Regret vs. Guilt

On of the key steps in true teshuva is that we have to regret the mistakes we have made. Amongst Jews, the concept of regret is often confused with the concept of guilt. However, there is a fundamental difference between the two.

Regret and guilt are not the same thing. Guilt creates paralysis. Regret creates redefinition. Guilt is passive - e.g. I can't deal with this right now. I think I'll eat chocolate and go to sleep. Regret is active - e.g. I really feel terrible about what I did, what can I do to make things right. Regret leads to release from the prison of self-limiting behavior. Guilt goes nowhere, and is so unpleasant that we tend to blame anyone available -- just to liberate ourselves from its violent grip on our souls.

On Rosh HaShana, we should not feel guilt about the mistakes we have made in the past year, but we do need to regret then, because regret helps prevent you from making the same mistakes again.