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President Bartlet's face was grim. "This guy at the dinner, he told me something I didn't know. On Yom Kippur, you ask forgiveness for sins against God. But on the day before, you ask forgiveness for sins against people." He looked over questioningly at Toby. "Did you know that?"
Toby had been staring out into the distance, distracted, when the President asked him this question. He blinked twice when he realized it was directed at him. There had always been strict unwritten rules (No, that's not true. Margaret had written them down and distributed them as a memo to all senior staff.) about when Toby and President Bartlet could talk about the Bible. Only after hours, when they didn't risk making the President late for his security briefings. No mentioning the Apocrypha, since the fight would always end up the same. And the only Talmud you could quote was Seder Nezikin, which President Bartlet had read one summer when he was bored at the London School of Economics. He didn't like being reminded of the tractates he hadn't read yet.
Toby contemplated his response. He knew the President was testing him, was looking for inspiration and trying to offer it. He wasn't asking for a lecture on Jewish law. He was looking for Toby to be restrained.
"Yes, sir. But it's ten days, not one. God gave us the whole week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to ask forgiveness for sins against people." That should do fine. Clear, but with nothing to argue against. "It's called Aseret Y'mei... uh... Josh?"
"Teshuvah," Josh added.
"Aseret Y'mei Teshuvah. Ten days for repentance."
Bartlet nodded. "You can't ask forgiveness of God until you've asked forgiveness of people in the ten days before."
"The Rabbis say that's because it's much easier to earn God's forgiveness. God wants to forgive us for our sins."
Then Charlie came into the room to tell the President it was time to make the call. And as Toby walked out, he whispered a quiet Al Chet to himself.