My Father is Sitting Shiva

My father is sitting shiva.

It's a scary thought. One day, I'll be sitting shiva for him, talking about him and the things we can learn from his life.

At the levaya, when my father tore his shirt and asked his father for forgiveness, I was very shaken up.

It shook me to the core.

One day, I will have to ask my father for mechilla. Do I treat him perfectly? Do I honor and respect him to the degree that I should? Do I listen to him when he talks to me and repeats a long dvar torah or do I sometimes tune out and tell him at the end that that's a really nice thought?

It's a wake up call.

I need to check if my bein adam l'chaveiro is in perfect order or if there are things that could be fixed up a little bit.

I shouldn't have to wait until Elul to ask other people for forgiveness.

I should do things properly in the first place so that I don't have to ask them at all. If I treated everyone the way I should, there would be no need to say I'm sorry.

This is a powerful lesson for all of us.

Let's not wait until it's too late to ask for forgiveness.

Let's treat people properly, with respect, love and sensitivity.