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Preparing for Rosh haShanah: Teshuvah is a Long Distance Race

 

Preparing for Rosh HaShanah: Teshuvah is a Long Distance Race

I've always been fascinated by faith healers - men and women who claim to invoke the name of God in order to heal everything from arthritis and depression to blindness and spinal injuries. To be honest, I don't believe in a God that intervenes in our personal lives - at least not in any physical or literal sense. The God that I believe in is the God of the calming inner voice, the human impulse toward justice and compassion, and the mystery and awe many of us feel when contemplating the cosmos. The God of faith healers, on the other hand, is the all-powerful being who intentionally intervenes to solve our problems. The faith healer prays and - according to some - Jimmy miraculously walks out of his wheelchair. A small part of me has always envied the simple faith that allows some people to believe in that kind of a God. Most of the time, however, I remain suspicious of world views that make life seem simple or easy. 

Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, is the beginning of an intense period of teshuvah ("return", often translated as "repentance"). During this period, Jews traditionally engage in cheshbon hanefesh ("accounting of the soul"), taking a look in the mirror and reflecting on the distance between the people they are and the people they would like to be. This flurry of spiritual activity culminates with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. 

What many people do not know is that Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur follow the Hebrew month of Elul, which is dedicated to the actual work of self-transformation. Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are the last mile in a marathon, when we push ourselves just a little harder in order to reach the finish line. The month of Elul is the first 25 miles of that marathon, and without it we could never make it to the last mile. 

Studies suggest that it takes about a month of abstinence to break a bad habit. That means that we can't become the people we would like to be by sitting in synagogue for a few hours (or even an entire day). Life isn't that easy or simple. If it were, we could visit the friendly neighborhood faith healer and call it quits. Just as recovery from a serious physical injury often requires a prolonged regiment of physical therapy, spiritual healing - and simple character development - takes time. Jewish tradition does not teach that life is easy or straightforward. It is complicated, difficult, and often messy. It is also beautiful, but sometimes we have to work to find the beauty within ourselves and in the world around us.

Too many people make the mistake of thinking that we are meant to feel guilty on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and many of us do. My prayer is that each of us will work hard to become a little kinder, make a little more room in our hearts for compassion, and become just a little more mindful in our everyday lives. My prayer is that if we do this work before the High Holidays then none of us need feel guilty. Rather, we should each experience Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur as the gifts that they are: days to celebrate all the ways - big and small - that we have evolved as human beings in the presence of God/Your Ultimate Meaning and community. 

http://jewishneshama.blogspot.com/2013/08/preparing-for-rosh-hashanah-teshuvah-is.html

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784