A High Holiday Reflection
Supporting, mentoring, and raising teens can be rewarding yet challenging, especially at a time when so many teens are in crisis. This year, we took inspiration from the ancient liturgy of the High Holidays and created a series of self-reflections that focus us on three sets of actions: teshuvah (repentance), tefillah (prayer), and tzedakah (charity/justice). Using these as a framework, we offer you three opportunities throughout the Days of Awe to reflect on repair: repair of self, of relationships, and of your community.
Watch a video version of this meditation:
REPAIRING ONESELF
Teshuvah – ASK yourself:
- In the past year, were there any times when you neglected your own needs, physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
- What steps can you take to make yourself feel more whole, not only for yourself, but for the teens in your life?
Tefillah – SAY to yourself, silently, or in prayer:
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
– Rabbi Hillel
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when?
In the coming year, may self-care be a priority, as I know that to best care for others, I need to first care for myself. To help myself to feel more balanced and whole, I will…
Tzedakah – DO make a plan to give back:
Can you make a pledge today to create a lasting impact?
- Support an organization you care about, like Moving Traditions
- Bring programs to support teen wellbeing to your community, or find one near you
- Learn about our parenting webinars, and share with a friend
REPAIRING RELATIONSHIPS
Teshuvah – ASK yourself:
- In the past year, were there any times when any of your relationships were challenging, without appropriate boundaries, or had unhealthy conflict?
- What steps can you take to foster caring connections and healthy relationships, with the teens in your life or others?
Tefillah – SAY to yourself, silently, or in prayer:
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
– Rabbi Hillel
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when?
In the coming year, may the relationships in my life be fulfilling, supportive, and caring. To nurture healthy relationships, I will…
Tzedakah – DO make a plan to give back:
Can you make a pledge today to create lasting impact?
- Support an organization you care about, like Moving Traditions
- Bring programs to support teen wellbeing to your community, or find one near you
- Learn about our parenting webinars, and share with a friend
REPAIRING COMMUNITIES
Teshuvah – ASK yourself:
- In the past year, what issues in your community/the world are on your mind, bothering you, or keeping you up at night?
- What steps can you take to make a positive impact on this issue, no matter how seemingly small, alone or with the teens in your life?
Tefillah – SAY to yourself, silently, or in prayer:
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
– Rabbi Hillel
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when?
In the coming year, may I strive to create the change I wish to see in the world, starting with myself and the people in my life. To make a difference, I will…
Tzedakah – DO make a plan to give back:
Can you make a pledge today to create lasting impact?
- Support an organization you care about, like Moving Traditions
- Bring programs to support teen wellbeing to your community, or find one near you
- Learn about our parenting webinars, and share with a friend
GLOSSARY
The High Holidays are a time when we reflect on three central themes: teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah. Each of these themes has both a simple and a more complex meaning.
Teshuvah:
Teshuvah literally means “to return,” but in the context of the High Holidays we use it to mean the entire cycle of repentance — returning to our missteps over the past year, examining the ways in which we have hurt others, asking for forgiveness, and setting intentions. During this season, we “return” to the Holy One and vow to forge a new path in the year ahead.
Tefillah:
The word for prayer in Hebrew, tefillah, comes from a verb that means to examine or judge yourself. Prayer during the High Holidays is an act not only of expressing gratitude and making requests, but of imagining ourselves standing before a heavenly court. Each of us is called on to take to the witness stand and give an honest account of our actions. Through this honest reckoning, we merit compassion.
Tzedakah:
The root of the word tzedakah, which we generally translate as charity, is tzedek – justice. As we recall the many injustices of the past year, we commit ourselves to using our resources – emotional and financial – to address them. The act of giving tzedakah on the New Year is an outward sign that the meditations and words will lead to concrete changes.