Elul Jewish Grounding

Notwithstanding that the blowing of the ram's horn trumpet on Rosh ha-Shanah is a Scriptural statute, its blast is symbolic, as if saying: "Awaken sleepers from your sleep, and you who slumber, rise from your slumbers, examine your conduct, turn in repentance, and remember your Creator! They that forget the truth because of the vanities of the times, who err all of their years by pursuing vanity and idleness, which are of neither benefit nor of salvation, care for your souls, improve your ways and your tendencies, let each one of you abandon his evil path and his thought which is not pure!"

Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for God had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder. God came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and God called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up.

What is complete repentance? One who once more had in it in his power to repeat a violation, but separated himself therefrom, and did not do it because of repentance, not out of fear or lack of strength.

Neither repentance nor the Day of Atonement atone for any save for sins committed between man and God, for instance, one who ate forbidden food, or had forbidden sex and the like; but sins between a person and their fellow, for instance, one injures one's neighbor, or curses one's neighbor or plunders them, or offends them in like matters, is ever not absolved unless they makes restitution of what they owe and begs the forgiveness of the neighbor. And, although they make restitution of the monetary debt, one is obliged to pacify their fellow and to beg their forgiveness. Even if they only offended the neighbor in words, they are obliged to appease the neighbor and implore them till they are forgiven.