The God of Second Chances - Kol Nidre

Like Jonah, who among us has not failed or made a mess of some big opportunity?

I’d bet that almost all of us have.

Maybe like Jonah, you’ve taken some wrong turns. It’s easy to sit on the sidelines of life thinking, “I blew my marriage, was consumed by these addictions, failed in business, failed as a parent, I made poor choices. I’m doomed to dwell in the dark belly of the whale.”

But on Yom Kippur, like Jonah, we are blessed with that incredible miracle of forgiveness that offers a chance to move ahead with our lives and come out stronger.

Drawing on the fascinating story of Yonah and other Biblical stories, this speech conveys an upbeat approach to repentance and renewal based on the Rebbe’s Sicha — תורת מנחם תשמ"ה, כרך א, עמ’ 658.

This inspiring message is enlivened with stories, humor, anecdotes:

• The humorous story about an ambitious knight and king
• Why love after heartbreak is the greatest love
• What French Toast and Yom Kippur have in common
• The funny tale about preaching on the text of Kohelet
• Why the central Yom Kippur Tefillah is in the wrong place in the Machzor
• The enlightening story of a child who feels undeserving of love
• An unexpected Biblical hero and what she teaches us on Yom Kippur

The speech asks us, “Can you learn to forgive yourself? Can you learn to forgive others? Can you learn to forgive your spouse? Can you leave behind your shattered dreams of who you imagined you would grow up to be, what you would accomplish, and what your family would be like, and learn to cherish who you have actually become, and who is with you on your journey? Can you learn to grab the second chance G-d gives you today and start fresh?”

If you are prepared to take this day seriously, it can truly change your life. It can liberate you from the parts of your past that embarrass you — those things you wish you had done differently — and allow a new version of yourself to emerge!