Repentance: The Meaning and Practice of Teshuvah Book

Foreword: The "Yet" of Teshuvah#x2014;Turning xv

Preface: Our Human Capacity for Change xix

Acknowledgments xxi

Introduction: Exploring Teshuvah 1

Part I The Nature of Sin 13

1 Dimensions of Sin 15

2 Sin as Illness 19

3 Suffering Shekhinah 22

4 Reverence for Sin 25

5 Sin, Guilt, and Impurity 28

6 Sin Idolatry, and Truth 32

Part II Release from Sin 37

7 Between Two Absolutes; God's Demands and God's Forgiveness 39

8 Responsibility and Accountability 43

9 Freedom, Fate, and Repentance 47

10 Atoning through Sacrifice 51

11 Day of Atonement 58

12 Suffering Atones 62

13 Death as Atonement 65

Part III The Way of Teshuvah 69

14 Turning: The Meaning of a Metaphor 71

15 Step-by-Step on the Path of Repentance 77

16 It Is I 83

17 Remorse 85

18 Announce Your Sins 89

19 Apologize Yet Again 92

20 Making Others Whole Again 95

21 Soul Reckoning 97

22 Teshuvah, Complete and Unending 101

Part IV Teshuvah in Three Dimensions 105

23 Repentance, Prayer, and Righteousness 107

24 Being Fully Oneself 111

25 The Dignity of Penitents 115

26 Reconciliation and Divine Forgiveness 118

27 Teshuvah of Love versus Teshuvah of Fear 122

28 Returning to the Source 125

Part V Experiencing Teshuvah 129

29 A Theological Virtue 131

30 Devotion to Truthfulness 134

31 Cultivating Humility 137

32 God's Role in Teshuvah 140

33 One Day Ahead 145

34 Seeing the Goodness 148

35 Faith in the Certainty of Renewal 151

36 Turning Faults into Merits 153

Part VI Teshuvah Its Problems and Limits 157

37 Sinning Against Repentance 159

38 Jonah, Justice, and Repentance 162

39 Irredeemable Sinners 165

40 A Hardened Heart 170

41 Repenting to the Dead 173

Part VII Teshuvah Its Moral and Spiritual Meaning 177

42 Overcoming Guilt 179

43 As God Sees Us 182

44 Divine Freedom 185

45 Primordial Teshuvah 188

46 Past and Future 191

47 Ahead of the Righteous 195

48 Repentance and Redemption 198

49 The Mystery of Teshuvah 202

Conclusion: Teshuvah in Our Time 205

Notes 214

Suggestions for Further Reading 223