Day of reflection, not perfection

We are midway through the Days of Awe, with the most awesome day yet ahead.

This year, Yom Kippur comes Wednesday evening, Oct. 12 — Tishrei 9, 5766.

While we acknowledge the solemnity of the day as we chant the al Chet (that long list of possible sins), we do not mourn, we do not despair. We quietly celebrate the spirit of repentance and redemption at the heart of this Holy Day.

On erev Yom Kippur, the cantor sings Kol Nidre. Our synagogues become courts of law as congregants are absolved of all vows made to God over the year that remain unfulfilled. For many centuries, anti-Semites have pointed to Kol Nidre as proof of Jewish perfidy, and that we take lightly the promises we make.

Could they have been more wrong? Kol Nidre is a sterling example of the Jewish instinct for human psychology: that the promises we make to God to lead a more exemplary life are often the most difficult to honor, try as we might. In the Jewish view God understands this, and so every year we have another shot at teshuvah, another chance to start again.

At the same time, we are definitely not off the hook when it comes to the promises we make to other people. Any transgressions on that score must be dealt with strictly face to face. If you want to make amends with a friend you have wronged, don't apologize to God. Apologize to your friend.

Along those lines, as your community newspaper, we sincerely want to apologize if we have done anything to offend, embarrass or pain you.

Certainly, we will not shrink from covering the entire Bay Area Jewish community, and that often means running stories about people or groups you may not like. It is a key part of our mission to give voice to all in our vibrant Jewish community, and for that we make no apologies.

For more than 100 years, this newspaper has been devoted to covering that community. We always try to do so with integrity and passion.

But as much as we aim for 100 percent factual accuracy in every story, we sometimes miss the mark. For that we apologize.

And as much as we try to capture the totality of our diverse Jewish community, we don't always manage to include everyone, even some who have valid and valuable stories to tell. For that, too, we apologize. We will try to do better.

That is one of the simple messages of Yom Kippur. We always try to do better. It's not about being perfect, but about the process of perfecting.

We wish you a good yom tov and an easy fast. May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life.