Dear Friends,
When we hear the word confession, we usually think of weakness, regret, and owning up to mistakes. That’s an important step in Teshuvah (returning to G-d, repentance).
But in this week’s parsha Ki Tavo, the Torah gives us a mitzvah that flips the idea of confession on its head.
Every third and sixth year of the Shemittah cycle (the seven-year agricultural cycle when the land of Israel rests in the seventh year), a farmer was commanded to make a declaration called Viduy Maaser—the Confession of Tithes. The farmer publicly stated that over the past three years he had faithfully given all the required tithes and charitable contributions from his crops (kind of like declaring you’ve paid all your taxes, only here it was about both taxes and charity). And it ended with the bold words: “I have done everything You commanded me.”
Surprisingly, this “confession” was not about failure, but about success. So why call it a confession?
This teaches something powerful about Teshuvah and confession in Judaism—and how profoundly different it is from the conventional sense. Usually, confession means admitting where we went wrong. Here, the Torah shows us that Teshuvah also means affirming what we’ve done right.
If we only focus on shortcomings, we can slip into despair. But when we confess our strengths—our mitzvos, our goodness—we energize ourselves with joy and confidence to grow even more.
One of my favorite Jewish thinkers and authors, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (1937–2020), wrote something that resonated deeply with me: the primary Teshuvah in Judaism is not merely about fixing mistakes, but about realizing that too often we don’t believe in ourselves enough. We play small. We don’t trust the strengths G-d Almighty has given us.
This is why the morning prayers say: “I am the Lord your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I shall fill it.” Every morning, every day, we are invited to open our mouths wide—daring to ask G-d Almighty for blessing, for opportunity, and for the strength to fulfill our life mission in the grandest way possible.
Our Teshuvah is not only for what we’ve done wrong (which we must fix), but also for not asking G-d enough to help us become what we could be. Teshuvah is also about acknowledging what we did right and thinking how we can build on those strengths to make the world a holier, kinder place. And to do that, we must be honest, think big, and ask G-d Almighty for the help to do it fully.
The new year is coming — and we all pray it should be the best year ever. But a best year is not about more comforts or conveniences. The best year is when we shine our light to the fullest. And you have to own the fact that the world needs your values and your light more than ever.
Challenge:make a clear commitment before Rosh Hashana: how will you turn up your light to help family, friends, community, and neighbors — and to grow yourself? And then trust that G-d Almighty will provide the energy, resources, and support you need, so you can focus on where you are most needed.
That, my friends, is the radical but real meaning of Teshuvah in Judaism.
Shabbat Shalom/Good Shabbos,
Rabbi Yitzi Hein