Yom Kippur 2026: Message | Resources
Complete Repentance
By Brad Horwitz
Has this ever happened to you at the J or other business? You have scheduled a personal training session or a swim lesson, rearranged your schedule to make it work, and then you get a message: The session needs to be rescheduled. Of course, this is an extremely rare occurrence at the J. 😊 But when something like this happens, it is for sure frustrating. And it’s easy to start making assumptions: They don’t respect my time. They should have planned better. They don’t understand how difficult it is for me to fit this into my schedule.
You might respond with frustration, only to learn later that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Perhaps the trainer had an emergency. Maybe the instructor was dealing with something unexpected. The situation wasn’t what you assumed. You realize you didn’t give someone the benefit of the doubt. Most of us have been there. We regret our reaction, apologize if necessary, and tell ourselves, Next time, I’ll pause before I react. I’ll ask questions. I’ll try not to assume the worst.
And then, sometime later, it happens again. That is what makes change so difficult. It is one thing to recognize a mistake. It is another to find ourselves in the same situation and respond differently.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the time when we repent and ask for forgiveness for wrongs committed. The famous Jewish philosopher and scholar, Rambam teaches about the purest form of repentance called teshuvah gemurah, complete repentance. Rambam teaches that we know our teshuvah is complete when we encounter the same situation in which we made a mistake before, have the opportunity to make the same choice—and choose differently. Yom Kippur, then, isn’t only about saying, “I’m sorry” for what happened in the past. It is about asking ourselves: What will I do the next time?
That question matters in our families, our friendships, our workplaces—and in our JCC community. At the J, we bring together thousands of people with different ages, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Misunderstandings are inevitable. Things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes we will be disappointed, and sometimes we will get it wrong. The question is how we respond.
Do we assume the worst—or give someone the benefit of the doubt? Do we react—or take a moment to listen? Do we allow one frustrating experience to define how we see someone—or make room for another story? Teshuvah means returning—to our values, to our better selves, and to the kind of community we want to create. And teshuvah gemurah challenges us to do something even harder: When the same moment comes around again, can we choose differently?
May this Yom Kippur give us the humility to recognize when we get it wrong, the courage to change, and the generosity to give one another the benefit of the doubt. And may we continue building a J community where people feel welcomed, respected, heard, and valued.
G’mar chatimah tovah—May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life for a healthy and blessed New Year!
Rabbi Brad Horwitz
Chief Jewish Engagement Officer
St. Louis Jewish Community Center
Learn More About Yom Kippur!
Yom Kippur is a time for reflection, atonement, and starting anew. Learn more about the holiday and find resources for both adults and children below.
- My Jewish Learning – 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. It’s a day of fasting, repentance, and introspection. However, the holiday has some lesser-known associations as well.
- BimBam – How To Talk To Your Kids About Atonement
Everyone in the Plony house has something to feel a little sorry about – whether it’s breaking something, borrowing something without asking or making wrong accusations. SHABOOM! Gabi and Rafael talk about slicha– or saying sorry. Apologies are more than just words in the Jewish tradition – they are ways of making things right.