From Teshuvah to Geulah

By Judy Gerstenblith
University of Maryland

The best way to keep one's word is not to give it.  ~ Napoleon Bonaparte

In an environment with 27 sports teams, 500 clubs and 25,000 undergraduates, my college experience is full of opportunities. Choosing, prioritizing and eliminating are recurrent actions I must take in order to effectively navigate my college career. Like most other college students, I strive to take advantage of the opportunities in front of me, thus keeping myself quite busy.

During my freshman year, as I was sitting over coffee with my Bubby, I explained my courses, labs, jobs, organizations and activities. Eager to embark on the college journey, I made promises to myself about the future. Common refrains I told myself and my Bubby included "I will go to the gym at least twice a week," "I will keep in touch with my high school friends" and "I will not procrastinate in my classes." The list went on and on. After patiently listening to my schedule, hopes, and expectations, my Bubby quietly remarked, "emor me’at veaseh harbeh," "say little and do much." My Bubby explained that it is easy to make promises to oneself and to others, but it is far more difficult to follow through on those promises. Therefore, she instructed me to minimize my talking and increase my actions.

In Judaism, we value action over speech. As we approach Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we revisit our actions over the past year and we attempt to begin teshuvah, repentance. During this process of turning inward, we conduct a ritual known as hatarat nedarim, absolution of vows. We attempt to absolve ourselves of our empty obligations and false promises so that we do not stand in front of God with them in place.

In this, the holiest time of the year, let us take the opportunity to rid ourselves of our unfulfilled vows. But more importantly, let us work to guard our tongue and escalate our actions. Can we tweak our goals and expectations so that we do not have to lie to ourselves and to our friends? The next time we promise to go to a meeting or perform better academically or make a new friend, let us use softer language. Collectively, if we can aim to minimize our promises and maximize our actions, we will be closer to achieving geulah, ultimate redemption. Shanah tovah umetukah! May we all have a sweet year filled with good deeds and minimal promises.

Judy Gerstenblith is from Baltimore, Maryland and is currently a junior at the University of Maryland. She is a psychology major with a double minor in Jewish Studies and neuroscience.

[Posted 9/28/11]