The Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is Shabbat Teshuvah, the Sabbath of Repentance. In the day's haftarah, the Prophet Hosea calls upon the Kingdom of Israel to return to God. This chapter presents a formula of repentance for individuals and entire societies: "O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord" (Hosea 14:1-2).

The structure of repentance is clear. In the initial stage, you must recognize your errors. This is the critical moment, when you stand before the mirror, look yourself straight in the eye and admit your errors. Although this is meant to be the first step, for many, it is also the last. Our mechanism of denial is powerful. Instead of admitting our failures, we whitewash them with excuses. Tremendous willpower is required to sober-mindedly examine our sins. Most members of modern society try to avoid confronting their sins and the guilt feelings this confrontation produces.

In one of his stories, Franz Kafka describes life in modern society: We are taking a walk at night. The streets are deserted. Suddenly we see in the distance (because the street slopes upward and there is a full moon) someone running toward us. We do not try to catch him even if he is weak and dressed in rags and even if a second person is pursuing him and shouting at him. Instead, we let this first person run past us.