Repentance in Judaism

Repentance in Judaism Teshuva "Return"
Repentance, atonement and higher ascent in Judaism
In the Hebrew Bible
Altars Korban Temple in Jerusalem Prophecy within the Temple
Aspects
Confession Atonement Love of God Awe of God Mystical approach Ethical approach Meditation Services Torah study Tzedakah Mitzvot
In the Jewish calendar
Month of Elul Selichot Rosh Hashanah Shofar Tashlikh Ten Days of Repentance Kapparot Mikveh Yom Kippur Sukkot Simchat Torah Ta'anit Tisha B'Av Passover The Omer Shavuot
In contemporary Judaism
Baal teshuva movement Jewish Renewal Musar movement
v t e

Repentance (/tʃuvɑː/; Hebrew: תשובה, romanized: tǝšūvā "return") is one element of atoning for sin in Judaism. Judaism recognizes that everybody sins on occasion, but that people can stop or minimize those occasions in the future by repenting for past transgressions. Thus, the primary purpose of repentance in Judaism is ethical self-transformation.^[1]

Maimonides defines the essence of repentance as follows:

"The sinner must leave his sin, and remove it from his thoughts, and decide in his heart not to do it again... and he must regret the past... and [God] must know that he will never return to this sin... and he must confess with his lips, and say those matters which he decided in his heart."^[2]

A Jewish penitent is traditionally known as a baal teshuva.