I was eating at a friends house and thought the meal was kosher, after having finished I found out it was not Kosher. I feel really upset at myself for not double checking but dont know what to do now. Is there a special prayer I have to say? Thanks so much for your time!

Shalom, Thank you for your question. It is certainly very timely – with Rosh HaShona and Yom Kippur coming up, this is the season for Teshuva (Repentance). In Judaism, we are taught that sin, and the repentance, are not divorced from religious life, but rather, are the very center of our religious growth. Hashem created man in order for him to grow. And the pathway to growth is the constant struggle to improve. This is not a “glitch” in the system – but rather the normal and good way that Hashem created us to grow. With this is mind – you should certainly feel regret at having sinned. But that regret needs to be turned into a positive force for the future. That is, to take it upon yourself to in future be more careful about checking your food before eating. This is the main lesson you should take from the mistake. By doing so you will have turned the sin into an impetus for becoming a better person – and the sin will itself become a mitzvah! (Isn’t that amazing!). In addition, the prayers you will say on Yom Kippur (especially the confession) will be a fulfillment of the mitzvah to confess our sins verbally before Hashem. Blessings.