Thoughts & Teachings
In our Jewish calendar the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur carries a special name, Shabbat Shuvah. The Shabbat before Pesah also has a unique title, Shabbat Ha Gadol. Oddly, this Shabbat, the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, does not have any special designation. But we do read the same selection every year. In it, the key word that Moshe repeats again and again is the Hebrew root, shuv, “return” which expresses both Israel’s return to God and God’s return to Israel. Reading this section on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah introduces the certainty of teshuvah (repentance), and the assurance that not only will God take us back but that God will take us back with love.
