Forgive Us, Our Father, For We Have Sinned: Approaches to Atonement

🎙️ Episode Summary

Anthony (a Catholic deacon-in-training) and Rabbi Chaim dive into the theme of atonement—how Catholics and Jews approach repentance, forgiveness, and coming back into right relationship with God and community. They swap stories, compare practices like confession and Yom Kippur, and laugh about the quirks of tradition, while also reflecting deeply on what real change looks like. This episode explores:

• How Catholics lean on confession, while Judaism emphasizes Teshuvah (repentance/return), especially around Yom Kippur.
• How the destruction of the Temple shifted Jewish atonement from sacrifices to prayer, charity, and repentance.
• Catholicism and Judaism both stress that atonement isn’t a “once and done” event—it requires reflection, action ...