Tie It Up: Yom Kippur 2017

by Adam J. Rosenbaum

“Broadly defined, teshuvah is more than just repentance from sin; it is a spiritual reawakening, a desire to strengthen the connection between oneself and the sacred. The effectiveness of teshuvah is thus frequently a function of one’s sense of distance from the sacred. The greater the distance, the greater the potential movement towards renewed connectedness. As one Jewish sage put it, A rope that is cut and retied is doubly strong at the point where it was severed. … All forms of teshuvah, however diverse and complex, have a common core: the belief that human beings have it in their power to effect inward change.” — Adin Steinsaltz, Teshuvah: A Guide for the Newly Observant Jew

As we enter this Shabbat and Yom Kippur, let us take stock of the things we wish to change about ourselves, our relationships, and our society. Knowing what we wish to change will bring us closer to our end goal, much as the cut rope that has been re-tied.

However you spend these next few hours, I hope you’ll spend them with purpose and a spirit of togetherness.

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach!