Every worthwhile discipline has a program with steps. Stephen Covey had his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote of the five stages of coming to terms with loss. Alchoholics Anonymous has a magnficent 12-step program for recovery. And then there’s a somewhat-less-sucessful nine-step plan that you can watch here:
Since teshuvah, repentance, is a most worthwhile discipline, it too should be a journey with a number of steps. On Shabbat Shuvah, when our thoughts are focused on the theme of self-correction, we’ll look together at the program recommended by Bahya ibn Pakuda, who was thought to have lived in Spain in the first half of the 11th century, and his classic book, Hovot HaLevavot–Duties of the Heart.
When you have time, either before Rosh Hashanah begins or after Shabbat, take the time to enjoy a brief teaching for the New Year, a gift of the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem. All you need to do is click this link and follow the simple registration instructions to get access to the video session.
Judy, Jordie and Elie join me in wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a Shanah Tovah,
