he shall live by them, and not that he shall die by them." (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 85b)

When life is involved, all Sabbath laws may be suspended to safeguard the health of the individual, the principle being “pikkuach nefesh doheh Shabbat”--[rescuing a] life in danger takes precedence over the Sabbath.

One is not merely permitted--one is required to disregard a law that conflicts with life or health.

The Shulkhan Arukh, one of the most authoritative post-Talmudic rabbinic works, tells us that, "It is a religious precept to desecrate the Sabbath for any person afflicted with an illness that may prove dangerous." (Orah Hayyim 328:2)

This is also the case on Yom Kippur. One is obligated to break the fast if fasting endangers one’s health. Caregivers are also obligated to break the laws of Yom Kippur in order to care for those whose lives are endangered. Rabbi Glustrom noted that:

In spite of the virtue of observing a fast, it is not virtuous to observe laws at the risk of one's life. Such conduct is regarded as foolish, even as sinful. The Sages described this stubbornness as a "piety of madness."
Christianity and Judaism as well as Islam, all parts of our dialogue, all emphasize the need to aid others and prioritize the saving of life. When our righteous deeds and our sins are considered, according to the Jewish Tradition, the good deed of saving a single life outweighs almost everything else combined.

This idea of the prioritization of saving a life over the fulfillment of mitzvot is not limited to health alone. The rabbis command that one not attempt to fulfill a mitzvah if doing so could endanger life. For example, during times of persecution, Jews who were normally obligated to place a Chanukkiah in a window visible to passers-by, were commanded not to endanger themselves by doing so and instead to place the Chanukkiah in a place where it would not draw dangerous attention.

Currently much of the debate concerning Pikkuach Nefesh centers around organ donation.

Rabbi Dr. Goldie Milgram, writing for Belief.net about organ donation in the Jewish tradition wrote:

Depending upon your age, you might remember Jewish tradition on the topic of organ donation as very different from how it actually is today. Once opposed, Jewish law and practice on organ donation has changed dramatically, which is the beauty of Judaism as a living, evolving tradition. Now that organ transplantation is a highly successful way to save a life, organ donation has been deemed an obligatory act, a mitzvah chiyuvit, by every major branch of Judaism.

Now, it is important to note that some Orthodox leaders differ on how to determine the time of death, and prefer a point later than brain death, which results in some organs being rendered unusable but even in that case, the kidneys, barring kidney disease, remain transplantable after death. Accordingly, not to bequeath your organs has become a transgression of the mitzvah of pikuakh nefesh, “saving a life.”

Three verses from Torah frame the source for organ donation: “You shall not stand by the blood of your neighbor” [Leviticus 19:16], “You shall surely heal” [Exodus 21:19] and “You shall restore” (a lost object, which includes someone’s health) [Exodus 23:4]. And amazingly, despite very different ways at coming to their decision – virtually the full spectrum of Judaism, with only a few rabbinic decisors dissenting, agree that post-mortem organ donation is an obligatory mitzvah.

Currently, the debate centers on when death has occurred, because heart and lung transplants require that the donor’s organs be kept working. Important Jewish texts and prevailing traditions in the minds of some more Traditional authorities seem to call for both heart and breathing to have stopped in order for a person to be officially dead and therefore, those holding the opinion that the heart must stop beating for death to occur, essentially do not allow for the heart and lungs to be donated.

All of these issues, from violating the Sabbath in order to heal to disturbing the body after death in order to transplant organs, necessitate the fulfillment of one law while violating another.

In other words, the Jewish Tradition understands that the righteous may have to break a few rules while being righteous. Our tradition teaches us “Tsedek Tsedek Tirdof,” which is often mistranslated “Justice, Justice, you shall pursue” instead of “Righteousness, Righteousness, you shall pursue.” The statement comes as a commentary concerning how judges should function and is found in the Torah in the book of Deuteronomy.

The Torah teaches that judges should try to execute justice, but that justice should be a righteous justice. Justice should not be blindly enforced, but should instead take into account other issues and once they are taken into account, a decision based upon righteousness as well as justice should be reached. The statement, “Righteousness, Righteousness, you shall pursue,” serves to emphasize that it is righteousness and not justice that should have as much influence as possible.

This idea is also true on this day, the Day of Atonement. We come before God as judge seeking not justice, for we know that we have sinned, but mercy, righteousness, understanding, kindness… We want God to be Av Ha-rachamim, “Merciful Father” and not Dayan Ha-emet, “Judge of Truth.”

None of us is without sin. Many of us could stand to be a bit kinder and more merciful ourselves. Yet, we come before God thinking of our faults and hoping that God will think also of our merits, graciously elevating our merits while lessening our faults.

“Yaeir Adonai panav eilekha v’hunekha.”

This day, we ask God to shine God’s countenance into our souls, to see into our depths, the good and the bad. Gazing upon us, we ask that God to be gracious unto us, being merciful in considering our faults.

Having done that, may we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for good and sweet year.