AS THE HIGH HOLY DAYS approach – a time for an accounting and confession of personal and communal sins – we may rightly ask: “Just what is a sin, anyway?”
Many of us, living as we do in a differently oriented culture, might equate sins with something inherently evil. But the Jewish understanding is rather more nuanced.
Judaism teaches that there are three categories of sinful acts, each described as “aveirahs” (loosely translated as “line-crossings”):
1. Khet: An archery term for missing the mark. Think of it as an inattentive (or ignorant) error.
2. Ahvon: A “just this once” or “what’s the harm?” behavior.
3. Pesha: Knowing what the law/custom/social contract requires, but deliberately breaking it.
If those distinctions aren’t clear enough, try this driving analogy:
1. Khet: Not paying attention to, or not seeing, the stop sign.
2. Ahvon: Seeing the stop sign, but also not seeing any other drivers – and proceeding to drive past it.
3. Pesha: Blowing through the stop sign with a smirking, “they can’t tell ME what to do.”
I hope this illustration helps make clearer our annual pilgrimage to the Day of Atonement. May this season of holy rededication bring increased awareness of What connects us all together – and the strength of responsibility to act accordingly.