This is the time of year to focus on Teshuvah. Teshuvah (repentance) also means return, and is usually interpreted to mean a return to God or one’s best self. But perhaps Teshuvah is more than this, symbolizing a return to the world, away from preoccupation with the self.
Beating one’s chest does not feed the hungry, comfort the bereaved or repair our communities. It does not bring about respect, tolerance and caring for our fellow. To really do Teshuvah each person must recognize that the state of our souls is not the only thing that matters; self-awareness is barely a step from self-absorption.
The Teshuvah process varies from person to person, however it must be about more than personal reflection and redemption. By viewing Teshuvah as strictly individualistic in nature we run the risk of crossing into the realm of self-absorption and narcissism.
Therefore, we must see the High Holiday season as not only an opportunity for personal growth, but as a time for communal Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh (an accounting of our soul), when we ask ourselves if we as a community of brothers and sisters have lived up to our responsibilities to one another.
Unfortunately, one does not have to search hard to recall instances in which Jewish communities have failed to show tolerance and acceptance. Conversions performed in the United States often become little more than a meaningless sheet of paper in Israel, and the Jewish press is often used as a vehicle for hatred between different Jewish denominations.
This lack of acceptance for other interpretations of faith is often fueled by ignorance and hatred, with many failing to take the time to actually understand the many faces of Judaism today.
Recently, a couple I was marrying was forced to look for a new venue hours before they were scheduled to wed because of a flood at the hall. The desperate couple turned to an Orthodox synagogue, hoping to hold the wedding there, only to be turned away because I, a female rabbi, was to be officiating the ceremony.
The couple’s Ketubah (wedding contract) was Orthodox, the witnesses were kosher and the service was to be conducted in traditional fashion, but compassion was overridden by dogma and they were told to find somewhere else to go.
Unfortunately, I was not surprised at this, though saddened that the rifts between our communities have grown so vast that a couple celebrating one of the happiest – and holiest – days of their lives, was faced with such a stonewalled response.
The prophet Isaiah writes, "You are My witnesses" (Isaiah 43:10) — to live a Jewish life is to act as a witness, and to speak out not only against the sufferings of the world but also the injustice and lack of compassion and love in the Jewish community.
Disrespect and intolerance run the risk of poisoning our communities. We are tasked with the sacred duty of building a Jewish community, and as the rabbis have written, “kol yisrael aravim zeh la zeh” – all of Israel, each Jew is responsible one to the other.
So this year, as we approach Rosh Hashanah, perhaps our questions of reflection and renewal should be about our community’s diversity and our responsibility to honor and cultivate these differences while finding a common ground.
Even the most profound religious differences cannot be used as an excuse for bigotry and disrespect. Instead it should motivate us to find ways to come together to fulfill the words our rabbis’ call to be responsible for one another, seeking out moments when we might be able to find common ground in challenging situations and times of need.
May the Yomim Noraim (Days of Awe) of 5772 be a time of true communal Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh, in which we account for our behavior as a diverse community and find ways to treat our fellow Jew with respect, upholding the vision of our rabbis.
Elianna Yolkut is a Conservative Rabbi teaching Torah and celebrating Judaism in New York City. You can reach her atwww.keepingkavannah.blogspot.com.
