Interfaith panel revealed
diverging views of forgiveness
“We Jews and Christians have been at the work of forgiveness for many centuries,” said Rabbi Marc E. Berkson, one of three speakers at an interfaith dialogue on Sunday, May 16, on the theme, “Perspectives on Reconciliation and Forgiveness.”
Held at Hill Point Church in River Hills, the discussion was part of an ongoing series of dialogues with three of the River Hills faith communities, including Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun, Christ Episcopal Church, and Hill Point Church. Previously, Memorial Lutheran Church in Glendale also participated.
Berkson of Congregation Emanu-El, and Pastors Scott Stoner of Christ Episcopal and Mike Kleven of Hill Point each spent time discussing how their faith deals with the issues of forgiveness and reconciliation from a theological perspective.
Although each faith handles the process of asking for and granting forgiveness differently, all three clergy agreed on one point — the importance of mending personal relationships once a sin has been committed.
According to Stoner, the relationship should be reconciled, and the sin committed must be remembered and never committed again. As Kleven said, the phrase, “‘forgiveness is forgetting’ is a myth.” Part of granting forgiveness to someone who has sinned against you is saying, “I will live with the consequences of your behavior.”
In Jewish tradition, one who has committed a sin must compensate the person sinned against for any damage done, and try to make it right again with the offended person, Berkson said. In addition, the offended person must then grant the forgiveness that is asked for.
According to Berkson, when one commits a sin against another, he must take on the burden of asking that person for forgiveness. And unlike the Episcopal and Catholic churches, where specific times are set aside for the confession of sins, in Judaism, “The gates of forgiveness and repentance are always open,” he said.
The power to forgive does not come through the rabbi, as in the Episcopal and Catholic churches, where the absolving of sins is channeled through the church and God. The Jewish way, Berkson said, is to deal first with other people and then pray directly to God for forgiveness.
Previous themes for the interfaith dialogues have included salvation and the world to come, the story of creation, and the 23rd Psalm. The sessions began in November 2002, and three or four have been offered per year since then, Berkson explained.
Berkson believes that the series has led to a greater understanding between the three faiths. “I have always been convinced of the value of interfaith learning, and have been deeply involved in it throughout my career,” he said.
The discussions are so successful that a joint trip to Israel has been discussed as a possibility for next year. As a result of the dialogues, Berkson said, “We have learned amazing things. The bridges we have built are invaluable.”
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