“Repent one day before your death.”

–Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus

The students of Rabbi Eliezer were said to have asked him, “If we are to repent the day before we die, how do we know that day?” He is said to have replied, “You don’t. Therefore every day should be a day of repentance!”

Now in Hebrew, the word for repentance is tshuvah, which literally means return. Tshuvah is a process of returning- to who we are, our highest aspirations, our deepest values, our truest selves. We all wander frequently from the path we want to walk, and if we make return to that path a daily practice, we will not stray too far from it. When it does come time to settle our final accounts, we won’t have a lot of work to do, but a short walk home.  I’d call that wisdom, wouldn’t you?

How can you return to your truest self today?

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Eliezer ben Hurcanus or Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, was one of the most prominent tannaim of the 1st and 2nd centuries, known as a severe teacher and his strict devotion to tradition. He is the sixth most frequently mentioned sage in the Mishnah.

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and a lowly rabbinic student. He can be reached at joe.laur@godsdog.net.