Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/155

Rh the sentence passed on Rosh Hashonah is not recorded; forgiveness is his. But if not, the sentence is recorded, to be preserved for the final reckoning. But even this can be atoned for and averted by repentance and righteous deeds, for God's mercy and love endure forever, and ever, just as with the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, He would rather pardon than punish His beloved children. Therefore our new year begins with joyful thoughts and hopes of pardon and forgiveness. And in our prayers on Yom Kippur the beautiful words from our Bible occur repeatedly, "The Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin",

But true repentance means not merely saying, "I'm sorry". It means not merely words of the lips, but also deeds of the heart and the hand. God holds out the hope of repentance and pardon. But man himself must truly repent, and show by his life that he deserves pardon. The responsibility for forgiveness rests, not upon God, but upon man alone. The rabbis told of a wise father whose son had committed a grievous sin. The father said, "My son, you have committed a great wrong and deserve punishment. Yet my love prompts me not to punish you now. I will try you again. If you never do wrong again, but learn from your sin to live nobly and usefully, the sin shall be forgiven and forgotten. But if not, and at last I see that you will not do right, then I must punish you for this and all your sins". So God, the loving Father, judges all is children, and rewards in love where He can, but punishes, though in sorrow, when He must.

We have learned how kind and generous Abraham was. Yet this kindness and love may not be compared with God's. One day, we are told, Abraham was sitting at his tent-door as usual, watching for whom he might entertain. Suddenly