An inspiring way to reclaim your integrity and renew your sense of moral purpose.
‘Like water, teshuvah is both destructive and creative. It dissolves the person you were but simultaneously provides the moisture you need to grow anew. It erodes the hard edges of your willfulness but also refreshens your spirit. It can turn the tallest barriers of moral blindness into rubble while it also gently nourishes the hidden seeds of hope buried deep in your soul. Teshuvah, like water, has the power both to wash away past sin and to shower you with the blessing of a new future, if only you trust it and allow yourself to be carried along in its current.’ —from Part VII
In this candid and comprehensive probe into the nature of moral transgression and spiritual healing, Dr. Louis E. Newman examines both the practical and philosophical dimensions of teshuvah, Judaism’s core religious-moral teaching on repentance, and its value for us—Jews and non-Jews alike—today. He exposes the inner logic of teshuvah as well as the beliefs about God and humankind that make it possible. He also charts the path of teshuvah, revealing to us how we can free ourselves from the burden of our own transgressions by:
• Acknowledging our transgressions • Confessing • Feeling remorse • Apologizing • Making restitution • Soul reckoning • Avoiding sin when the next opportunity arises
Table of Content
Foreword: The ‘Yet’ of Teshuvah—Turning xv
Preface: Our Human Capacity for Change xix
Acknowledgments xxi
Introduction: Exploring Teshuvah 1
Part I: The Nature of Sin 13
1. Dimensions of Sin 15
2. Sin as Illness 19
3. Suffering Shekhinah 22
4. Reverence for Sin 25
5. Sin, Guilt, and Impurity 28
6. Sin, Idolatry, and Truth 32
Part II: Release from Sin 37
7. Between Two Absolutes:
God’s Demands and God’s Forgiveness 39
8. Responsibility and Accountability 43
9. Freedom, Fate, and Repentance 47
10. Atoning through Sacrifice 51
11. Day of Atonement 58
12. Suffering Atones 62
13. Death as Atonement 65
Part III: The Way of Teshuvah 69
14. Turning: The Meaning of a Metaphor 71
15. Step-by-Step on the Path of Repentance 77
16. It Is I 83
17. Remorse 85
18. Announce Your Sins 89
19. Apologize Yet Again 92
20. Making Others Whole Again 95
21. Soul Reckoning 97
22. Teshuvah, Complete and Unending 101
Part IV: Teshuvah in Three Dimensions 105
23. Repentance, Prayer, and Righteousness 107
24. Being Fully Oneself 111
25. The Dignity of Penitents 115
26. Reconciliation and Divine Forgiveness 118
27. Teshuvah of Love versus Teshuvah of Fear 122
28. Returning to the Source 125
Part V: Experiencing Teshuvah 129
29. A Theological Virtue 131
30. Devotion to Truthfulness 134
31. Cultivating Humility 137
32. God’s Role in Teshuvah 140
33. One Day Ahead 145
34. Seeing the Goodness 148
35. Faith in the Certainty of Renewal 151
36. Turning Faults into Merits 153
Part VI: Teshuvah: Its Problems and Limits 157
37. Sinning Against Repentance 159
38. Jonah, Justice, and Repentance 162
39. Irredeemable Sinners 165
40. A Hardened Heart 170
41. Repenting to the Dead 173
Part VII: Teshuvah: Its Moral and Spiritual Meaning 177
42. Overcoming Guilt 179
43. As God Sees Us 182
44. Divine Freedom 185
45. Primordial Teshuvah 188
46. Past and Future 191
47. Ahead of the Righteous 195
48. Repentance and Redemption 198
49. The Mystery of Teshuvah 202
Conclusion: Teshuvah in Our Time 205
Notes 214
Suggestions for Further Reading 223
About the author
Rabbi Karyn D. Kedar teaches matters of the spirit to groups throughout the U.S. She is senior rabbi at Congregation B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim in the Chicago area, and the inspiring author of The Bridge to Forgiveness: Stories and Prayers for Finding God and Restoring Wholeness; Our Dance with God: Finding Prayer, Perspective and Meaning in the Stories of Our Lives; and God Whispers: Stories of the Soul, Lessons of the Heart and contributed to May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism—Yizkor; Who by Fire, Who by Water—Un’taneh Tokef; and All These Vows—Kol Nidre (all Jewish Lights).More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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