Confessions: Shichatnu

Resources

“Thus said God: For three transgressions of Edom I have looked away, but for four I will not pardon them – for pursuing his brother with the sword and suppressing – Sheechait – his mercy.” (Amos 1:11)

Esau suppressed his natural compassion and mercy for his brother Jacob, in order to kill him. (Radak)

Shichatnu is to take a positive feeling and put it aside or suppress it.

When people are angry with someone else they often suppress the positive feelings they have for the other.

When people are upset with a group of people, they will often suppress all the positive experiences they have shared with the others. That is Shichatnu.

When we struggle with our relationship with God, we often deny all the positive that we have experienced. That too, is Shichatnu.

When we allow one negative experience to color everything else that has happened, we are included in Shichatnu.

There are occasions when we are hurt because we trusted someone else, or were nice to him, and we say, “I will no longer trust anyone or be so kind to someone else.” That reaction is included in Shichatnu.

Tools

Tikkun/Achieving Greatness

Nurture those things in us that are positive.

We must access our natural and spiritual gifts and use them in life.

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Copyright © 2008 Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without prior permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.

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