Everyone makes mistakes, it’s only human. A lot of times, we feel bad if we do something we shouldn’t. But what’s done is done.

On Yom Kippur, God gives the Jewish people a special opportunity to erase our mistakes. “I know you make mistakes, my children,” He tells us, “but if I see you’re truly sorry and want to do better next time, I’ll forgive you and give you another chance.”

The Jewish people fast on Yom Kippur. By not eating, we spend more time thinking about how we can improve ourselves and show God that we’re willing to make sacrifices to do it. He sees that we’re sorry and are going to do better from now on, and is happy to forgive us.

In our story, a girl gets a second chance and learns about forgiveness.

That Takes the Cake

Shoshi was on her way to deliver a cake her mother had baked for Mrs. Fried, a widow who lived down the block.

“Wow, that smells really good,” thought Shoshi as she looked at the neatly wrapped gift. “Maybe I’ll just take a tiny nibble,” she said to herself as she lifted the corner off the package. They were her Mom’s famous triple-chocolate brownies, fresh from the oven.

Well, one nibble led to another until, by the time Shoshi got to Mrs. Fried’s house, there wasn’t anything left to deliver.

Suddenly, Shoshi realized what she had done, and she felt awful. “How could I have done that?” she asked herself. “Mom trusted me to bring these to Mrs. Fried and I ate them instead! When Mom finds out, she’ll never trust me again.”

Shoshi headed home. The closer she got, the more sorry she felt about it. As she passed by her friends on the way home, she could barely eke out a weak reply to their hearty greetings of “Shabbat Shalom.”

When Shoshi got home, she ran right upstairs to her room. But even her cozy chair and favorite books couldn’t take her mind off what she had done.

After a few minutes, she came downstairs and found her mother rocking the baby on the back porch. Shoshi stood up straight and cleared her throat to get her mother’s attention.

“Oh, Shoshi,” said her Mom with a smile. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

Shoshi smiled back weakly and said, “Mom, I have something to confess.”

Her mother’s eyes widened. “What is it, Shoshi?” she asked hesitantly.

“Well, Mom,” the girl stammered, “the brownies you gave me to bring the neighbor… I didn’t… I ate them… I’m so sorry!” Tears were forming in Shoshi’s eyes.

“Hmm…” said her Mom, with a slight frown. “I’m sorry that happened. But I can see that you’re very sorry.” She thought a moment, then added, “Since you feel so bad about what happened, I’m going to give you another chance. Run quickly to the freezer; I just put an extra package of brownies in there. It’s in aluminum foil. If you leave right now, I think you’ll be able to bring them to Mrs. Fried before it gets dark outside. I know she’ll really enjoy them.”

Shoshi looked at her mother and burst out, “Oh, Mom! Thanks so much for giving me a second chance. From now on you can count on me,” she said, and meant it.

Shoshi practically flew to Mrs. Fried’s house with a smile on her face and feeling even sweeter than triple-chocolate brownies.

Nesanel Yoel Safran is a writer, chef and a teacher/student of Jewish spirituality. He blends these assorted vocations on his blog, Soul Foodie, where you can join him on mystical cooking adventures and glean practical wisdom for the kitchen – and for living. https://soulfoodiecom.wordpress.com/