TESHUVAH, TEPHILLAH, TZEDAKAH
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
“Repentance, Prayer, and Charity set aside the evil decree.” Or do they?
What is striking about these traditional instruments of self-improvement is that the meaning attributed to each one of them does not reflect their precise Jewish significance. In fact, the above translation is more consistent with Christian theological notions than with Judaic religious categories. For teshuvah is not simply repentance, tephillah is not actually prayer, and tzedakah is not really charity.
Rather, teshuvah derives from a root meaning to return, and signifies a life-long quest for essence. It is a return to the source of self, and involves engagement in the task of re-creation. Teshuvah is the gift that we are granted to attempt to create ourselves anew.
The term tephillah is derived from the root pll, which is related to judgment. Thus the reflexive l’hitpallel suggests self-judgment and not prayerful petition. Tephillah appears to be directed to God, but is in reality a vehicle for self-assessment, and for a personal check-up. It provides an opportunity for us to measure how we are fairing in the pursuit of our most important individual and collective aspirations.
Finally, Tzedakah is about tzedek, righteousness in the form of obligation. To do justly is not an act of charity, but a requirement that is a consequence of our embrace of creation. For if God is Creator, then we are not owners, but only possessors who are commanded by the ‘Master’ to sustain each other by sharing the creation.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur introduce us to creation theology. They put us in touch with the human potential for transcendence and with our capacity to approach the Source of creation and draw forth the energy to recreate ourselves and society.
May we be blessed with the power of teshuvah, tephillah, and tzedakah as we pursue renewal and transformation. And may we learn to search more deeply within the language and doctrines of our tradition for the life-giving secrets of the spirit.
SHARING OUR MEMORIES
When a righteous person has died, we say of him or her “zikhrono livrakha” – may his or her memory be a blessing. The way that we turn the memories of our loved ones into blessings is by choosing to live lives that magnify and honor their values, and echo the best of who they were in the world. During YIZKOR, observed five times each year, we remember friends and family who are no longer with us and affirm that we will strive to live lives that indeed make their memories blessings. (At YIZKOR we remember all those we have lost over the course of our lifetime, not only those who died within the past year.)
Who were the people who helped shape your life? We ask you to share not only the names of your loved ones, but also to share some of the blessings of those individuals. How did you know her? What is your most profound memory of him? How has she changed the way that you look at the world? In this way, we illuminate the gifts of those who touched our lives, allowing their values and deeds to reverberate through the entire community.
Please share a few sentences about this person(s) which will be printed in a booklet for the Yizkor Service. Simply send your thoughts with your ticket reservations or email sandra@uclahillel.org no later than September 19, 2008 to guarantee your placement in the booklet. Please include your name, name of the deceased, your relationship, and any additional information you wish to include.
We kindly request a minimum gift of $18 for each person you will be remembering this year.
( Idea and text courtesy of Rabbi Sharon Brous)
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