Yom Kippur: Make the Beracha

In this Erev Yom Kippur message, Rabbi Silber shares a striking idea about the beracha we make calling Hashem "the One who forgives" - a bold statement to make before we actually know we've been forgiven. Using the image of a clever child who says a beracha over a cookie loudly enough for his father to overhear, so the words shouldn't go to waste, he teaches that we're meant to walk into Yom Kippur with total, unshakable confidence rather than hesitation. He calls on listeners to let hope and optimism, for themselves and for Klal Yisrael, eclipse the fear that judgment naturally brings.

• We're meant to walk into Yom Kippur with genuine confidence that we'll be forgiven, not hesitation or doubt.
• Optimism on Yom Kippur isn't naive — it's actually built into the very words of the tefillah we say.
• Fear and trepidation are natural on a day of judgment, but they should be eclipsed by hope, not the other way around.
• Real confidence in Hashem's kindness doesn't deny the pain of a hard year; it insists that better is still coming.