True Teshuvah

Repentance is a major theme of the High Holy Days, but the season for repentance actually begins a whole month in advance. Every day of the month of Elul, Jews are reminded by the blasts of a shofar to start the process of makeing repentance, or atonement. This past week, the sixth graders and I discussed repentance--in Hebrew, teshuvah. I'd like to take a little space here to go over what we discussed and expand on it.

1) Teshuvah comes from a Hebrew root that suggests returning or repeating an action. When we think of the English word "repentence"--or the related adjective, "penitent"--we usually think of feelings. One feels bad about what he/she did wrong or becomes aware that what they did was not moral. Many people think that it is enough to feel guilty and promise not to do something again. Others think that saying one is sorry, even if the apology is empty of feeling, is sufficient. However, from a Jewish perspective, repentance must include other aspects: acceptance of responsibility, including (if relevant) behavioral consequences or payment of damages; actions to reverse the negative outcomes of one's actions (such as providing medical assistance to an injured party, replacing a lost or stolen item, or taking on extra work to make up for lost time); and efforts to choose correct actions in the future.

2) I've heard parents and educators encourage students (adult as well as kid) to "rewind" and "redo" their mistakes, and this is a great exercise to role-play teshuvah. It can be extremely difficult to own up to one's mistakes, especially ones that others might not have noticed. Practice admitting you did wrong, saying you're sorry, or accepting punishment. Talk to someone--a friend or relative who's uninvolved in the event--and talk through what you could have done differently. But don't stop there! It's also important to address your regret and willingness to reverse (as much as possible) the negative effects of your actions with the people who you may have harmed or slighted. If you know you've made an error with another person, tell them that you'd like a "re-do," since you are unhappy with how behaved previously.

3) Commit yourself to correct action in the future. An important medieval scholar, Rambam, taught, "What constitutes true teshuvah? If the sinner has the opportunity of committing once again the sinful act and it is quite possible for him to repeat it and yet he refrains from so doing because he has repented... he is a true penitent" (Hilkhot Teshuvah 2:1).

Shanah Tovah! (Happy New Year!)

Maimonides' Thirteen Attributes of God

In Maimonides' commentary to the Mishnah (ch. 10 of Sanhedrin), he offers 13 principles which he believed sum up the things that all Jews should believe. They are (in a much abbreviated form of my own):

1. There is a Creator who is perfect and put into motion all that exists.
2. God is One.
3. God has no body and cannot be affected by any physical force.
4. God is Eternal.
5. A Jew must worship God exclusively and no foreign or false gods.
6. God communicates with humanity through prophecy.
7. The prophecy of Moses is the greatest there is and ever will be.
8. The Torah comes from God.
9. The Torah cannot be changed.
10. God knows and sees all.
11. God rewards and punishes people.
12. The Messiah and the messianic era will arrive, some day.
13. God will resurrect the dead.

There are many excellent translations of the Thirteen available on the web. Many of them are based on a summarized version used in many siddurim called "Ani Ma'amin" ("I believe"), which is recited daily as a prayer by some communities. (Of course, we already learned that "Yigdal" is a summary of the attributes, too.) "Adon Olam" also reflects Rambam's beliefs. There is a very good translation of Maimonides' own words, as they appear in his commentary, here.

These Attributes, or Principles of Faith, were controversial from the very first time they appeared. Many people argue that there is no "test" of belief for Judaism at all; others argue the specific details of the principles with Rambam. If you are interested in these controversies it might be helpful to look at these articles in the Jewish Encyclopedia and at MyJewishLearning.com.

Seventh Grade Etz Chayim students should read the list of Rambam's 13 Attributes and add to the comments section here a sentence that says one thing that they believe and that they feel could apply to all Jews. Students may also share a response to Maimonides' Attributes. Please be aware that all posts are being reviewed by Rabbi Rachel, so they will not appear immediately. The only non-students whose comments will be posted are those of parents from this class.

Maimonides for Seventh Graders

The Jewish Virtual Library has a great article on Rambam. Students missing class on October 24 should read the article (here). There is also an interesting article in the Jewish Encyclopedia on Articles of Faith. Pay particular attention to the Thirteen Articles of Faith of Maimonides.