Yom Kippur 2026: Does a text message or social media post count as a real apology?

As Yom Kippur approaches, rabbis and educators debate whether digital apologies via text, voice note, or social media fulfill the religious requirement of seeking forgiveness. Experts emphasize authenticity, direct personal interaction, and specific acknowledgment of wrongdoing over generic mass messages.

Ahead of Yom Kippur 2026, the Jerusalem Post examines whether digital apologies via text message, voice note, or social media post fulfill the religious requirement of seeking forgiveness from those one has wronged. Rabbi Zev Shandalov, a former Chicago pulpit rabbi now in Ma'aleh Adumim, emphasizes that the best option is a physical face-to-face meeting, citing Maimonides. He considers a voice note the next best option because the recipient can hear inflection, and deems a generic Facebook message meaningless. Tech columnist Hillel Fuld, with approximately 750,000 social-media followers, says sending a text message does not feel authentic and that he would drive to meet someone in person. Lecturer Oriya Mevorach argues the medium is not the problem, but that blanket social-media posts rarely include the necessary elements: acknowledging the specific wrong and recognizing the hurt caused. She suggests using AI tools like ChatGPT to phrase personalized requests. Shandalov notes Jewish tradition permits spurning an apology twice, but by the third time one must forgive or be considered a rasha. Fuld recounts a story of insulting a journalist online and later having the chance to apologize in person before the journalist died suddenly, underscoring the importance of making amends while the person is still alive.