Teshuvah

Teshuvah is a Hebrew word that can translate to, “return to the most loving essence of who you are.” 

At sundown yesterday, the Jewish holy days of Rosh Hashanah began and run ten days until Yom Kippur. For ten days, people of Jewish faith are invited to practice Teshuvah, inviting them to reflect deeply in honest reflection about who they have been as a person and who they want to become in the year ahead. 

Teshuvah is a reminder to return to your truest loving self and re-turn your soul back to God. 

It is so easy for our minds to wander away from our true essence and our higher power in the distractions of life, but Teshuvah is a re-turning, turning around, returning back to the most loving parts of ourselves. 

The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are also known as the “Ten Days of Awe.” Ten days for people who practice Judaism to audit their lives, choices, relationships, spiritual growth, truth telling, levels of courage or fear, egoic motives, and their levels of compassionate service to others.

I remember being introduced to this in seminary and feeling some disappointment that Christians don’t practice this ritual the way Jesus, in his Jewish teachings, likely would have intended. We might nod at this concept with new year resolutions, but Teshuvah is a deeper invitation to see where I’ve been selfish in the past year and set intentions to go forward with more love and compassion for others. 

I think this is a practice our whole country would benefit from this week. 

The sound of a shofar, an instrument formed from a ram’s horn, serves as an audible call to wake-up and use these ten holy days to allow your soul to speak to you. I have been in a synagogue to hear this, and I loved this practice of hearing an audible wake-up call to listen to my soul. I need this every day. 

What is something that would remind you every day to return to your soul and listen for guidance? 

My favorite part of studying world religions is discovering new ancient ways to deepen my own spiritual practices. This week, let’s honor this beautiful wisdom from Judaism that invites us into deep self-reflection and intentionality about the good humans we want to be. 

I love this Rabbi’s description of this time of year in the Jewish calendar and I think you will too.

Shalom my friends,