Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement. Every year, we begin with a ten day period of extreme introspection, culminating in a single day designed to allow the human to atone for his/her mistakes. The only problem with that is the following question, posed to me this year: Why should we repent if we know that for the most part we will continue making the same mistakes? (Just to add, this is especially true for things which Maimonides claims are impossible to repent for (see Hilchot teshuvah chapter 4 for more information)). At the time I had no answer and even now, I am still unsure as to the answer. However, my only assumption is that the series of sins we enumerate during Vidui are meant to further our introspection. They are designed to make us think about what we might have done wrong within category X. Ultimately, the question is being driven by the greater problem, what is the purpose of prayer? There are many legitimate answers to this question, including the need to ask for help and the need to humble ourselves, showing we also must depend on others, especially G-d.