Rabbis' Blog

An important part of my monthly routine is visiting with fellow Jews serving time at the local federal prison for crimes they committed. During the hour we say some prayers with Tefillin, learn Torah, sing songs and have vibrant discussions.

Since the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called the Ten Days of Teshuvah the topic of our conversation was “Teshuvah.”

We quickly realized that translating the word “Teshuvah” as repentance causes various complications.

Repentance is defined as “deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.” In that case, do perfect people have no connection with the “Ten Days of Teshuvah?” Or perhaps is the calendar implying that everyone is a sinner? Whatever happened to giving the benefit of the doubt?

This is another example of a profoundly empowering Jewish idea getting lost in translation. “Teshuvah” does not mean to repent. Rather the root of the word is “Shav” - return.

Once in conversation I was asked why some Jews are such hypocrites that they will pray in the synagogue three time a day and eat only Kosher, but behave terribly in business!

“What is the hypocrisy?” I prodded.

“If they are such thieves why do they bother praying?”

“Why do you consider their prayer and Kosher diet hypocrisy?” I countered. “Perhaps cheating in business is their hypocrisy?”

At the core, everyone is pure and wants to do the right thing. Circumstances and experiences may cause us to get distracted from staying true to our essence and lead us down a path of bad decisions. Certainly everyone is responsible for his or her actions, but those deficiencies can never define who we are. Our core remains the same.

This definition should not be taken for granted. In fact, when the Baal Shem Tov started teaching that Teshuvah is for everyone, he faced stiff resistance from the religious elite for insinuating that the scholars are guilty of sin. Their misunderstanding was the result of a lack of context for the role of Teshuvah and its power.

The verb of Teshuvah is not limited to sinners. Everyone needs to return to their pristine original selves. To reveal the essential connection with G-d not defined by behavior or claimed beliefs.

Now is the time to reveal that inner connection and find ways to access this purity throughout the  year. The good resolutions you make this week will be the vehicle through which the divine energy available now will be accessible every day of the coming year.

Authors know that the right title can propel their books to the top of the bestseller lists or render them unreadable. Seasoned journalists will tell you that constructing the perfect headline can spell the difference between winning a Pulitzer or having another collection of 2000 words floating around on the internet.

This is true about all languages, but the power of words in the Torah context is a world unto its own. Lashon Hakodesh - the Holy Tongue - better known as Biblical Hebrew, is a divine language containing endless layers of meaning. Each word can be dissected in myriads of ways to reveal tremendously profound messages pertinent to our daily lives.

The month playing host to the many holidays on the horizon is called “Tishrei.” Just by analyzing the construct of the word, knowing just the Hebrew Alphabet nursery song, reveals the essential message of all four holidays celebrated within this month.

“Tishrei” is spelled with four letters. “Tav” - the last letter of the alphabet; “Shin” - the second to last; “Reish” - the third to last; and finally “Yud” - which is closer to the beginning of the order.

Now, imagine the Hebrew Alphabet in a vertical line. Spelling the word “Tishrei” would mean starting from the very bottom and consistently moving upwards. (A simple comparison in English would be spelling a word like this: ZYXJ.)

This is the theme of all the holidays we are about to celebrate: the obligation to move consistently upwards.

Our relationship with G-d is a two way street. On Pesach we celebrate G-d’s boundless love for us regardless of our spiritual status; we were redeemed from slavery despite our lack of merit. The direction is from above to below.

But Tishrei is from the bottom up. The holidays therein represent the human effort to reach for the divine.

The shrill cry of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah expresses our preparedness to submit to G-d’s kingship and behave accordingly. The atonement we achieve on Yom Kippur happens through our efforts to reach the core truth of our souls. During Sukkot we actively pursue an all encompassing unity with every Jew and Simchat Torah marks the completion of a yearly cycle of Torah study.

“Tishrei” is about orientation. True renewal can only happen when we reach for the very bottom and elevate it to the greatest heights.