RMPS - Int2/Higher - World Religions - Judaism - Education Scotland

The importance of repentance
Repentance
THE GOALS
If someone has done wrong it is important that he should not have to
bear a burden of guilt for evermore. Repentance, being sorry for what
one has done and making amends where possible, is a way to wipe the
slate clean and start again. Repentance offers a new opportunity, a new
beginning.
The Hebrew term for repentance is teshuvah which means returning to
God after having sinned. In Judaism, repentance can only secure
forgiveness for sins or transgressions against God. If a person repents in
old age or on the day of his death then he is pardoned for his sins
against God. However he will not be pardoned for his sins committed
against his fellow men as these cannot be pardoned by repentance
alone. Such a pardon requires the individual to make peace with the
person or persons he has hurt, cheated or offended, and to redress the
wrong done, by (for example) apologising, asking for forgiveness and
compensating the injured party.
The importance of repentance is emphasised in the Ethics of the
Fathers, Chapter 2: 15, ‘Do repentance for your sins the day before you
die’, and Chapter 4: 22, ‘Better is one hour of repentance and good
deeds in this world than the whole life of the world to come.’ The
former implies the need for frequent repentance, since a person does
not know on which day he or she will die.
Jews can repent at any time of the year but the month of Ellul (pr. ellool)
is significant as this is when Jews prepare themselves to renew
their pledges to God. Traditionally it was in this month that Moses went
up to Mount Sinai for the second time to receive the Ten
Commandments. This was after he had smashed the two tablets of stone
on which they were written, having seen that the Israelites were
committing the sin of worshipping a golden calf. Forty days later, in the
month of Tishri (pr. teesh-ree), he returned with the Ten
Commandments re-written. This showed that God had forgiven the
Israelites for their sin. Ellul and Tishri are the months that are most
strongly associated with repentance and forgiveness. During Ellul the
shofar is blown each morning in synagogue to herald the coming day of
judgement. Tishri is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar and is
regarded by Jews as the holiest month in the year in the same way as
Shabbat, the seventh day of the week, is regarded as a holy day.
RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) 45
© Learning and Teaching Scotland