The High Holidays

The name of the game is not total victory, but constant progress.

Back in 1934, Rav Kook delivered a famous speech in which he described the various motivations of Jews to return to Zion – and compared them to three different shofars. I would opine that today, a fourth shofar has been added, one that is actually dangerous for the process of the national return to their holy homeland, even as it is disguised by its proponents as part of the Redemption process...

What happens if someone does something bad to someone else, but the perpetrator cannot ask forgiveness (because the other one harmed him physically or verbally)? I have a friend who has hurt me very much, more than once. She knows what she did and has asked forgiveness, but she doesn't really know the extent of what she caused me. I spend lots of time with her and I act as if everything is fine, but deep inside I find it hard to really forgive her; I'm still very hurt. I would like to know what I should do so that I can know how to really forgive her. Is there something I could study on this topic, or maybe something that could help me work on my character or something like that?

Shalom. I am not religious. How can I ask forgiveness of rabbis to whom I related in a derogatory manner? I insulted and maligned them… and some of them are no longer living. Thank you. Sincerely, David

A man once came to his rabbi with a complaint: "Rabbi, I work very hard and make hardly any money." The rabbi said, "I can give you a higher paying job, and it's also very easy work." The man jumped with joy and said, "I'll take it!" The rabbi said, "Great. Take this hammer and swing it up and down, over and over at a set pace, and I'll pay you per hour." The man said, "Sounds both easy and profitable," and immediately got to work....