Teshuva on Yom Kippur: The Answers and Return That Transforms Our Lives

Teshuva on Yom Kippur: The Return That Transforms

As Yom Kippur begins, Jews around the world conclude the Ten Days of Awe and enter the sacred work of Teshuva—a process far deeper than mere repentance. Teshuva is healing through accountability, the restoration of trust, the pursuit of inner peace, and the release of the burdens we carry. It asks us to face our regrets, acknowledge our wrongs, and return to the ethical and moral teachings of the Torah. In doing so, we realign with those we love—and with our higher purpose.

The Double Meaning of Teshuva

The Hebrew word Teshuva holds two profound meanings:

• Answer – the search for honest truth that helps us move forward.
• Return – a recommitment to the values that root us in something greater.

Together, these meanings reveal that answering and returning are not separate acts. We find clarity through return, and we return by daring to seek real answers.

The Four Faces of Wrongdoing

The central theme of Yom Kippur is forgiveness. In the prayer Adon HaSelichot (“Master of Forgiveness”), we call upon God as the One who forgives all types of sin: cheit, avon, pesha, and resha. Each reveals a deeper layer of harm:

• Cheit – mistakes made out of carelessness or ignorance.
• Avon – repeated transgressions made despite knowing better.
• Pesha – intentional wrongdoing or betrayal.
• Resha – injustice embedded in systems and institutions.

Each brings consequences:

• To ourselves: guilt, shame, isolation.
• To others: broken trust, conflict, pain.
• To society: injustice, corruption, violence.

Yet even these consequences can become guideposts—warning signs that push us toward Teshuva: honest reflection, responsible action, and the pursuit of justice through repair and renewal.

Forgiveness, the prayer reminds us, is not automatic—but always possible. It flows when we pair divine mercy with human courage.

Cheit – Everyday Mistakes

A mother once told me she often lost her temper with her son. After each outburst, she’d apologize. But one day, he said: “Mom, you always yell—and then say sorry.”

That moment cut through. Words weren’t enough. Real Teshuva, response, meant asking:

• “How can I make it up to you?”
• “Can you help me not yell as much?”

She didn’t just express remorse—she invited her child into the healing. Guilt became growth.

Pesha – Intentional Harm

At the other extreme lies pesha—deliberate wrongdoing. Think Cain and Abel: jealousy hardened into rage, then murder. Cain didn’t just take a life—he broke a family and scarred all of humanity.

In modern times, we see echoes of this when hate becomes ideology and ideology becomes violence. These acts devastate families, rupture communities, and desensitize the world to human suffering. Teshuva here demands more than sorrow—it calls for radical accountability, restitution, and transformation.

Resha – Systemic Injustice

Resha is what happens when wrongdoing becomes embedded in systems. It’s not just a bad decision—it’s a culture of harm.

In schools, it may start as cheit—a failure to enforce safety policies. Then avon—ignoring repeated complaints. Then pesha—willfully covering up abuse. And finally, resha—when the system itself becomes complicit.

At this level, Teshuva isn’t just personal. It’s structural. It requires institutions to reckon with harm, rebuild trust, and reform themselves with integrity and humility.

From Ezekiel’s Vision to Rambam’s Roadmap

The prophet Ezekiel gives us hope:

“Repent and turn from all your transgressions… Cast away all your offenses… and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” (Ezekiel 18:30–31)

Centuries later, Maimonides (Rambam) turned that vision into practice. In his Mishneh Torah, he wrote that confession (Vidui) lies at the heart of Teshuva:

“Please God, I have sinned… I regret it, I am ashamed, and I will never return to this deed.”

But Vidui is not a private ritual. It’s a commitment to change—visible in our actions and relationships. Rambam outlined six essential steps:

1. Take responsibility – Use “I” statements to own your actions.
2. Be specific – Name the words or behaviors that caused harm.
3. Explain your motives – Not as excuses, but as context.
4. Offer concrete repair – Don’t just say sorry. Make it right.
5. Invite feedback – Ask how to do better and actually listen.
6. Commit to change – Act differently moving forward.

The Daily Practice of Teshuva

✨ The gift of Yom Kippur is not just forgiveness—it’s the chance to live with clarity and courage. The work is daily. The growth is ongoing.

This year, let’s embrace Teshuva as a way of being:

• Speak truth—even when it’s uncomfortable.
• Seek accountability—even when it’s humbling.
• Step into renewal—even when it’s hard.

🌿 Let us speak up, reach in, and return—again and again—to the people we want to be.

Reflection Questions for the Days Ahead

As we move from Yom Kippur into the joy of Sukkot, consider:

• What is one small way you can help someone you love grow this year?
• What is one step—big or small—you can take toward greater accountability in your relationships, work, or community?

✨ May this Yom Kippur awaken the courage to face truth, the humility to seek forgiveness, and the strength to repair what’s broken. May we return—again and again—to a higher purpose. ✨