Posts tagged teshuva
Coming Down from the Mountaintop, Part II: The Path to Full Atonement

In Part I, we followed Moses' advocacy that averted God's decree of destruction against the Israelites, and his decision, upon witnessing the people's failure firsthand, to shatter the tablets at the foot of Mount Sinai. That was only the beginning of his response. What follows — rooting out the problem, confronting his brother, rallying his most trusted allies, and climbing the mountain once more — completes the picture, and gives Elul its name.

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Learn to Let it Go

I know that it’s not easy. I have struggled with these feelings plenty myself and sometimes still do. But I also know that it can and should be done, for you more than for them. Below are some strategies that can help.

  • Accept what is, then let go – The past is called that for a reason. We can’t change it, no matter how much we want to. So there’s no point in reliving it. The sooner that we recognize that the faster we will come to a better place.

  • Recognize the Divine Element – Just because we don’t like what happened does not mean that it was not meant to be. We may not ever find out why losing that potential spouse, that job, that money or something else was in our best interest. But our belief in personal divine providence tells us that the outcome was nonetheless preordained.

  • Own your portion – While you may not have deserved the hurt you experienced, there may have been a part of the hurt that you are also partially responsible for. Ask yourself what you could have done differently and commit to that behavior moving forward.

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