My wife invited her to join us for Shabbos. An odyssey of discovery and growth began. This week she stood under the chuppah as a Shomeres Shabbos.
But, it is not the commitment that she made, at a later date, to keep kosher or observe Shabbos that revealed her true identity. That was not the real turning point in her life. It was, rather, the simple phone call to inquire about a Jewish ritual. It seemed like a cultural curiosity. But it was really the call of her neshama; deep down, her neshama wanted to connect. And that yearning and awakening is what changed her life.
This miniscule concern about one’s neshama is the critical sign of teshuvah, return. If I feel that something is not right, that I must come closer to my true home – I have already begun the process of teshuvah. Every Jew is capable of teshuvah. Every Jew, at some point, wonders about his or her relationship with the Borei Olam.
Rabi Akiva, the great lover of the Jewish people, could not fathom a person who would need to return from warfare due to fear of sin – because if a person is concerned about shortcomings, that itself is already a sign of teshuvah. If it did not bother him, he would confidently go to war. The fact that he has a hirhur teshuvah means that the teshuvah process has begun. Hashem would never punish such a person as a casualty of war and he therefore has truly nothing to worry about.
As we take stock of the year gone by, let us celebrate our neshama‘s deep bond with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We each have it; we only need to unleash it.
* * * * *
Boise, Idaho is home to a small, warm Jewish community. The Chabad Jewish Center offers many programs, including synagogue services, Hebrew School, Mommy & Me, the Jewish Learning Institute, and more. Find out more at www.jewishidaho.com.
State Capital: Boise
State Nickname: The Gem State
State Motto: In God we trust
State Flower: Syringa
State Bird: Mountain Bluebird
First Shul: Beth Israel (Boise, Idaho), 1896, the building is still in use and is thought to be the oldest synagogue building in continued use West of the Mississippi.