Viduy

Another important theme of the holiday season is the concept of וידוי, or confession. The Rambam mentions that the essence of Teshuva is וידוי. It is also a Torah commandment to confess one's sins as is written, והתודו את חטאתם, "and they shall confess their sins."

There are different aspects of this Mitzva of Viduy. One is simply that we must overcome the difficulty in being able to admit when we are wrong. Often those three little words, "I was wrong," are so difficult to utter. Our egos don't allow it and we must learn to swallow our pride.

But perhaps another more important aspect of Viduy is the ability to be able to review our lives and admit to the mistakes that we may have made. It takes strength for us to own up to our past indiscretions. However, it is essential that we not delude ourselves about what is the truth.

After doing some serious soul searching, it is also necessary to accept what was, but not dwell on it. Our past mistakes should give us the resolve to be stronger and not repeat those same mistakes. All of this fixing, begins with וידוי and the ability to honestly and humbly face the world.