For the week of September 19, 2026 / 8 Tishri 5787

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Ha’azinu (Shabbat Shuva)
Torah: D’varim/Deuteronomy 32:1-52
Haftarah: Hosea 14:2-10 (English: 14:1-9); Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-17
Originally posted the week of October 1, 2022 / 6 Tishri 5783 (updated)

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18–19; ESV)

We are currently in the High Holy Day season, particularly “the Ten Days of Awe,” the time between Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, the biblical Feast of the Blowing of the Shofar) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). This week’s Haftarah readings are excerpts from three Hebrew prophets and fit the season’s themes.

I find the concept of God’s forgiveness so striking. Whether or not I have done anything seriously wrong, I can easily be burdened by wondering whether what I said or did was the right thing or not. I struggle with perfectionist tendencies and an inordinate desire for other people’s approval. Some of you can relate, I am sure. “Should I have said that? What are they thinking? I am sure it was the right thing to do, but I probably could have done better. Perhaps if I had said it differently. But am I responsible for how other people react or perceive me?” It’s exhausting!

Then the thought comes to me: I am forgiven; God forgives me. I am not saying I shouldn’t take responsibility if I’ve done something truly wrong. Believe me, I am not saying that! It’s that I am impressed by how, objectively speaking, my life rests upon a foundation of forgiveness. Because of what God has done for me through the sacrifice of the Messiah, I am right with God. You may think that someone as biblically and theologically savvy as I am should have this down pat. But for me, like many of you, that’s easier said than done. The fact is, whenever it hits me that I am actually and truly forgiven, it’s as if I am experiencing it for the very first time.

As I have thought about this, I realized that since I have been made right with God, I am also right with the universe. Sorry if that sounds too mystical, but stay with me for a second. The term “sin,” is a biblical concept to describe the way human beings fail to meet God’s standards. It’s something we do (or don’t do) that is rooted in that part of our nature that’s been inherited from the beginning when our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. The result of sin is God’s cursing of the human family and the entire creation in which we live. It’s as if everything is tainted or broken as a result of human rebellion against God.

When Messiah came and presented himself as a perfect offering, he repaired the brokenness affected by the curse. Since then, history has been in a process of renewal that will culminate upon his return, when he will judge all who have ever lived and will fully establish God’s reign forever. Trusting in the Messiah reconciles us with God and connects us to God’s restorative power now. While we continue to interact with the world’s current broken state, it’s as if we do so within the context of the final restoration.

Forgiveness releases the believer from the control and effects of sin. Sin no longer defines who we are or determines our destiny. The barriers between God and us have been removed. As a result, the resources of heaven, God’s goodness and power, are at our disposal. Our restored relationship with God changes our relationship to the entire creation. The broken creation will continue to trouble us, however. Yet, because of God’s forgiveness, it needn’t have the upper hand in my life. God isn’t holding my sin against me any longer. Instead, his love and presence are guaranteed.

The prophet Micah foretold that God would “cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). This is where the custom of “tashlikh” comes from. Usually performed on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, people go to a flowing body of water and take food, usually bread, and cast it from their pockets into the water to symbolize God’s casting our sins into the sea. Because God has cast away our sins, we needn’t be burdened by them anymore.

Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version