Everything that was made during the six days of creation still needs work.  Even a human still needs fixing.    –Genesis Rabbah II

If to everything there is a season, now is the season for turning. As Jews, we look inward during the month of Elul and the High Holy Days to see where we have missed the mark. While Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are times of both judgment and change, the month of Elul serves as a safe space to restore ourselves and use the process of tshuvah (repentance) to embark upon a new beginning.

In addition to committing tshuvah in our own lives, Jewish tradition implores us to bring the possibility for tshuvah to places where it is desperately needed.  One of those places is California’s criminal justice system.  This year, let us commit ourselves to creating a more restorative and tshuvah-oriented approach to this very broken system.

Join PJA this Elul as we explore these issues together.

Click here to download PJA's Restorative Justice Insert to further explore these issues today.