- Q. Honorable Rabbi. Thank again so much for your fast answer.
I have another question. I have noticed that the knowledgeable people in our shul refer to the above chapters as a cure for thoughts of sexual impurity and to laxity in the laws of family purity. Why and what is the connection to these chapters?
A. “Shovavim” is a word found twice in sefer Yirmiyahu (the book of Jeremiah) chapter 3 – in verses 14 and 22, as part of the phrase shuvu banim shovavim. This is typically translated as “return, backsliding children,” though the meaning is really more along the lines of “wayward” or “troublemaking.”
In any event, the implication is clear: the Navi (prophet) is telling us that we’re not acting as we should and that we should repent. Accordingly, the Shovavim period is one of intensified teshuvah (repentance) and tikkun (rectification) for personal shortcomings, particularly those of a sexual nature.
The above can range from such matters as unclean thoughts to laxity in the laws of family purity.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by, Horav Yaakov Hirschman, Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller, Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu and Horav Kalman Ochs Shlit'a.
Important Numbers
