The Three T's

On Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur we declare: “Repentance, prayer and charity remove the evil of the decree!” In Hebrew, these constitute the three Ts: Teshuva, Tefila and Tzedaka.

Teshuva (repentance), a central theme of the High Holidays, means more than just saying “sorry.” Teshuva means recognizing our errors and making an effort not to repeat them. In many ways, teshuva is a private act because a person must be introspective in order to recognize their own mistakes.

Tefila (prayer) is the acknowledgment of God as the King and ultimate Ruler of the universe. Tefila is almost private, but not quite. It is a conversation between the person and God.

Tzedaka (charity) is a critical step necessary to reverse an evil decree simply because it constitutes an action. The performance of this mitzvah affects the person giving, the person receiving and its benefits often extend to others as well. Tzedaka is reaching out beyond ourselves, and is thus a public act.

Everything that a person does affects the world in multiple ways. It affects the person’s relationship with him/herself, his/her relationship with the Divine and his/her relationship with fellow human beings.

The path to reversing an evil decree must therefore involve the private, the spiritual and the public spheres of our lives.