Questions tagged [forgiving-mechilah]

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6 votes
2 answers
386 views

Requesting forgiveness when in doubt

Rambam writes in Teshuva 2,9 that one must ask a person for forgiveness when he has wronged him and personal Teshuva is not enough. I have seen people (and I myself have often done this) asking for ...
0 votes
1 answer
48 views

How does forgiving others affect us [duplicate]

If we forgive others does this mean God forgives us when we sin in a way we can’t rectify or often don’t rectify the issue?
2 votes
3 answers
262 views

What are the differences between selichah, mechilah and kaparah?

In reflecting on these three terms, selichah, mechilah and kapparah, they are often thought of simply as synonyms of forgiveness. But trying to focus on their specific meanings in the context of the ...
1 vote
2 answers
276 views

Why are some sins "unforgivable"?

Question: Why are some consequences (such as punishments, penalties) in Torah Law permanent, with no appeal or way to alleviate? I am looking for a general covering this topic ideally using an answer ...
1 vote
0 answers
53 views

Correct way to apologise

As I've grown older, I've started to find the phrase "please forgive me" to be a little bit distasteful. It has a big fat "me" in it, and (especially when it is ritualised) it can ...
0 votes
1 answer
45 views

Does the Shekhinah remove Israel’s sin on the Day Of Atonement?

I have read and heard that the Shekhinah appeared before the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Did The Shekhinah remove sin?
4 votes
2 answers
137 views

Forgiveness after repentance?

There are many teachings that a sincere repentance will bring forgiveness. One example: Shim'on bar Yohai said: If a person was perfectly just all his days and at the end he rebelled, he lost all he ...
8 votes
2 answers
347 views

I "stole" an ice cube. What can I do for Kaparah?

Yesterday, I was stung by a bee while walking at the zoo. After icing down the sting for a while, I continued on my way. A few minutes later, however, the bee-sting began to hurt again. I happened ...
1 vote
2 answers
141 views

Eisav Receiving Mechila/Kapara for Sins for a Halachikly Invalid Wedding?

Megilla 17a says Nevaiot was הקדישהּ to Eisav. The Talmud commentary called Siftei Chachamim, by Rav Avraham Abbah Herzl (20th century), suggests that Eisav’s wedding to Machalat wasn’t halachikly ...
1 vote
1 answer
88 views

Why Suspend the Kohen’s Checking of a Chatan with Tzara’at During Sheva Brachot If Becoming a Chatan Forgives Sin?

Rashi dibbur hamatchil וביום on Vayikra 13:14 says the Torah mentions the apparently superfluous word וביום to teach us that there are times when one (a kohen) doesn’t see and inspect the negah found ...
0 votes
1 answer
121 views

Why did Joseph let his brothers off the hook so easily?

I would love to see a discussion of the following point. In Vayigash, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, and tells them: I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do ...
1 vote
2 answers
241 views

Is there an obligation to ask for forgiveness?

Though it is part of the t'shuva process, I wonder if asking mechila from people exists as a separate and distinct obligation. Must I either seek out individuals and ask for forgiveness for both ...
-2 votes
3 answers
209 views

Can only animal sacrifices forgive sins?

Can only animal sacrifices forgive sins? In Exodus 12:27 it is written you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the LORD, because He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He ...
10 votes
3 answers
294 views

Why do we forgive past incarnations every night?

In the first paragraph of Krias Shema Al Hamita, we say that we forgive: ...לְכָל־מִי שֶׁהִכְעִיס וְהִקְנִיט אוֹתִי אוֹ שֶׁחָטָא כְנֶגְדִּי בֵּין בְּגוּפִי בֵּין בְּמָמוֹנִי... ...anyone who has ...
7 votes
2 answers
351 views

Does a teacher have to ask forgiveness for embarrassing a student after scolding him?

If a teacher/rebbi scolded a student for making fun of another student, and this rebuke was given in front of others, which embarrassed the student, does the rebbi have to ask that student for ...
3 votes
1 answer
158 views

Is it a mitzvah to forgive without being asked?

Is one required to forgive someone who hasn’t apologized? Is it pious even if not required? I am aware the Shma Al Hamittah includes a paragraph of forgiveness but my question is more in terms of our ...
1 vote
1 answer
394 views

When can you disrespect "ugly" people?

In the Talmud, Rabbi Elazar meets an "ugly" man and insults him: "Worthless person, how ugly you are! Are all the people of your city as ugly as you?" He quickly apologizes and ...
2 votes
1 answer
115 views

Rosh Hashonoh. Pray for forgiveness and needs – or not?

In my copy of the Siddur HaGr”a there is an introduction to the prayers of Rosh Hashonoh. It is quite clear there that we mention neither our sins nor our needs. Therefore our Rabbis forbade us to ...
0 votes
0 answers
36 views

When forgiving a loan, in front of whom do you need to say it ? Which details need to be mentioned?

Reuven lent Shimon money indefinitely, he said "pay me back when you have extra money". It's been a number of years, and Reuven has never brought it up, and would like to forgive Shimon. He ...
15 votes
4 answers
3k views

Teshuva and non-Jews?

The Rambam explains the basic requirements of doing teshuva and seeking forgiveness from another person: acknowledging the transgression, making amends, and seeking forgiveness (presumably publicly ...
6 votes
1 answer
126 views

Source for Avraham's Conversation About Hoshana Rabba

Although many websites quote a Midrash saying Hashem told Avraham, "I will give your descendants a special day for forgiveness: Hoshana Rabbah. If they are not forgiven on Rosh Hashana then let ...
7 votes
1 answer
240 views

How to answer someone who chooses not to ask for forgiveness on Yom Kippur

Request for suggestions on how to respond and assist someone in this scenario: During the break yesterday, I spoke with a tween-age girl who explained that she felt no purpose in davening in the shul ...
2 votes
0 answers
111 views

The limits of forgiveness

Over the years I read suggestions that we should forgive Germany, Poland, Russia, the Catholic Church, the Crusades, Christianity, Islam, Egypt, the Ku Klux Klan, etc. The only "forgiveness" I ever ...
7 votes
5 answers
590 views

Does God's forgiveness in Bamidbar (Num.) 14:20 contradict the fact that punishment was meted, nonetheless?

In this week's parsha, Shlach, we see in Bamidbar (Num.) 14:20, God says, "I have forgiven ..." Yet, beginning in the next verse and continuing until verse 35, God mentions punishing the people. Is ...
2 votes
2 answers
203 views

Is there anyway to know that Hashem has forgiven you for good?

I am not asking here if Hashem Most High forgives you for a sin you committed, what I am asking is: is there anyway to know that Hashem has forgiven you for good so no matter what happens rest of your ...
2 votes
1 answer
75 views

Is one allowed to ask forgiveness for a misdeed he committed towards another before he/ she was bar/ bat mitzvah?

Is one before bar/ bat mitzvah obligated (or allowed) to ask forgiveness for misdeeds, as they are not entirely accountable for them (source needed: that one’s averot are upon the father until the age ...
2 votes
2 answers
236 views

Forgive others, Hashem forgives you?

I’ve heard from a Rabbi that if you forgive others, Hashem will forgive you for all your sins. What is the source for this? So is saying the “ I hereby forgive whoever has hurt me, And whoever has ...
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to respond to an insincere apology

If someone apologizes to you for wronging you, but you either suspect or believe that their apology is insincere, what should/must/may you do in response? Some subquestions: Is saying you forgive ...
8 votes
5 answers
3k views

Someone in authority apologizes?

I am looking for examples where someone in authority apologizes to someone lower than him. I am specifically looking for examples where we know that the authority figure is someone to emulate (eg. the ...
2 votes
1 answer
197 views

Forgiveness in Judaism

Is my summary on forgiveness correct? If the perpetrator is sincerely repentant and asks his victim's forgiveness, the victim must give it. If the perpetrator is sincerely repentant and does not ask ...
4 votes
2 answers
306 views

Should you ask someone for forgiveness before Yom Kippur if doing so might embarrass them?

It is a mitzvah to beg for forgiveness on the eve of Yom Kippur from those you have wronged in the previous year. As I understand it, this is necessary at once as a practical tikkun; as a necessary ...
1 vote
1 answer
238 views

Should you prompt someone to ask you for mechila before Yom Kippur?

If G0d forbid you have a grudge against someone (and you did not rebuke them [enough] at the time--your fault) must you/should you tell them about it before Yom Kippur so they know to ask you for ...
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

How can a dead person forgive someone?

At most burials that I have attended, I have noticed that the mourners, and frequently the rav and other friends ask forgiveness from the dead person for any sins they have caused them. Is it the ...
6 votes
3 answers
102 views

Why address Hashem when forgiving people?

The "standard" text for forgiving everyone before kriat shema al hamita (from Artscroll, no idea about other nuschaot) begins: רבונו של עולם, הריני מוחל...‏ Why address Hashem? Isn't ...
5 votes
0 answers
160 views

forgiving people on the first night of Pesach

According to the Ezras Torah Luach, we only say the bracha of המפיל and the Shema itself for Kriat Shema al Hamita, skipping the rest, because Pesach is leil shimurim, when we don't need extra prayers ...
2 votes
0 answers
106 views

When Am I obligated to forgive someone? [closed]

When am I obligated to forgive someone? When should one forgive and give forgiveness to another according to the Tenach and other commentaries regards it?
2 votes
2 answers
89 views

What other occasions cause forgiveness?

Besides a person's wedding and Yom Kippur are there any other events which provide someone with atonement just by dint of the occasion itself?
4 votes
1 answer
502 views

Eliyahu HaNavi and bris

Someone once told me that when Eliyahu HaNavi comes to a baby's bris, everyone who is presently there is forgiven for their sins. Does anyone know the source for this?
5 votes
4 answers
527 views

Etymology of מחילה

I am looking for a possible etymological root for the word מחילה as meaning forgiveness. The word מחל does not appear in Tanach1, and neither does מחילה, nor does מוחל, and I was unable to find any ...
4 votes
1 answer
507 views

Should you apologize before Yom Kippur for a wrongdoing that is more than a year old?

It is a mitzvah to beg for forgiveness on the eve of Yom Kippur from those you have wronged in the previous year. As I understand it, this is necessary at once as a practical tikkun; as a necessary ...
11 votes
2 answers
324 views

Can a parent "victim" forgive a child due the death penalty?

There are two capital offences against parents: cursing a parent or striking a parent (and causing an injury). If someone did this in front of 2 witnesses with a warning etc. so they were due the ...
3 votes
1 answer
219 views

Are there any halachic issues with apologizing to a past shidduch before rosh hashanah?

If someone feels that there might have been some wrong doing during a past shidduch and would like to apologize before judgement day, can one do so or should he/she just let it be? The issues that ...
17 votes
2 answers
624 views

How can someone, halachically, do teshuva when s/he has offended an anonymous person on the internet?

Ramba"m among others, state that Yom Kippur does not atone for sins committed between a person and his neighbor until a person personally asks the other for forgiveness. Mi Yodeya is an example of ...
4 votes
2 answers
264 views

Accidentally served a guest meat and milk

If someone accidentally served a guest a milk-and-meat combination and realized his mistake after the fact, should he ask the guest for mechilah (forgiveness)?
3 votes
2 answers
186 views

Asking forgiveness for failures in Kibbud Av V'Em

It is a well known saying that the Asseres HaDibros are divided into 5 and 5, with the first five Mitzvos between G-d and Man, and the next five between people. In that counting, Kibbud Av V'Em is ...
4 votes
2 answers
186 views

Why ask for forgiveness of our sins after Havdala each week?

After havdala we often sing "Hamavdil ben kodesh l'chol". The second line asks for forgiveness of our sins. Why is forgiveness of our sins our concern so early in the week? Does it imply we have ...
5 votes
2 answers
596 views

Different variations of forgiveness?

what are the definitions and the differences between the folowing words, when refering to forgiveness?: Salach סלח Machal מחל Nasah נסה/נשא Kaphar כפר Kasah כסה
5 votes
1 answer
178 views

Forgiveness vs. Justice?

What does Judaism say about the conflict between forgiving someone who has wronged you and continues to do so, and the need to correct the injustice? What does Judaism say in general about handling ...
3 votes
0 answers
253 views

Limit(s) on the obligation to forgive?

There's a common adage, based on the Rambam, that if a person harms someone else, and then seeks forgiveness three times, the aggrieved party is obligated to forgive the person, or else carry the sin. ...
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

Do the laws of forgiveness apply equally to Jews forgiving non-Jews?

In the prayer introducing the bedtime shema we say we forgive everyone for everything, even in previous incarnations (gilgulim), and then say, "every Jew." I'm not sure I'm understanding it correctly, ...