Jewish tradition tells us that the sounding of the shofar is a wake-up call, startling us into reviewing and rethinking the past year of our lives. If there are people we have wronged or hurt, we need to ask their forgiveness. If there are things we want to change, this is our opportunity for a fresh start.
With your children, share the steps to t’shuvah—repentance, that Maimonides, a 12th century sage, taught centuries ago.
1. Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh—take an accounting of the soul.We are to ask ourselves, “What have I done right and what have I done wrong this year?” Share with someone or draw your reflections in a journal.
2. Say you are sorry to those you have hurt or wronged during the past year.
3. Make a plan for how you will behave in the future.
4. Through prayer, ask God to forgive you. How does one know if one has truly repented? The sages tell us if we have truly repented, we choose differently and appropriately when we face the same situation again.
From The Jewish Parent Page of The Union for Reform Judaism
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