The Winston-Salem Journal has Ansley Roan’s story on Judaism’s unique take on forgiveness and apologies during the season of Yom Kippur.

Public apologies by public figures are often driven by public opinion, said L. Gregory Jones, the dean of Duke University’s Divinity School.

“It’s what I call ‘spin sorrow,'” he said. “It’s a public-relations spin to construct a carefully worded apology that often says something like ‘I’m sorry people’s feelings were hurt.'”

Even if a red-faced politician sputtering at a press conference is as sincere as an individual seeking forgiveness out of religious conviction, there are differences in the nature of their apologies and what’s expected of them.

“In both Christian and Jewish traditions, an apology or a request for forgiveness is supposed to be linked to repentance,” Jones said. “It’s never ‘I’m sorry for your reaction,’ but ‘Please forgive me, what can I do to make things right?'”

Winston-Salem Journal Public ‘spin sorrow’ isn’t in spirit of Yom Kippur