“For with You is forgiveness, so that You may be feared” (Tehillim 130:4)
Each day between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we recite the verse from Tehillim: “For with You is forgiveness, so that You may be feared” (Tehillim 130:4).
At first glance, this verse seems puzzling. If Hashem is forgiving, why would that inspire fear? On the contrary, forgiveness would seem to lessen our fear. If we can always do teshuvah, why tremble?
Let me share a story.
A number of years ago, I had a car that could best be described as functional, faithful, and a bit, let’s say... character-rich. One Sunday morning, I walked outside to discover that someone had hit the car overnight and left a sizeable dent on the side.
Now, you would have thought I was the biggest tzaddik in the world because I didn’t get angry. In fact, I think I even said, “Gam zu l’tovah!” What a guy, accepting the judgment of Heaven with such equanimity!
But if I’m being honest... part of the reason I stayed so calm is because the new dent actually made the car look better. There was already a dent on the other side, and this new one gave the car a nice, symmetrical look. I didn’t feel any worse because, frankly, I thought, “It’s already messed up; what difference does it make?”
That’s how people often feel about themselves. “I’ve already made so many mistakes. I’m dented, I’m damaged. What’s the point of fixing it now? I’m too far gone.”
But that’s exactly what the Pasuk is coming to challenge.
“Because with You there is forgiveness; and therefore, we should be in awe.” Why? Because the fact that forgiveness is possible means we’re not doomed. We can fix it.
And that possibility should awaken a sense of urgency. A healthy fear, not of punishment, but of wasted opportunity. If I’m still salvageable, if I can change, if Hashem still believes in me, then I must not let that chance slip away. As Reb Nachman of Breslov said eloquently, “If you believe you can destroy, then believe you can repair.”
We all know how easy it is to mess up. The question, though, is whether we really believe in our ability to change.
This is what R’ Akiva meant when he cried out: “Praiseworthy are you, Israel! Before Whom are you purified? Before your Father in Heaven” (Yoma 86b). Hashem is not a distant judge, but a loving Father who wants our success. He’s not waiting to punish us; He’s waiting for us to come home. We may feel dented, bent, even broken, but we are never beyond repair.
So as we stand in these final days before Yom Kippur, let that verse echo in our hearts: “Because with You is forgiveness...” That is exactly why we should be afraid. Not afraid of failure, but afraid of not trying. Afraid that maybe, just maybe, we’re not reaching high enough when the gates of Heaven are open before us.
May Hashem grant us all the strength to believe in our ability to return.
