Why Can’t Even Yom Kippur Forgive What I Did to Another Person Without Their Involvement?

Spiritual forgiveness cannot be used to bypass a human being who was harmed. Wrongdoing between people creates a second field of responsibility: apology, restitution where relevant, changed behavior, and respect for the injured person’s right to decide what trust now looks like. Forgiveness and restored trust are not identical. Someone may release resentment and still need boundaries; another person may need time. Repentance therefore becomes concrete. It does not ask only, “Am I forgiven?” It asks, “What responsibility remains toward the person whose life I affected?”