Have you ever wanted to travel through time? Ever do something you wished you could go back and fix, or have a do-over? Most people wish for a second chance at least once.
The potential to travel through time may become a reality sooner than we think.
New discoveries concerning subatomic particles show that they can move backward in time, and more broadly, the understanding of how time and space are a part of one system has led to ideas of how time travel is a real possibility.
But before modern physics came into the picture, Hebrew scriptural tradition taught about a personal, spiritual version of time travel which can be utilized at any moment.
This spiritual time machine is teshuva, the Hebrew word for repenting, or more accurately returning to the essence of our being. If done correctly, with sincerity, previous errors can be erased or rewritten.
Teshuva can be done by anyone, at any time, for anything.
Every human being is created with a divine spark. The commandments enumerated in the Hebrew Bible are the system that was set up for the universe and for human beings to achieve their pinnacle.
They are the "prescription" from God to ensure our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Jews and gentiles, men and women, priests, kings, prophets, and other groups, have distinct commandments highlighting the different prescription relevant to their specific life missions.
When one deviates from the divine prescription, he clouds over his divine core.
Living a life out of sync with oneself and his divine mission can make for a life of emotional, mental, and spiritual baggage. Poor choices can have a ripple effect on a person’s character, relationships, and even alter the destiny originally slated him.
So, a person’s deeds have a direct result on the entire trajectory and timeline of his life.
Doing teshuva, returning to God, uproots misdeeds from the damaged timeline, creating an alternative timeline, one in which those mistakes were never made, and likewise the negative repercussions that came from them are also no longer present.
Forgiveness in the present, nullifies the misdeeds of the past, and sets the stage for a new future. Teshuva is, in fact, time travel.
The secret of how this works is contained in the Tetragrammaton, God’s four-letter essential name used in the Hebrew Bible.
Interestingly, this name is a cryptic combination of the Hebrew words for past, present, and future, alluding to the idea that God is beyond the boundaries of time.
Reaching to God enables us to reach into the realm of timelessness, an alternate reality where one transcends time and causality.
While repentance and returning to our Godly core is possible at any time, the "High Holidays" on the Jewish calendar are an auspicious time for it. They begin with Rosh Hashana — the head of the Jewish year, and Yom Kippur — the Day of Atonement.
The upcoming Jewish year 5783 is reckoned from the creation of Adam and Eve.
It's the birthday and renewal of humanity, and an annual opportunity to crown God as King in our lives and reaffirm our mission. We blow into the shofar, the ram’s horn, heralding the King’s renewed coronation, and the renewed vitality which He, in turn, breathes into us.
On Rosh Hashana the fate of every person is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.
The sealing of one’s destiny for the year on the Day of Atonement, reminds us we can choose to reconnect and begin a new timeline right now.
Atonement is a contraction of at-one-moment.
During this time, we can change our fate through teshuva.
Teshuva involves three steps: cognitively, it requires an acknowledgement of one’s actions; emotionally, it involves feeling regret in having done them; and behaviorally, a commitment to do things differently in the future.
The fact that the New Year marks the birthday of Adam and Eve — and therefore all of humanity, illustrates that this new energy and potential has relevance and inspiration to all of us.
The High Holidays are upon us, and we can all avail ourselves of the opportunity toward renewal. We can all reignite our passion and restore our mission.
We can all collectively ask God to give us the strength to confront our weaknesses. May each of you be written and inscribed for a good and sweet year, filled with forgiveness, self-transformation, and endless light.
Motivator, entertainer, and educator - Rabbi Pinchas Taylor hosts "Taylor Talks," available on YouTube, providing weekly inspiration and promoting universal values and themes. He regularly features celebrity guests, athletes, and other public figures. He is a member of the American Counseling Association and the Association for Conflict Resolution. His most recent book (2020) is, "A Jewish Guide to the Mysterious." He is the director of Orthodox adult education and outreach in Plantation, Florida.
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