Some people dread Yom Kippur. It seems to be the hardest day of the year. No food. No drink. Thinking about sins and remembering things we have done wrong that we’d rather forget.

Surprisingly, although it is a serious day, it is also actually quite a joyful one. Imagine you had a favourite piece of clothing that got stained at a party. You are disappointed and wish you could find a way to repair it.

A friend sees your dejected face and tells you that there’s a fabulous dry cleaner an hour away that has 100 per cent cleaning success rate and works better than any other laundrette. You’d be delighted! You’d travel the distance and pay whatever the price, because it’s your best shirt.

Yom Kippur is Hashem’s gift of dry cleaning for your soul (worth a lot more than any of your clothes). Hashem offers this service once a year at cost price.. all that is needed is for you to sincerely want to change, show Hashem where the stain is and commit to avoiding the same mistake again. It’s a great opportunity!

One minor setback is that although we are generally aware of large mistakes we made, as they weigh heavily on our hearts, we may not recognise that our soul is also affected by the “little sins”, the ones that don’t even register on our conscience. The joke that cut through someone’s fragile self esteem, the casual gossip that ruined another’s reputation, the slight lowering of religious standards that seemed to make no difference in our lives.

All these stain our souls in a more subtle way, and we don’t point them out to Hashem (our Supreme soul cleaner) or ourselves. We don’t realise that they harmed us or others, so we don’t ask forgiveness or feel regret.

Hashem is available to help us make the most of this day, so in preparation, we can ask Him to help us identify and recognise any mistakes or failings that need to be corrected. It is natural to rationalise our actions and therefore we may need some help to truly see the cause of those stains.

This year, as we prepare for this awesome (and special) day, may we be open to looking for all those “mini” slips, so that we can admit and correct them, and come out of Yom Kippur renewed, refreshed, pure and clean once again.