The second of the sins that form the liturgical confession on Yom Kippur is the sin of hardness of the heart. What does that mean, and how are we guilty of this transgression? As the ArtscrollMachzor points out, this sin is not only about lack of compassion and refusing our help when we had the ability to help someone in need, but also about also about refusing to admit our shortcomings. Rabbi Meislish explains our hardened hearts as our refusal to acknowledge our shortcomings and do teshuvah for them, including listening to our parents and rabbis. Our hearts are so hardened, says Rabbi Moshe Aron Stern, that we do not tremble at the call of the shofar, a sound that brought trembling to entire cities in the days of the Prophet Amos.
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