, the
full tale of his cares and troubles. Berel was pleased with himself, he
felt that he was not saying the words anyhow, just rolling them off his
tongue, but he was really performing an act of penitence with his whole
heart. He felt remorse for his sins, and God is a God of compassion and
mercy, who will certainly pardon him.

"Therefore is my heart sad," began Berel, "that the sin which a man
commits against his neighbor cannot be atoned for even on the Day of
Atonement, unless he asks his neighbor's forgiveness ... therefore is my
heart broken and my limbs tremble, because even the day of my death
cannot atone for this sin."

Berel began to recite this in pleasing, artistic fashion, weeping and
whimpering like a spoiled child, and drawling out the words, when it
grew dark before his eyes. Berel had suddenly become aware that he was
in the position of one about to go in through an open door. He advances,
he must enter, it is a question of life and death. And without any
warning, just as he is stepping across the threshold, the door is shut
from within with a terrible bang, and he remains standing outside.

And he has read this in the Prayer of Expiation? With fear and
fluttering he reads it over again, looking narrowly at every word--a
cold sweat covers him--the words prick him like pins. Are these two
verses his pitiless judges, are they the expression of his sentence? Is
he already condemned? "Ay, ay, you are guilty," flicker the two verses
on the page before him, and prayer and tears are no longer of any avail.
His heart cried to God: "Have pity, merciful Father! A grown-up
girl--what am I to do with her? And his father wanted to break off the
engagement. As soon as I have earned the money, I will give it back...."
But he knew all the time that these were useless subterfuges; the Lord
of the Universe can only pardon the sin committed against Himself, the
sin committed against man cannot be atoned for even on the Day of
Atonement!

Berel took another look at the Prayer of Expiation. The words, "unless
he asks his neighbor's forgiveness," danced before his eyes. A ray of
hope crept into his despairing heart. One way is left open to him: he
can confess to Moisheh Chalfon! But the hope was quickly extinguished.
Is that a small matter? What of my honor, my good name? And what of the
match? "Mercy, O Father," he cried, "have mercy!"

Berel proceeded no further with the Prayer of Expiation. He stood lost
in his m