Fasting is not enough: Yom Kippur requires us to mend our relationships with each other

Rabbi Tamir Granot calls for repairing interpersonal relationships on Yom Kippur, drawing on a Mishnah in Tractate Yoma. He proposes two principles for social reconciliation: respect and trust, and criticizes the negative language in media and social networks. The article combines theology, a personal memory of his fallen son, and a call for mutual responsibility.

Rabbi Tamir Granot, in an opinion piece for Yom Kippur, argues that fasting and prayer are insufficient for complete atonement. He relies on the last Mishnah in Tractate Yoma, which distinguishes between sins against God, which Yom Kippur atones for, and sins against one's fellow, which are not atoned for until the fellow is appeased. Granot identifies social hostility expressed through negative and radical language in media and social networks, and the dismissal of opinions from parts of society. He proposes two principles for reconciliation: respect—accepting the other as they are, and trust—attributing good intentions to actions. The article combines theology with a personal memory of his son, Captain Amatzia Granot, who fell on the ninth day of the war, and a call for mutual responsibility rather than mere tolerance.