By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal
SAN DIEGO — The ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are called aseret yemei teshuva, the Ten Days of Repentance. These days are considered a particularly appropriate time to review our lives and correct our faults.
The Shabbat which falls during these ten days is called Shabbat Shuva, the Sabbath of Return. It takes its name from the period of reflection we are in or from the first few words of the morning’s Haftarah: “Return, Israel, to Adonai your God.”
During the Ten Days of Repentance one year, Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav asked his student, Rabbi Natan, to travel to Medzhybizh (then in Poland, now in Ukraine). Rabbi Nachman appointed Rabbi Natan to be his agent and to acquire his grandfather’s house on his behalf. (Rabbi Nachman’s grandfather was the Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidut.)
He told Rabbi Natan that while he was there he wanted him to visit Rabbi Nachman’s uncle, Rabbi Baruch, to inquire as to his health and wellbeing.
When Rabbi Natan returned Rabbi Nachman asked him, “What did my uncle tell you?”
Rabbi Natan frowned. Your uncle said, “We are now in the Ten Days of Repentance. Does your Rebbe really think these ten days are an appropriate time to be dealing with estates and acquiring houses?”
Rabbi Nachman answered, “I am surprised that he said that. After all, it is also the Ten Days of Repentance for him. Does he really think that doing teshuva should prevent us from doing anything else? What about the rest of year? We should be engaged in teshuva every day of our lives; regardless of whatever other obligations claim us!”
Although the aseret yemei teshuva are particularly propitious days for reviewing and changing our lives, they are not the only time we should engage in self-reflection and examination. Teshuva is something we should be doing every day.
In a similar vein the midrash teaches that we should do teshuva one day before we die. Since no one knows the day he or she will die, this means we should be doing teshuva every day.
Shabbat Shalom and G’mar Chatima Tova.
May you and your loved ones be written in the Book of Life!
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Rabbi Rosenthal is the spiritual leader of Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Diego. You may comment to him at leonard.rosenthal@sdjewishworld.com