Elul is the season of self-reflection, as we consider the ways that our actions have fallen short of our values, and we begin the spiritual hike to return to our highest selves. Often translated in English as "repentance," the word teshuva comes from the Hebrew root shuv meaning "to return." The Hebrew word for sin, chet, derives from archery, and has the sense of "missing the mark." Thus, in Judaism, when we sin by messing up or causing harm, we atone for this by returning our aim and our actions to the mark that we missed. Through a mix of discussion, text study, song and bibliodrama, this 4-session workshop series explores teshuva, in preparation for the High Holydays.

Session 3, Songs of Return: Teshuva is fueled by the ache in our hearts when we realize we’ve messed up, and our deep longing to make it better. In this session, we will chant and davven some of the High Holydays prayers whose melodies and lyrics best express this yearning and see what they open within us.