It's Time to Ask Forgiveness

It's Sunday morning. I'd usually be at the office at this time (because in Israel Sunday is a regular workday), writing code and debating designs with my co-workers. Today is different.

There are a lot of people around me. Going up and down the escalator towards the food court I'm sitting in. Some of them are here for food, others are just running errands. It's the shortest "business day" in the whole year. Even shorter than Fridays.

In under two hours, this entire mall will close. We will all go home. It will be so very quiet. For 25 hours, imagine no cars on the road and kids on bikes in the middle of a highway.

It's the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year.

I want to ask forgiveness

It's customary to ask people you interacted with over the year for forgiveness. Yom Kippur only forgives what's between you and God, but for anything between you and another person, you have to ask them directly. So, if I wrote something that hurt you, didn't reply to an email, or didn't deliver what I promised, I want to ask for your forgiveness.

I also wish to thank you for being part of this newsletter journey I started. There's still a lot to write on this website, and I'm excited for the next pieces.

Take care,
Oren

P.S. If you're curious about the Jewish Holidays, I've included a list of the holidays of Tishrei and their meaning below.

What are the holidays of Tishrei?

Every year around September, we celebrate these four back-to-back holidays in Tishrei, the first month of the Jewish year:

1. Rosh Ha'Shana - marks the beginning of the year. Two days of observance. It's also called Judgment Day, when God writes our fates for the new year based on how we behaved toward each other and toward Him.
2. Yom Kippur - on the tenth day of the year, we observe Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is a 25-hour fast where we pray to sway God towards good outcomes this year. The belief is that Rosh Ha'Shana was when God wrote our fates, and Yom Kippur is when He signs them. It becomes final.
3. Sukkot - a seven-day celebration of the time when the Israelites lived in Sukkot, which were temporary huts. The last day of this celebration is called Hosha'na Raba. This ties back to the Judgment on Rosh Ha'Shana and Yom Kippur. The belief is that God delivers the judgment to the angels after He makes it. And during Hosha'na Raba, that judgment is being carried out.
4. Simchat Torah - This is the last holiday in Tishrei. This celebrates finishing the Torah and starting over. This is a fun celebration with lots of food and dancing with Torah scrolls.