The experience of re-connecting with our source and true selves is known as 'Teshuva.' Improperly translated as repentance, it really means to "return."
But to return to our soul and its mission means to change from our daily patterns... and who wants to change?



Many of us suffer from what psychologists define as a "victim mentality. "
Let's take someone who is sadly forced to beg for their livelihood: At first ashamed, often after a while there comes a point where it isn't so hard to beg anymore. It can even become hard to stop, to extract himself from his new mentality. I heard once of a guy in Brooklyn who always begged in his neighborhood that was spotted driving a nice car that same day! He was simply now comfortable with it.



What victim mentality might we be suffering? Maybe we're stuck in a rut. Many things we do is because it's become a part of our routine, mentality and identity. We can slip to such a point where we think about this lower self: "This is me!"

 Teshuva means returning to your true self, beneath any identity and any lower level of self. We can, at any moment, take on a new mentality.
Let's get in touch with who we really are - not the outer mentality we have become accustomed to - but the Divine within us. During this time we twice a day say Psalm 27. Verse 8 says: ‘My heart says: “seek my presence.”’ Our soul asks our lower self to seek and manifest our truth deep inside.



CHALLENGE: Identify one area of your life that you feel doesn't correspond to your true essence, and is preventing you from being your best self. Resolve that for this month of Elul you're removing it from your life.



COMMENT: What's one thing you notice in society that is hurting us from manifesting our best selves?