Haftarah הַפְטָרָה
The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur has a special name: Shabbat Shuvah. “Shuvah” means “return” or “repent.”
The opening word of our haftarah is—you guessed it—shuvah. The shoresh ש.ו.ב (shuv, to turn or repent) comes up quite a few times in the haftarah (and also in Devash for Parashat Nitzavim!).
Can you find them all?
שׁ֚וּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
(shuvah Yisrael; return, Israel)
The Jewish people are told: Do teshuvah!
שׁ֖וּבוּ אֶל־יהוה
(shuvu el HaShem, return to God)
The message is repeated: Return to God!
אֶרְפָּא֙ מְשׁ֣וּבָתָ֔ם
(erpa meshuvatam, I will heal their turning away)
The Jewish people had turned away, but God will heal them from that behavior
שָׁ֥ב אַפִּ֖י מִמֶּֽנּוּ
(shav api mimenu, My anger turned away from them)
God’s anger had been facing the Jewish people, but it will turn away from them
יָשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ יֹשְׁבֵ֣י בְצִלּ֔וֹ
(yashuvu yoshvei betzilo), They who sit in his shade shall be revived: They shall bring to life new grain, They shall blossom like the vine; His scent shall be like the wine of Lebanon.
יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵנוּ
(yashuv yerahamenu), God will again show compassion to the Jewish people
If you didn’t get the message, it’s: Return! It’s the season for us to return to God through teshuvah, and it’s the season for God to return to us. Shabbat Shuvah is the ideal time. What better day of the week could there be for spiritual growth and connection to God?
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