A 5-Step Meditation for Real Inner Transformation

Do you believe people can truly change? Have you ever tried to overcome a character flaw - or wondered whether you even see your own weaknesses clearly?

The High Holidays return each year with the promise of renewal. We enter them hopeful, anticipating a fresh start. Yet all too often, reality soon reasserts itself, and we slip back into old patterns.

Reb Zusha of Anipoli (1718–1800), one of the most beloved Chassidic sages, offered timeless guidance on inner transformation. He framed it as a simple five-part meditation, each drawn from a biblical verse corresponding to a letter of the word Teshuvah - repentance, or more literally, return.

Sincerity. Real change begins with honesty. Align your feelings with your actions. Speak truth. Be straight—with others, and with yourself.

Accountability. Every word and deed matters. Goodness leaves an eternal mark in your favor. Wrongdoing, by contrast, entangles and endures.

Fairness. Treat others - and G-d - the way you wish to be treated. What you send out returns to you, both the good and the bad.

Opportunity. “Coincidence is G-d’s way of remaining anonymous.” Each circumstance you encounter is crafted just for you. Hidden within is a chance to advance your purpose - and humanity’s.

Discreetness. Be true to yourself. Don’t live to impress others, especially those chasing the same. Do what is right, not for approval, but because it is who you are.

So - can we change? Yes. For change does not mean becoming someone else. It means returning to who we truly are.

It may not be easy. But it is simple.