It's time to take a second and rethink about everything we had been through in the last 11 and half months, from our happiest times to our most despairing ones, every single experience we went through was written already on Rosh Hashana last year and was sealed at the end of the Neila on Yom Kippur.
It's that time of the year again where we can make a change, where our next year is somewhat in our hands because everything is still open. Our daily actions from now till Rosh Hashana will determine how much happiness or chas ve shalom the opposite we will have in the upcoming year.
The Chachmei hakabala explain that on Yom Kippur it is decided how much pain or happiness a person will have in the upcoming year, if we try to prevent what might look like a guaranteed suffering, it is most likely that the suffering will come from a different direction, however now it's our time to try to increase the amount of smachot we will have next year and to decrease the pain and suffering and yehi ratzon that there will be no suffering at all!
The main way to do it is by Teshuva.
When we hear the word Teshuva we right away think about turning our life around, becoming ultra shomrei Torah umitzvoth but the Truth is that Teshuva is probably the simplest and easiest mitzva to fulfill,As the Pasuk says "ki karov eleicha hadavar meod, beficha ubilvavcha laasoto".
Naturally we would think that once the avera was done, theres no way we can go back and fix it, neither physically or spiritually. However, the Mesilat Yesharim explains that the greatness of the Teshuva is not only that our sins are forgiven but that they're literally being uprooted from our past, just as if we had never done any of it before!! That is also why the Teshuva is one of the things that Hashem created before this world, Teshuva is not bound to nature and with the power of Teshuva the "worst" sins one had ever done can be corrected and erased.
In order to do Teshuva correctly we have to engage in a 4 step process which the Rambam explains in Hilchot Teshuva, perek Bet Halacha Bet (Sefer Hamada): "what is the Teshuva?, leaving the sin, regret, confess. acceptance of future", not only that, the Rambam says that when a person confesses the sin to Hashem he has to speak it (not just think) but obviously quietly, and not only speak the confession but to also SAY "I am taking upon myself to not fall in this Sin from now on". Once a person can check through each part of the Teshuva that is the complete Teshuva the Torah speaks about.
The last part of it "acceptance of future" sounds a little worrying, as we all know we are human beings and are subjected to fall so how can we come and take upon ourselves to not do the same Avera over again?!?!, the answer is that when we truly regret our Averot and we do Teshuva and accept upon ourselves to not fall again, that is true Teshuva regardless if we will fall in the future or not, what matters is that at the time of confession and acceptance we truly regret and are ashed with out averot. The source for it we learn from Yishmael, when Sarah sent Hagar out on her own with her son Yishmael, it came to a point that Hagar had no water and could not feed her son anymore, so she put him between the bushes and left because she couldn't see him dying. Yishmael then cried to Hashem and then Hashem opened Hagars eyes and she saw an oasis right Infront of her. The Malachim then asked Hashem why would he let Yishmael live? Some of the worst human beings will come out of him in the future, so Hashem told them, at this moment he is a Tzadik so for me he is a Tzadik.
Imagine coming Infront of Hashem on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and being judged as Tzadikim? With the undoubtable power of Teshuva we can all do it.
Remember now it's the time that with true repentance we can all enjoy the best upcoming year of our life bH!
Small things we do now will save us from big things later, we can't comprehend the greatness of giving out few quarters to Tzdaka daily, and going to Shiurim, doing Teshuva and prepare for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur and of course the 10 days in between.
Yehi Ratzon that we will all do Teshuva and get as close to Hashem as we can and may whoever needs a shidduch, refua, Parnasah, Shalom Bayit, all of the above, will be given it this upcoming year with the Geula Shlema and with the pure Beracha of Hashem, Amen.
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