What if the person we need to apologize to is no longer here?
On the eve of Yom Kippur, phones fill with messages of apology. But there are numbers that can no longer be called.
A father who is gone. A mother we never properly thanked. A friend whose relationship with us froze. Sometimes the person is still alive, but years of distance have made the conversation almost impossible.
Maimonides rules that wrongs between people are not forgiven until the injured person is appeased, and he even discusses what must be done if that person has already died.
The law is powerful, but it also cries out to the living: if the person is still here, why wait?
We live as if there will always be another holiday, another call, another chance to say “I was wrong.” We have no contract with time.
Yom Kippur reminds us that not every door stays open forever.
If there is someone to whom you can still say “sorry,” “thank you,” “I love you,” or “let’s start again,” do not wait for the day when the door can no longer be opened.