What does teshuva really mean? Not punishment, not self reproach, but return, coming home to who you actually are. Rabbi David Aaron reframes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the whole arc of the High Holidays as an invitation rather than a verdict.

We tend to translate teshuva as "repentance," a word heavy with judgment. Rabbi David Aaron opens it back up to its literal meaning, return. In this conversation we talk about why Rosh Hashanah is a beginning and not a sentencing, what these days are really inviting us toward, and how Yom Kippur can be the most freeing day of the year rather than the most fearful.

In this episode:
Rosh Hashanah as coronation and new beginning, not judgment day
What the Days of Awe are actually asking of us
How to approach Yom Kippur?
A practical way to enter the High Holidays with honesty and openness

Rabbi David Aaron is the author of several books on Jewish spirituality and the founder of Isralight, known for making Kabbalah and Torah accessible and deeply personal.

The Jewish year 5787 begins at sundown on September 11, 2026, with Yom Kippur following on September 20 to 21. However you come to these days, may they be a genuine homecoming.

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