5784 / 2023
It’s Yom Kippur again. It’s time to deal with Teshuva again. We usually think of Teshuva as repentance. Actually, it means “return.” Return to what is true and good in our lives……and ultimately God. We all have faults. The only question is what can we do to rectify them and can they really be fixed? Our tradition teaches that there are 3 components: regret, a verbal confession, and a promise never to do it again. Plan A. OK, but the question that remains is can all errors be fixed and forgiven? If you steal a towel from a hotel and are so guilt ridden you return it, case closed. But what if you hit your spouse or are unfaithful, can that relationship really be fixed? Can it ever be the same? I suggest that no matter how many apologies, no matter how much regret, no matter how many promises are made, the relationship is permanently changed. The goal, then, cannot be Teshuva, to return. The goal must be to rebuild……Plan B.
That may not be so terrible. Our history is filled with Plan B’s. Adam and Eve blew it in the Garden of Eden and were exiled. The Israelites were supposed to go directly to Israel just after receiving the Torah. They blew it and wandered for 40 years. The Temples were destroyed resulting in a diaspora. Things happen. Such is life. On the other hand, new paths, new opportunities opened up….enter Plan B’s. On Yom Kippur, we put these opportunities to work. Of course, we look at ourselves, regret our mistakes and promise not to repeat them. But more than that, we can choose to do the best we can with the new realities in our lives…..the Plan B’s.
What was Plan A? Don’t know. Don’t care. I do know that God created a world with infinite possibilities but also gave us the choice what path to take. This Yom Kippur appreciate and celebrate your Plan B’s. -Gmar hatimah tovah
