Rosh Hoshanah Story:

A tailor in the old country chanced upon a great Chasidic Master. When the tailor mentioned that he was illiterate and couldn't read the prayer book, the great rebbe asked him what he does if he can't follow the prayers. "well, last year" said the tailor, "I spoke to God and said, "The sins for which I am expected to repent are minor ones and inconsequentional. I might have kept a little leftowever cloth, or been too busy to recite an afternoon prayer. But You God, Your sins are really grave. You have allowed children to become deathly ill, You have pitted brother against brother in battle, You have created a world where so many hunger for food and shelter. So, let's reach an agreement. If You pardon me, I'm ready to pardon You.'"

The rebbe looked at the tailor angrily and replied, "You not only are illiterate, you are foolish as well. You were too lenient with God last year. You should have insisted that God bring redemtion to the entire world.".


However you define God (not as some anthro-morphic being to me, but if that's the way you see it it's okay in my faith), whether yin-yang, I and Thou, self to higher self, higher power or "The Great Hum", like George Carlin, it's really great to be able to "pardon" the creator and it's not very widely known that Jewish people do this.

Another one:

An old rabbi once asked his pupils how they could tell when the night had ended and day had begun. "Could it be," asked on student, "when you can see an animal in the distance and tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?"
"No," answered the rabbi.
Another asked, "Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it's a fig or a peach tree?"
"No," answered the rabbi.
"Then when is it?" the pupils demanded.
"It is when you can look on the face of any woman or man and see your sister or brother. Because if you cannot see this, it is still night."

From Martin Buber’s Tales of the Hasidim. Schocken Books: New York, 1991

Happy Jewish New Year to all.