How One Must Appease a Fellow Before the Day of Atonement

The Midrash Harninu. Our master taught us: if there was a quarrel between a person and his fellow, how is it atoned for him on the Day of Atonement? Our sages taught: transgressions between a person and the Omnipresent, the Day of Atonement atones; transgressions between a person and his fellow, the Day of Atonement does not atone until he appeases his fellow (Yoma 8:9). And if he went to appease him and the other would not accept, what shall he do? Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: let him bring ten people and stand them in a row and say before them: there was a quarrel between me and so-and-so, and I asked to appease him and he would not accept; behold, in his refusal I am answered before him. And from where do we know this? As it says, "He sings before men and says, I have sinned and perverted what was right" (Job 33:27). The Holy One, blessed be He, sees that he humbles himself and atones for his sins, for as long as a person remains in his willfulness they are not forgiven him. Do you wish to know? As long as Job stood against his companions and his companions against him, the measure of judgment was stretched taut. So we find that Job said to them, "Now they mock me, men younger than I" (Job 30:1), and they said to him, "The gray-haired and the aged are among us" (Job 15:10). When he became reconciled to them and sought mercy upon them, at that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, turned back to him, as it says, "And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job" (Job 42:10). When? "When he prayed for his friends" (Job 42:10). And so it says, "He will give you mercy and have compassion on you" (Deuteronomy 13:18). Rabbi Yose ben Durmaskit said: let this sign be in your hand: as long as you are merciful to your fellow, the Omnipresent is merciful to you. Abraham, because he sought mercy for Abimelech and prayed on his behalf, immediately received his reward, as it says, "And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife" (Genesis 20:17). And what reward did he receive? That his own wife was remembered and bore him a son, as it says, "And the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken" (Genesis 21:1).