Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

As the rabbi who delivered the sermon about asking forgiveness via social media sites like Twitter and Facebook allow me to further explain my point and respond to a couple of the comments above.

First, I have no issue with individuals reaching out to those they have offended or hurt during the past year using forms of non-face-to-face communication (telephone, snail mail, FAX, email, text messaging, Facebook, Twitter, Pony Express, etc. What I take exception with is using these social media sites to send out a mass message to everyone you're connected to asking for their forgiveness.

That strikes me as missing the point of the Jewish "High Holy Days" (a.k.a., "The Days of Awe"). One should communicate directly with the other individual. Performing repentance (the Hebrew: "teshuvah") by updating your Facebook status update or tweeting on Twitter to everyone you know is akin to asking forgiveness on a highway billboard. As the Jewish teaching goes "tafasta meruba lo tafasta" - When you try to grab too much, you grab nothing at all. That is, when you try to ask forgiveness from everyone at once, you actually don't perform repentance at all. Repentance should be a challenge and a highly personal endeavor.

Eimat: If you're afraid of the individual from whom you seek forgiveness, try calling them on the phone or sending them a carefully written email message.

Shanedieselblack: Madoff is an interesting case. According to Maimonides, one has to be in the position to commit the same sin already committed and consciously choose not to err again. Madoff will likely be behind bars for the remainder of his life so he will not be able to perform Maimonides' idea of repentance. He could (and should) be allowed to meet face-to-face with each of the individuals whose financial lives he ruined and ask for their forgiveness. If you mention Madoff and "the Lehmann Brothers" because of their Jewish roots, I think you are stereotyping and acting bigoted. Many people of Jewish heritage were very negatively effected by the Madoff scandal including the Holocaust survivor and humanitarian Elie Wiesel.

Regarding comment #5, I would strongly advise against watching Jay Leno. He's not funny. Try Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, or Conan for laughs instead.