Even when a person realizes that he needs to engage in a process of Teshuvah, he will often mistakenly rely on what is found in the words of our Sages as to the actions in which one must engage to succeed at Teshuvah. Even though everything they say is true and we can't ignore the pshat of what they say, but the real foundation of Teshuvah is purity of the heart, not actions. It is easy to get lost in the behavioral changes which are misdirecting him from the essential pursuit of Teshuvah, which is found in the heart.
But when a person engages in a conversation with Hashem he can see through his own mirage. He can't say to Hashem, "I did this and that for you, and I did all these good deeds in order that you should give me life, good children and plenty of money in the coming year." If he tries saying that, the following will be self-evident as well, "By the way, I wish I didn't feel that Judgement Day was upon me. This is a real nuisance and I am having to do an awful lot of work to deal with it. But, the Torah says that this is Rosh HaShanah and I am going to be judged, so I'm doing what I need to do."
But when a person engages in a conversation with Hashem he can see through his own mirage. He can't say to Hashem, "I did this and that for you, and I did all these good deeds in order that you should give me life, good children and plenty of money in the coming year." If he tries saying that, the following will be self-evident as well, "By the way, I wish I didn't feel that Judgement Day was upon me. This is a real nuisance and I am having to do an awful lot of work to deal with it. But, the Torah says that this is Rosh HaShanah and I am going to be judged, so I'm doing what I need to do."
No comments:
Post a Comment