As Beyoncé sang in “Lemonade,” “Sorry, I ain’t sorry/No, no, hell nah!” We live in the age of #SorryNotSorry. From the “sorry if you were offended” statements from celebrities’ press agents to the “mistakes were made” verbal obstacle course taken by politicians to the mealy-mouthed, stumbling excuses and non-apologies from the many men implicated in the #MeToo movement, the art of apologizing seems to have been lost.
But we can find it again! Each year, Judaism gives us an opportunity for self-reflection and accountability. In fact, in the lead-up to Yom Kippur, Jews have the responsibility of apologizing to anyone we may have wronged in the past year. Apologizing won’t get any easier, but it can become more heartfelt. To help understand how to atone in a sincere and meaningful way, Miriam and Dan are joined in this episode by Carla Naumburg, Ph.D., a clinical social worker, speaker and author of multiple articles and books about parenting, including the forthcoming “How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t With Your Kids.”
Tune in to hear Carla’s take on Judaism’s guidelines for apologizing, the Jewish process of forgiveness and her great suggestions for High Holiday resolutions to help us all make better choices in the coming year (Becky with the good hair, take note!).
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- SorryWatch
- Actress Mayim Bialik on apologizing to our kids
- MyJewishLearning’s “Ask the Expert: Apologizing”
- “How To Say You’re Sorry” by Marjorie Ingall
- “The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness” by Simon Wiesenthal
Edited by Jesse Ulrich, with music by Ryan J. Sullivan.
View the full transcript here.
