Forgiveness in Talmudic, Rabbinic and Halakhic Literature

This talk will explore Talmudic, Rabbinic and Halakhic perspectives on forgiveness and its role in facilitating reconciliation for inter-personal conflicts. After surveying the Talmudic sources, we will analyze key aspects of the obligations to ask forgiveness and to grant forgiveness, as discussed in Rabbinic and Halakhic literature. These include the following: forgiving verbally vs. forgiving in one`s heart, forgiving gratutitously without being asked, infractions for which one is not obliged to ask or to grant forgiveness, times of the year when these obligations assume greater halakhic significance. Lastly, we will address the "human element" of this topic by identifying specific cognitive-behavioral techniques for letting go of grievances, that are based on Rabbinic literature and consistent with modern psychological reasearch.