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Archive Number 2513

Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 15:56:29 EST
From: Gail Rosen
Subject: Re: Fw: Thoughts on forgiveness






In a message dated 1/20/03 11:28:32 AM, stories@PEACEPATH.ORG writes:

<< I think that when forgivenesss truly happens everyone can begin to be
healed, 'the victim' and the one who injures. >>

In Jewish thought, a requirement for forgiveness is that the one who has done
wrong must ASK for forgiveness FROM the injured party. If the one who injures
us asks forgiveness of us, we are required to forgive. We cannot, by
definition be expected to forgive for another who has been injured or to
forgive when no one acknowledges wrong doing and asks.
And - forgiveness does not require that we expose ourselves to injury
repeatedly.

Just to confuse matters, there is a wonderful story about the Ba'al Shem
Tov's storyteller where a man knows he is forgiven when someone tells him his
own story.
Doug Lipman tells a beautiful version and it's in The Classic Tales: 4000
years of Jewish Lore by Ellen Frankel - titled The Forgotten Story.

Gail

Gail Rosen, storyteller
410-486-3551
721 Howard Rd.
Pikesville MD 21208
NEW website www.GailRosen.com
Check out the Healing Story Alliance website: HREF="http://www.HealingStory.org">www.HealingStory.org