The Talmud's Secret to FORGIVENESS

here's how forgiveness works there's different types of forgiveness there is okay I'm just gonna drop it I'll be more patient with you type of thing and there's I'm so connected with you how can I allow this to get in the way and that's what the 13 attributes of Mercy awaken within God the background of the 13 attributes of Mercy was when the Jewish people sinned with the golden calf right after the giving of the Torah Mount Sinai we just got the Torah we just experienced divine revelation and several weeks later we're literally cheating on God Moses comes down he's Furious he breaks the tablets and eventually God says I'm going to forgive them and these lines are recited these 13 attributes of Mercy this was the symbolism that we've been forgiven that God finally forgave us for this deep sin he says I'm I understand that I'm connected to you and you're connected to me and nothing could get in the way our relationship is unconditional our love is unconditional you're forgiven by the way you know when that was when that took place Yom Kippur Yom Kippur is when we were finally forgiven for the sin of the golden calf we received the seven the second pair of tablets and the talmud says said rabbi johanan we've learned that God wrapped himself in a talit like the khazan like the person leading the prayers and he showed Moses this prayer and he told them any time the Jewish people sin perform this service and I'll forgive them it wasn't just a historical situation where God forgave us anytime we sin recite this prayer and you're going to be forgiven anytime we sin reawaken the Divine connection through the 13 attributes of Mercy and you'll be connected you'll be forgiven why did God have to put on a Talus what is the message here God puts on a Talus a white beautiful Talus and he appears before Moses anytime the Jewish people sin recite this prayer you'll be forgiven what does that represent so here's an Insight I just read today I thought this was beautiful because it's going to change the way we think God views us it's gonna wait change the way we view people this is the teaching from here's what he explains what would happen if God would judge us based on how we should be right and in other words let me let me put it this way where did the soul come from comes from God right we say it in the beginning of prayers my God the soul which you have given within me is pure the soul that you've given me to horahi it's pure we had this pure Soul coming from heaven the soul is a peace of God the soul has Clarity the soul gets it the soul knows every fiber of its being that there's a right and there's a wrong and it's clear as day and night the soul should be held to high standards to very high standards the body not so much you don't know it you don't know better you were indoctrinated right into this society that you live in but the soul born into high standards agree it should have high standards and if God were to judge us based on where we came from you should have known better type of thing that would not be good that would not be uh Pleasant I should say good or not I don't know not my not my call certainly wouldn't be pleasant but God doesn't judge us based on where we came from and where we should be how does God judge us he meets us where we're at he recognizes that that Soul has journeyed into a body and has been born in the environment it has been born in and raised and fed values that perhaps are not natural to the soul and not healthy for the soul perhaps brainwashing the soul a little bit indoctrinating the soul skewing its idea of what's right and wrong because it's now so focused on just what's comfortable and what's uncomfortable what feels good and what doesn't feel good right the constant battle between the soul and body God recognizes that God recognizes that the soul has been invested into a body and that it's going to go through these challenges God is willing to judge the soul not based on where it came from or where it should be but God is willing to meet us where we're at right now God is patient enough to do that God is wearing this Talus he's covering himself reminding us I know that your soul is covered so I'm covering myself I get it I'm going to look at you from that lens I understand I'll be patient with you and we're reminding ourselves that God is willing to come down to our level even if we're not feeling that Holy he's willing to look at us through the lenses of a talit the lens is through like a body the lenses of something external knowing that we have been living a life that might be external and that's why we say Hashem the Lord passed before him called out the following 13 attributes of Mercy he passed God is going to pass through he's going to pass through and pass down onto our level what does panav mean in English it says before him also means the depths God is going to allow us to experience the depths his face we're going to experience we're going to see him face to face despite the situation where we are in despite the challenges despite the limitations we have he's going to meet us where we're at face to face he's going to put on that towel he's going to cover himself and say I understand that you guys are covered up as well I get it and I'm going to be patient with you imagine we looked at people by the way in this way the way God looks at us we refer to God as infinitely forgiving um it is hard man it's hard you know it's easy for us to give forgive the first second third maybe fourth time and God is just forgiving and forgiving he understands where we're at he understands a predicament he's not just looking at our soul we don't want him to look just at our soul because then we're gonna have such high standards he understands that we have a body he understands that we have challenges he's willing to meet us where we're at there's a story I heard a couple of years ago uh a young man who's at a wedding he sees a fellow there an elderly fellow and he recognizes him he comes up to him he says Hey do you do you remember me the guy's looking at him you look familiar again the guy is his senior by several decades um you were my teacher back in second grade two decades ago two and a half decades ago oh wow how are you is it the name rings a bell right what are you up to now he says I'm a teacher now what inspired you to become a teacher every teacher has that question right why are you doing it don't do it no I'm kidding he says you've inspired me to be a teacher how so he says you don't remember no he says you don't know the story he says no we were in second grade seven eight years old a kid comes with a new watch I was jealous of that watch I wanted it so during recess I went into his backpack I stole the watch he came back for recess his watch is gone he came crying to you that somebody stole his watch you made an announcement whoever stole the watch please return it I was too ashamed I wasn't gonna return it I realized it was wrong but I already made a mistake and I'm not going back it's gonna be embarrassing it'll be humiliating you made it another announcement whoever stole it please return it you won't get in trouble if you return it I didn't have the guts you made an announcement last call otherwise we're lining everybody up we're doing a search you ended up lining us all up and I'm still shaking because this is going to be humiliating I'm gonna be shamed I'm gonna be embarrassed I'm gonna be labeled as a thief none of my friends are gonna trust me and I'm this eight years old eight-year-old that's just freaking out and the um as soon as you're about to check everybody's Pockets you made an announcement that everybody needs to close their eyes and I was so inspired by that gesture of sensitivity that although I did something wrong it didn't have to become a public thing and I had the opportunity to repent essentially the teacher is just like wow you know several decades later you remember that and that that inspired you to become a teacher to become an educator he says to the teacher how do you not remember this it was like such a pivotal moment in my life the teacher says my eyes were closed too he said I didn't know it was you God his eyes are closed he's wearing that talit he's not gonna look at our sins he's understanding that we're not the best place where we should be it's not a free pass it's just empathy to give us the courage to move forward and we're empowered to do that with other people as well right throughout Yom Kippur and throughout the high holiday season as we recite this prayer and as we recite the confessional prayers let's have that in mind these fresh pair of eyes how does God view us how are we to view other people okay that's my story and I'm sticking to it