Repentance

The Hebrew word teshuvah is typically translated as repentance, suggesting it aims to feel regret, guilt, and shame. In truth, the goal of teshuvah is anything but.

themselves from any sin, if not for the negative inclination that overcomes them."

According to Jewish thought, the journey of teshuvah is not about "turning over a new leaf" or being "born again"; rather, it is simply finding our way back to the land of our soul.

spiritual rehabilitation stems from Judaism's overwhelmingly positive view of the human being, who is, according to the Torah, created in the image of G-d.

Teshuvah means to return. But return where? The Sages have taught that the essence of each person is their soul.

According to Chassidic philosophy, the soul is literally "a part of G-d on high" and, therefore, incorruptible and can never truly be blemished by sin. Therefore, when we sin, we are merely losing our way and forgetting who we are—much like being overtaken by "a temporary state of insanity."

As Maimonides writes, every Jew, at their deepest level, ultimately "wants to fulfill all of G-d's instructions and distance

What is true of the individual is also true of the Jewish people as a collective; we may distance ourselves, but we are never completely divorced from G-d.

Concerning this, R. Abba bar Zavda teaches in the Talmud that: "Even when the Jewish people sin, they are still called 'Israel.'" In G-d's words: "It is impossible to replace them with any other nation."

The covenantal bond between G-d and Israel may be tested and strained, but it can never be broken; they are always inextricably bound at their core.

This redemptive approach to

Every person possesses a core of inherent goodness whose integrity cannot be compromised. While outwardly, one's actions may not always reflect this inner goodness and G-dliness, people always have the ability to shed their superficial facade and do teshuvah—returning to their truest, deepest selves.

Teshuvah is a spiritual repudiation of philosopher Will Durant's statement: "We are what we repeatedly do." Judaism teaches us otherwise. We are not our sins or our mistakes. We are all inherently good, holy, righteous souls that sometimes lose our way but can always make the choice to reconnect to our essence. Teshuvah is this choice.

Teshuvah, thus, effectively recalibrates our selfimage and gives us the strength and confidence to act in alignment with that spiritual essence, which is the cornerstone of our being.

While regret is undoubtedly a necessary component of teshuvah, it is only a detail, not its primary focus or goal.

Rather than putting down the person we think we have become and seeing ourselves as defined by our bad choices, teshuvah is the process of regaining our senses, remembering who we are at our root, and recasting our behavior to reflect that Divine image.

It Happened Once:

The famed medieval Spanish Kabbalist and Biblical commentator, Nachmanides, had a disciple named Avner. Following a crisis of faith, Avner rejected his Jewish faith, left the community, and became a government official.

One Yom Kippur, Avner sent guards to summon his former teacher to appear before him. Spitefully, he slaughtered, roasted, and ate a pig before Ramban. Ramban asked him, "What brought you to this point? What caused you to reject the holy ways of your ancestors?!" "You did, Rabbi!" Avner retorted venomously. "Your teachings were exaggerated and had no basis in reality. You once taught us that in the brief Torah portion of Haazinu, a mere fifty-two verses, the Torah encodes the entire history of the Jewish people until the coming of Mashiach." "That is just ridiculous!" scoffed Avner. "How could three thousand years of history and millions of names be condensed into just six hundred fourteen words?" "But it's true," replied Ramban, holding his ground. "Then show me my name and fate," Avner incredulously challenged.

Ramban fell into a state of meditation and prayed silently to G-d to reveal this secret. After a few minutes, he said, "Your name, Avner, can be found in the third letter of each word in verse 26: AmaRti (reish) AfEihem (alef) AshBita (bet) Mei'eNosh (nun) ZichRam (reish)." The verse reads: I [G‐d] said in my heart that I would scatter them, causing their memory to cease from mankind, referring to those who had rejected the spiritual and moral way of life.

Avner's face turned pale as heavy tears began to fall. "Is there any hope for me?" he sobbed. "What can I possibly do to rectify my unthinkable sins?" "The verse itself has provided the rectification," said Ramban.

"It says that G-d will scatter them until their memory is erased. You, too, must scatter those distracting, alien thoughts until they are forgotten, and, in this way, you can return to your essence anew and be remembered for good among your people."

In 1982, the Lubavitcher Rebbe shared that as a child he was taught this story by his teacher. The traditional point stressed by his teacher was the uniqueness of Parshat Haazinu and the infinite nature of the Torah. How, indeed, could the Torah contain such esoteric codes and secrets?

"However," the Rebbe added, "there is another layer of depth to the story that has been overlooked. If you notice, the words quoted by Ramban begin with a reish (AmaRti). The letter reish is often used as a prefix for Reb, an honorific term. Therefore, as quoted in this verse, his name is Reb Avner, revealing how he is seen in G-d's eyes through the lens of the Torah— as a spiritual being deserving of respect and reverence."

This self-revelation, like a lightning flash, instantly brought Reb Avner back into alignment with his higher nature. The moment he was exposed to the error of his ways, a spirit of teshuvah was immediately awakened within him. After having left his faith, even going so far as to mock and taunt its devout leaders on its holiest day, the vision of his soul reflected from within the Torah instantly aroused a yearning to return to his roots.

(Excerpted from People of the Word published by Ezra Press and Chabad.org. Available at www.kehot.com)