Today marks the beginning of a 10-day period so sacred in
Judaism it is known as
”
Days of Awe
”
or
”
High Holy Days
”
in English. Joining with Jews around the world, members of South
County’s Congregation Emeth will participate in prayers, fasting
and other rituals that reflect the essence of their faith.
Today marks the beginning of a 10-day period so sacred in Judaism it is known as “Days of Awe” or “High Holy Days” in English. Joining with Jews around the world, members of South County’s Congregation Emeth will participate in prayers, fasting and other rituals that reflect the essence of their faith.
Rosh Hashanah (literally “Head of the Year”) begins at sundown Sept. 18. (Most Jewish holidays begin at dusk because dates are set according to an ancient lunar calendar.) The first day of the new year in the Jewish calendar begins after sundown today. At that time, the year will become 5770. The 10-day period ends on sundown of Sept. 28, Yom Kippur (in English, “Day of Atonement”).
Often I write at this time of year about the High Holy Days, usually discussing the many interesting traditional customs practiced during this time period. This year, however, I would like to take a different approach, sharing some remarks of Debbie Israel, who was recently installed as Rabbi of the Morgan Hill synagogue.
Her reflections help us see and understand the spiritual significance of this important occasion in the lives of Jews. And she focuses on the true meaning of these important holidays, especially the great theme of “repentance.”
During the High Holy Days period, Jewish tradition teaches that God is seeking our willingness to look at our lives – at the actions we take, the words we speak, the patterns of destructive behavior we might be engaged in, the broken relationships and the broken promises – and determine what we are willing and able to do to create lasting change in our life.
God is not asking us to change who we are, but he is asking us to repent from sin and from wrongdoing. God is asking for “teshuvah,” which literally means “to return.”
And what is the process for teshuvah? First, we acknowledge the error of our ways. We admit our mistakes, and in some cases, our sins. Then we ask for forgiveness. If we have hurt another person, we have to ask the person we have wronged for forgiveness. If we have not been faithful to our noble calling, if we have sinned in our relationship with God, then it is from God that we seek forgiveness.
The last part of this process, the most important part, is to not repeat the sin. That’s how we know we are truly repentant. When the opportunity presents itself, will we repeat the sin? If not, then we have repented.
The process of teshuvah is a do-over. We look at our actions during the past year, realize which behaviors were not consistent with the person we want to be – the person we are at our core – and begin the process of cleaning up our lives.
While our tradition teaches that God wants us to repent for our sins, God is not asking us to change the fundamental nature of who we are. God loves us, even with our imperfections. God wants us to change our ways, to change our behavior, to stop sinning and to stop hurting each other. God simply wants us to do better.
