This week marks the beginning of the month of Elul, thirty days of preparation for the Days of Awe. Rabbi Yoshi will share texts about the five elements of teshuvah (repentance).
The great sage Maimonides (1138-1204) teaches that we will know that we have changed, that we have truly made teshuvah, when we find ourselves in a similar situation to that in which we originally transgressed but this time, we refrain from sinning (עזיבת החטא, azivat ha-cheyt). Yesterday I asked you to think about the feelings of remorse you have about the ways in which you behaved badly this past year. Have you found yourself in a similar situation since then? Perhaps in the company of the same family member or colleague whom you mistreated? Consider (as an exercise in self-improvement) intentionally putting yourself in that similar situation and then actively and consciously refraining from transgressing the high standards to which you wish to hold yourself accountable. For Maimonides, it’s the only real proof that we have indeed changed.
— Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
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