The word ‘sin’ does not really sit up well with Judaism. The word ‘chet’ (חֵטְא) is often translated as ‘sin’, but this translation does not accurately describe the concept. ‘Chet’ has nothing to do with endless damnation or Hell, the concepts most often associated with sin among Christians or westerners in general.
There is no direct translation of the concept of ‘Chet’ into English. The word in Hebrew derives from the verb meaning ‘to miss the mark or target.’ It is also usually defined by the context where it is being used. There are several examples in the Tanakh (Book of Judges 20:16, Book of Kings I 1:21). None of the examples have anything to do with the Christian concept of ‘original sin.’ Nor can you be forgiven for your ‘sins’ by simply proclaiming your faith (this is a very Christian concept) – the Jewish approach is practical and is a journey rather than a single moment in time. It is about actually approaching people you have hurt and asking for forgiveness, and it is about working on yourself to become a better person.
Yom Kippur, obviously, is known by most as a time of the year that all Jews confess their sins together in the synagogue, and it is certainly not seen as a very joyful festival. Yom Kippur isn’t about praying and asking for forgiveness from G-d to ‘save us’ or to ‘grant a place in heaven’ – these are, again, misconceptions based on a Christian point of view. The central theme on Yom Kippur is ‘ Will we be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year?’ It is not about a lifetime’s worth of sins, it is about reflecting on yourself and your actions during the past year, and about gaining hope and blessing for the upcoming year.
So sin, as it is understood by most people, does not exist in Judaism. There is no single point in time that G-d will grant you forgiveness for your whole lifetime worth of sins. It does not work that way, It is a journey, and no one is perfect, it is inevitable that we hurt each other at times. The important bit is that we acknowledge this and work with ourselves and ask for forgiveness from the ones we’ve hurt – not simply from G-d, because our lives right now are here on Earth, and Judaism is very much about focusing on life here and now, not about what becomes after we have left this Earth.
Sources:
Channah’s Jewish Learning 