When we daven on Yom Kippur, we sincerely tell HKBH that we want to do teshuva. We want to grow, we want to change, we want to do more mitzvot. Yet, right after all those "al-cheit"s, we go back to doing the same aveiros again and again. Why?
Perhaps the answer lies in an idea discussed by R' Yisrael Salanter. He explains that most people try to do Teshuva all at once. People sincerely feel remorseful, they want to change, and they take upon themselves way too many things. They try to snap their fingers and change overnight, and that's not how to do teshuva.
Teshuva is a long process. We cannot change ourselves overnight - Yom Kippur is not a mikveh where we jump in, jump out, and we're completely tahor. We are forgiven for our past sins, iyH, but we will continue to do them if we do not PLAN for the future.
As such, R' Yisrael Salanter suggests that we make a plan of action. Take 3-5 things, small things, things that you can easily accomplish, and do them every single day. Call your mom, if you're not at home. Bench with a bencher, instead of by heart. Give a quarter to tzedakah every day. Learn 5 minutes of Chofetz Chaim before you go to bed at night. These are simple things that will get your mind thinking about Torah growth. They will not make you a tzaddik overnight, but of course, you cannot become a tzaddik overnight. It is impossible.
I'll be in touch with more suggestions in terms of this plan - until next time, think about what you want to work on, and something feasible that you can do to improve yourself. Nothing huge, just simple, so you can tell HKBH on Yom Kippur "Look! I have a real plan for doing Teshuva!"
Friday, August 31, 2007
apologies
sincere apologies to those who have been trying to follow the blog - i have been trying to set up my internet connection for two weeks, and it's still not set up yet. iyH as soon as the connection is complete I will be blogging every day. Until then, thanks for your patience.
Friday, August 24, 2007
A Guest at Home
11 Elul
We say in L'Dovid Hashem Ori every day through Hoshana Raba:
"Shivti B'Veis Hashem Col Yimei Chayai... U'Levaker B'Heichalo"
Dovid HaMelech is asking HKBH to allow him to "live in the house of Hashem all the days of his life... and to visit His house."
You do not have to be a Rhodes scholar to see the contradiction. How in the world does Dovid expect to be both living in Hashem's house and visiting it? By definition, a visitor does not live in the place he visits.
R' Mirsky in Hegyonei Halacha explains as follows: really, Dovid wanted to live in Hashem's house. That is the ultimate experience - dwelling in HKBH's, uh, dwelling. But the same routine can become stale. Dovid is afraid of his religion becoming routine. Therefore, he asks for the newness of a visitor, the excitement of a houseguest to keep his connection to HKBH fresh. That's the dual concept of being a guest in your own home.
iyH our own Yiddishkeit should be filled with newness and excitement.
We say in L'Dovid Hashem Ori every day through Hoshana Raba:
"Shivti B'Veis Hashem Col Yimei Chayai... U'Levaker B'Heichalo"
Dovid HaMelech is asking HKBH to allow him to "live in the house of Hashem all the days of his life... and to visit His house."
You do not have to be a Rhodes scholar to see the contradiction. How in the world does Dovid expect to be both living in Hashem's house and visiting it? By definition, a visitor does not live in the place he visits.
R' Mirsky in Hegyonei Halacha explains as follows: really, Dovid wanted to live in Hashem's house. That is the ultimate experience - dwelling in HKBH's, uh, dwelling. But the same routine can become stale. Dovid is afraid of his religion becoming routine. Therefore, he asks for the newness of a visitor, the excitement of a houseguest to keep his connection to HKBH fresh. That's the dual concept of being a guest in your own home.
iyH our own Yiddishkeit should be filled with newness and excitement.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Food for Thought
9 Elul
The same phrase in English and Hebrew has very different connotations.
In English, we say "last but not least."
In Hebrew, we say "acharon acharon chaviv," or "last is most important."
What does the difference between these phrases indicate about the different cultures (Western and Jewish?) I'll tell you what I think in a later blog. B'Hatzlacha.
The same phrase in English and Hebrew has very different connotations.
In English, we say "last but not least."
In Hebrew, we say "acharon acharon chaviv," or "last is most important."
What does the difference between these phrases indicate about the different cultures (Western and Jewish?) I'll tell you what I think in a later blog. B'Hatzlacha.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Elul Acronyms
3 Elul
Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li
Mishloach Manos Ish L'Re'ehu U'Matanos L'Evyonim
I know it works out a little better with the Hebrew, but these are two of the acronyms that Elul (Alef Lamed Vav Lamed) comes out to.
The first one, Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li, comes from a pasuk in Shir HaShirim, where Shlomo HaMelech explains the relationship that he has with HKBH. It is a level to strive for, where everything you do is for HKBH - I am to my Beloved, and my Beloved is to me. On such a level, HKBH reciprocates our love for Him back to us. This acronym highlights the bein adam l'makom aspect of Elul and Teshuva.
The second acronym is, naturally, from Purim. These are the two mitzvos that exist on Purim bein adam l'chavero - Mishloach Manos (sending food gifts) and Matanos L'Evyonim (giving tzedaka). This acronym highlights the bein adam l'chaveiro aspect of Elul and Teshuva.
It seems to me that people are generally excellent in one of the above areas. You may disagree, but many of the people I meet excel in one but not the other. One Jew may be incredibly devout in their beliefs and medakdek (careful) in their mitzvos, but they may be lacking a little in their manners or their interactions with others. Another Jew may be the nicest guy in the world, but he'll slack off a little in terms of his bein adam l'makom observance.
We have to be able to grow in both areas. We cannot solely focus on one aspect of Yiddishkeit - there were two sides to the Luchos, two realms of mitzvos which we must master. iy"H if we put in our efforts in both areas, we will be matzliach.
Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li
Mishloach Manos Ish L'Re'ehu U'Matanos L'Evyonim
I know it works out a little better with the Hebrew, but these are two of the acronyms that Elul (Alef Lamed Vav Lamed) comes out to.
The first one, Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li, comes from a pasuk in Shir HaShirim, where Shlomo HaMelech explains the relationship that he has with HKBH. It is a level to strive for, where everything you do is for HKBH - I am to my Beloved, and my Beloved is to me. On such a level, HKBH reciprocates our love for Him back to us. This acronym highlights the bein adam l'makom aspect of Elul and Teshuva.
The second acronym is, naturally, from Purim. These are the two mitzvos that exist on Purim bein adam l'chavero - Mishloach Manos (sending food gifts) and Matanos L'Evyonim (giving tzedaka). This acronym highlights the bein adam l'chaveiro aspect of Elul and Teshuva.
It seems to me that people are generally excellent in one of the above areas. You may disagree, but many of the people I meet excel in one but not the other. One Jew may be incredibly devout in their beliefs and medakdek (careful) in their mitzvos, but they may be lacking a little in their manners or their interactions with others. Another Jew may be the nicest guy in the world, but he'll slack off a little in terms of his bein adam l'makom observance.
We have to be able to grow in both areas. We cannot solely focus on one aspect of Yiddishkeit - there were two sides to the Luchos, two realms of mitzvos which we must master. iy"H if we put in our efforts in both areas, we will be matzliach.
Maharal's Concept of Time
2 Elul
We normally think of time as a fixed entity - time passes us by. We stroll through the week and the days come and go, checking off each passing day on the calendar. In actuality, says the Maharal (a great Rav in Prague, circa 1550), we pass through time. You heard me right - time is fixed, and we pass through it.
What exactly does that mean, you say? Well, it means that there are certain qualities to each time of the year, and they repeat themselves every single year. Take Nissan, for example. We think of Nissan as Zman Cheiruteinu, the time of our freedom, because the Jews left Egypt in Nissan. In reality, the opposite is true. Bnei Yisrael left Egypt in Nissan because the quality of Nissan was Cheirus. The time for freedom was ripe during Nissan, therefore Bnei Yisrael left. The cause of Yetzias Mitzrayim taking place in Nissan was the Cheirus aspect of the month of Nissan.
If all of the months of the year have different qualities to them, what is Elul's theme? Just like we solved Nissan's theme through the Chumash, we can do the same for Elul, as well. What happened during Elul?
Moshe Rabbeinu spent 40 days on Har Sinai three times - once to get the 1st Luchos, once to beg forgiveness for the Cheit HaEgel, and once to get the 2nd Luchos. It was the last of those 40 days, the trip to get the 2nd Luchos, that spanned all of Elul and the first 10 days of Tishrei (culminating on Yom Kippur when Moshe brought the 2nd Luchos down to Bnei Yisrael).
Therefore, Elul is all about second chances. We messed up during the year, but now we have a real chance to make amends. We have a God-aided 2nd chance, a second wind to improve on our actions of the past. With HKBH's help, we will be able to improve on the past year during coming month, as HKBH is close to all who call to him (as mentioned in Ashrei).
We normally think of time as a fixed entity - time passes us by. We stroll through the week and the days come and go, checking off each passing day on the calendar. In actuality, says the Maharal (a great Rav in Prague, circa 1550), we pass through time. You heard me right - time is fixed, and we pass through it.
What exactly does that mean, you say? Well, it means that there are certain qualities to each time of the year, and they repeat themselves every single year. Take Nissan, for example. We think of Nissan as Zman Cheiruteinu, the time of our freedom, because the Jews left Egypt in Nissan. In reality, the opposite is true. Bnei Yisrael left Egypt in Nissan because the quality of Nissan was Cheirus. The time for freedom was ripe during Nissan, therefore Bnei Yisrael left. The cause of Yetzias Mitzrayim taking place in Nissan was the Cheirus aspect of the month of Nissan.
If all of the months of the year have different qualities to them, what is Elul's theme? Just like we solved Nissan's theme through the Chumash, we can do the same for Elul, as well. What happened during Elul?
Moshe Rabbeinu spent 40 days on Har Sinai three times - once to get the 1st Luchos, once to beg forgiveness for the Cheit HaEgel, and once to get the 2nd Luchos. It was the last of those 40 days, the trip to get the 2nd Luchos, that spanned all of Elul and the first 10 days of Tishrei (culminating on Yom Kippur when Moshe brought the 2nd Luchos down to Bnei Yisrael).
Therefore, Elul is all about second chances. We messed up during the year, but now we have a real chance to make amends. We have a God-aided 2nd chance, a second wind to improve on our actions of the past. With HKBH's help, we will be able to improve on the past year during coming month, as HKBH is close to all who call to him (as mentioned in Ashrei).
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Teshuva & Batman
1 Elul
"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me."
- Batman
Batman Begins
I think it's a reasonable assumption that if you're reading this blog, you are interested in doing Teshuva. You might even have a certain mitzvah picked out, something special that you're hoping to work on. If you do, great. Wonderful. Fabulous. Buy yourself some ice cream - you're on your way.
The trick is, now, to put that plan into action. It's not enough to simply have good intentions. I would venture to say that most people want to do Teshuva, want to get closer to God. But there's a huge difference between wanting to do Teshuva and actually doing it. It's not who you are underneath, but what you DO that defines you.
Now, don't get me wrong - wanting to do Teshuva is great and should certainly be commended. Both the Malbim & the Be'er Mayim Chayim point out in last week's parsha (Re'eh, 11:28) that we get points for simply wanting to perform mitzvos, as opposed to aveiros which we get punished for only after we do them, chas veshalom. But in terms of Teshuva, the real deal is actually going ahead and DOING it.
Like Batman says, it only counts if you DO it. You could be the greatest guy/gal in the world, but if you stop short of acting, you're missing the boat. Sit down, pick a mitzvah that's within your grasp, and DO it. Don't be too esoteric - like, "daven better" - pick ONE mitzvah and work on it. With HKBH's help, this ONE step will start us on the right path towards the Yamim Noraim and a Ksiva VeChasima Tova.
WHICH MITZVAH ARE YOU PICKING? (I'm starting with Modim in Shemonah Esrey)
"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do, that defines me."
- Batman
Batman Begins
I think it's a reasonable assumption that if you're reading this blog, you are interested in doing Teshuva. You might even have a certain mitzvah picked out, something special that you're hoping to work on. If you do, great. Wonderful. Fabulous. Buy yourself some ice cream - you're on your way.
The trick is, now, to put that plan into action. It's not enough to simply have good intentions. I would venture to say that most people want to do Teshuva, want to get closer to God. But there's a huge difference between wanting to do Teshuva and actually doing it. It's not who you are underneath, but what you DO that defines you.
Now, don't get me wrong - wanting to do Teshuva is great and should certainly be commended. Both the Malbim & the Be'er Mayim Chayim point out in last week's parsha (Re'eh, 11:28) that we get points for simply wanting to perform mitzvos, as opposed to aveiros which we get punished for only after we do them, chas veshalom. But in terms of Teshuva, the real deal is actually going ahead and DOING it.
Like Batman says, it only counts if you DO it. You could be the greatest guy/gal in the world, but if you stop short of acting, you're missing the boat. Sit down, pick a mitzvah that's within your grasp, and DO it. Don't be too esoteric - like, "daven better" - pick ONE mitzvah and work on it. With HKBH's help, this ONE step will start us on the right path towards the Yamim Noraim and a Ksiva VeChasima Tova.
WHICH MITZVAH ARE YOU PICKING? (I'm starting with Modim in Shemonah Esrey)
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Intro
ONE.
- The loneliest number, according to Harry Nilsson.
- The number of Shabbosim until we'll all be free, according to Avraham Fried.
- The amount of extra mitzvos, per day, this blog is asking you to do.
Welcome to A Time for Teshuva, a blog dedicated to helping Klal Yisrael in their quest to grow in Yiddishkeit. We recognize the enormous task that every single Jew faces - and we're trying to lend a helping hand. Here you'll find anecdotes, stories, and a bit of insipriation to keep growing, to keep fighting to get closer to God.
This blog encourages the reader to perform ONE extra mitzvah a day, in an effort to gain favor in the eyes of HKB"H, in an effort to reach towards Him, to embark on the journey that is Teshuva. Judaism is a derech, a path of life, not just a religion. In order to travel down the entire path, we must first take ONE step. Pick something to improve on. Do it every single day, yehareig v'al ya'avor.
This step will vary for Jews on different levels. For one person, it will involve eating an entirely kosher meal. For another, it will be wearing Tzitzis all day. For a third, it means learning five extra minutes of morning seder. For a fourth, it means focusing even harder on Davening. Every Jew has his/her own set of challenges. (We'll talk about this more later, but if you're interested in some great reading check out R' Akiva Tatz's "A Thinking Jewish Teenager's Guide to Life" and the first chapter there about different levels)
I leave you to ponder what your challenges are. Share it with us. What is a particularly challenging realm of Judaism for you? Discuss it, anonymously if you want. Perhaps others with the same problem will see that they are not alone in their struggles. They will be fortified to know that they are not a single warrior. Rather, there is a whole army out there, fighting together as ONE.
Daily posts will begin, iyH, on Rosh Chodesh Elul.
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