We all have regrets. Mistakes we wish we could correct. People we may have hurt and would like to ask forgiveness from. Moments and situations we wish we could go back and change.
But how do we truly repair the past?
There is the familiar concept of repentance—atonement, asking forgiveness, making amends, changing our behavior, healing relationships, and rebuilding trust where it may have been broken.
But Judaism offers us a deeper concept, especially at this time of year: Teshuva—return.
Not simply repentance. Not simply regret. Return.
Which immediately raises the question: Return to what?
Teshuva means reconnecting with something deeper within ourselves—a place that existed before the mistake, before the transgression, before we lost our way.
Are you at heart a sinner or a saint? There is a radical difference between remorse over the past and returning to who you truly are.
And that is the secret: Teshuva isn’t simply about damage control; a band-aid fixing past wrongs. It’s about reclaiming your essence and thereby transforming the past and allowing it to propel you forward.
A liability can become an asset. A mistake can become a source of wisdom. Even a fall can become the catalyst for a higher ascent.
So what are we returning to—and how can that return take us higher?
Please join Rabbi Simon Jacobson for this timely and important discussion: The Return That Takes You Higher
