We just celebrated Rosh Hashanah — happy 5784 — and Yom Kippur is right around the corner. This period in between is called The 10 Days of Teshuvah. It is meant to be a time for Jews to look inward, have self-reflection and introspection. It’s a good time to think about changes you want to make, similar to traditional New Year’s resolutions.
The first thing that comes to mind for me is no surprise: the Brady Bunch. The lovely lady, her three lovely girls, a man named Brady and his three boys taught us quite a teshuvah lesson in the episode titled “Dough Re Mi.”
Aspiring musician Greg, the eldest Brady child, has written a song he is sure will be a huge hit. The sibling singing group, the Brady Six, is all set to record it when Mother Nature decides to play a prank on awkward middle brother Peter with a cracking, changing voice. Because Greg is a true artist he is able to cleverly craft a new song, “Time to Change,” that makes Peter’s puberty problem a plus. (A lot of alliteration, Amy. Awesome.)
Greg’s lyrics are soooo teshuvah. Let’s break it down.
“When it’s time to change, you’ve got to rearrange who you are into what you’re going to be.”
You might think it’s cheesy, but in the spirit of teshuvah, Greg Brady wrote a truly meaningful lyric and it makes a lot of sense. If you’re looking to make a positive change, start a healthy habit, work on something you’ve been putting off, you pretty much have to do what Greg suggests.
Jenny Hoffman, a St. Louis-based social worker, agrees that this song is a terrific example of teshuvah.
“This piece suggests reflection,” she says. “We shouldn’t change for the sake of change, but rather try to envision ourselves in a better place, a better space, a better self.”
Making resolutions can be fun and usually has positive intent. But if you really want to make those changes happen, you’ll need discipline and commitment.
“Change means something different to everyone,” Hoffman says. “Some type of rearranging of your life is likely going to be needed to get going with your vision, big or small.”
We all know that overnight success making or breaking habits is rare. Consistent work in small steps adds up, and you have to keep at it. Even Greg Brady knows that, as evidenced by another lyric in “Time to Change.”
“Day by day, it’s hard to see the changes you’ve been through. A little bit of living, a little bit of growing all adds up to you.”
Those Bradys were quite wise.
By the way, Peter’s voice change wasn’t Mother Nature’s only crafty twist of fate. Christopher Knight, the actor who played the nerdy teen, grew up to be superhot.
High five, Mother Nature. High five.
