The ten days between Rosh Hashanah (the Hebrew new year) and Yom Kippur (the biblical day of atonement) are reserved for acts of repentance, prayer, and charity. In Hebrew these words are teshuva (repentance), tefillah (prayer) and tzedakah (charity).

But, our English translations obscure quite a bit of what is going on in the Hebrew. While the Hebrew words do share some of what the English words mean, they point to much different and sometimes contradictory ideas of what these universal ways of connecting with G-d are about.

Repentance/Teshuvah: In the English, for example, "repentance" implies that we should experience a sense of guilt or remorse over our past actions, thoughts or intentions, and that we now are resolving to do better - maybe to become a 'new' person in so doing. There is a word in Hebrew for this kind of repentance - charatah - but it is not teshuva. Teshuvah comes from the Hebrew root meaning 'return'. But, return to what? You could say it means to return to the right path, to follow the Word of G-d with all your heart and soul and mind and this is certainly one aspect of teshuvah. But there is also the idea in the Hebrew tradition that returning means to return "to one's roots in G-d". There is the notion that human beings are essentially good. Desires and temptations may cause one to stray away, but the longing to 'return' is indicative of an underlying inviolable connection with G-d. Doing teshuvah is like coming home after a long stay in a foreign place.

Prayer/Tefillah: The Hebrew word for praying, requesting and beseeching is "bakasha". This is why it is easy to 'forget' to pray when we aren't in need and why 'prayer' is the first thing we do when we are faced with dire circumstances we cannot overcome in our own strength. And there is nothing wrong with this asking or even pleading with G-d for divine intervention. It just isn't the same as tefillah. Tefillah means to attach oneself [to G-d] - something you are to do whether you need something or not. "While there may be those who do not lack anything and thus have nothing to request of G-d, there is no-one who does not need to attach himself to the source of all life." Those who have developed a solid routine of daily prayer, despite circumstances, have found the meaning of 'tefillah'.

Charity/Tzedakah: What is the difference between tzedakah and charitable giving? Charity implies that the receiver has no claim on the gift. The donor does what he does out of the goodness of his heart, seeing need and meeting it where he can. This is a devoted act of virtue and a true blessing to those who have less than they need. The word for this type of giving in Hebrew is "chesed", most often translated into English as 'loving-kindness'. But Tzedakah is rightly translated as righteousness or even justice. It is an obligation rather than an act of selfless giving. Because all wealth belongs to the creator rather than the possessor, those who have are morally obligated to share with those who do not. The logic is divine: if we ask G-d for blessings and he gives them to us without any legal or social obligation to do so, we too should give to those who ask even though we are not indebted to them in this way either. So we are rewarded measure for measure. If we give freely so does G-d; if we withhold 'our' possessions from those who are in need, so we can expect the same from G-d.