The innate desire to return

Hi,

"Teshuvah always resides in the heart; it is stored in the heart even during the sin itself."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 6:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Descent which enables ascent

Hi,

"The path of all existence is founded upon teshuvah. Entities come into existence as a descent from the Divine realm to worldly realms – a form of descent and of terrible “death” – to which no descent in this universe, from level to level, from great talent and acquisition to lesser talent and acquisition, can compare. This is engineered on the higher calculation of justice, which gauged the justice of existence before anything was created…

"But this descent has the foundation for greater ascent stored within… as it is written, “Before mountains were birthed and earth and foundation were formed, You have been Gd for all eternity. You laid man low, and declared, ‘Return, sons of men!’”"

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 11:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Repentance: Don't delay

Hi,

"Examine the evil which befalls one who delays repentance; were he not to delay, but rather repent… then when sin would next come to hand, he would control his nature and remember drinking the bitter cup [of regret], and he would drink it no longer."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Harsh words for a penitence procrastinator

Hi,

"The only people who delay repentance are ignorant people, who are asleep and do not take things to heart, who have neither the intelligence nor the understanding to hasten to flee for their lives."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teshuvah: Don't Delay!

Hi,

"Know that when one who has sinned delays repenting, his punishment becomes heavier by the day. He knows that there is anger upon him and that he has an opportunity to escape - meaning teshuvah - and he remains rebellious in his wickedness when he could escape the devastation."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teshuvah is always accepted

Hi,


"Teshuvah is accepted even if one who has sinned returns only as a result of his troubles, and certainly if he returns out of awe of HaShem and love of HaShem, as it is written, 'When you are in trouble and all of these events befall you, in the end, and you return to HaShem your Gd and you listen to His voice.'"

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The kindness of giving someone another chance

Hi,


"Among the ways Gd has benefited His creations is the way He prepared a path for them to ascend from the deficiency of their deeds and to flee from the trap of their errors, to save their lives from destruction and to remove His anger from upon them.

"In His kindness and righteousness He has taught and instructed them to return to Him when they sin against Him, for He knows their nature."

(Rabbeinu Yonah, Shaarei Teshuvah 1:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Transforming the fear via repentance

Hi,

"Each sin implants a unique element of fear into a person's spirit, and it does not depart other than via repentance. The fear itself changes into faith and courage, in proportion to the depth of the repentance."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 8:13)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Thoughts of Teshuvah: Calming but challenging

Hi,

"Teshuvah, by nature, gives a person a calm mind as well as a heavy mind.

"It comforts him, even with the first thought of teshuvah; a world's great and elevated joy exists within a single point of its great light.

"Along with this, though, it continually sets before his spirit his obligations to complete the task, which keep him from arrogance and place upon him a sweet light which enhances his life in a great and permanent way."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 7:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Teshuvah is rooted in the heart

Hi,

"Teshuvah always resides in the heart; even at the moment of sin, the impulse for teshuvah is hidden in the soul, radiating influence which will be revealed later, with the arrival of the regret that calls for teshuvah. Teshuvah resides in the depths of existential life, for it preceded the universe, and before sin arrives its teshuvah is already prepared.

"Therefore, nothing in this universe is as certain as teshuvah, and, ultimately, all will be repaired."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 6:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Peace

Hi,

I know that some believe it's best to lay disputes on the table and fight them out. Nonetheless:

"Peace cannot emerge from the midst of a quarrel."

(Midrash, Sifri to Devarim 286)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sudden repentance and Gradual repentance, Part III

Hi,

[Third in a three-part series]

"The greatest repentance comes from experiencing the illuminating revelation of general goodness, of the Divine goodness which is present in all worlds, the light of the Life of the Universe. We imagine the soul of all, which emanates from above, glorious and holy, to the extent that we can grasp.

"We then perceive that the whole is truly good and just, and that the good and just in us comes when we are true to the whole. How could we be torn from the whole, crumbled away and different, separated, like insignificant dust?

"As a result of this revelation, which is truly recognition of Gd, repentance comes to the individual and the community."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sudden repentance and Gradual repentance, Part II

Hi,

[continuing from yesterday]

"There is also gradual repentance, not a flash of lightning inside converting him from the depths of evil to the good, but rather a feeling that one needs to improvied his ways, the paths of his life, his desires, his thoughts. He walks this path and conquers, little by little, the ways of righteousness. He mends his traits, improves his deeds, and teaches himself how to improve to greater and greater extents, until he achieves a great level of purification and correction."

[to be continued]

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Sudden repentance and Gradual repentance, Part I

Hi,

"In terms of its duration, repentance comes in two types: Sudden repentance, and Gradual repentance.

"Sudden repentance comes from a sort of spiritual lightning that enters the soul. At once one recognizes the bad and ugly nature of the sin, and he becomes a new person, already sensing within himself a complete change for the good. This comes about via the appearance of an internal splendor, some great spiritual revelation, the paths of which may be sought in the hidden depths."

[to be continued...]

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The world is progressing toward repentance

Hi,

"The world does not remain static; it develops and evolves, and true, complete evolution must bring about total material and spiritual health. This will introduce the life of repentance."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 5:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The natural drive for teshuvah

Hi,

"It is the nature of the human spirit to walk a righteous path. When one strays from the path, falling into sin, then - if his soul is not entirely corrupted - this sense of righteousness pains his heart, he melts from the pain, and he is energized to return and mend that which he has made crooked until he feels that his sin has been wiped away."

(R' Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot haTeshuvah 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The fundamental nature of Teshuvah

Hi,

"Teshuvah [repentance] occupies the greatest portion of Torah and Life, and upon it are founded all of the hopes of the individual and the community."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Introduction to Orot haTeshuvah)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

An interesting religious approach to the pursuit of wealth

Hi,

We are familiar with texts which denigrate the pursuit of wealth, arguing that people amass wealth for a future they might not live to see. Here's a different perspective:

"The ant lives only six months, and consumes only one and a half wheat kernels, but it gathers any wheat and barley it can find all through the summer.

"Rabbi Tanchuma said: In its entire life it consumes only a wheat kernel and a half, and it gathers all of this - why? It says: Perhaps Gd will decree that I should live, and so I need to have food prepared to eat."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The invasion of Canaan

Hi,

"What did Yehoshua do? He spread messages wherever he went to battle, writing, 'One who wishes to depart may depart, one who wishes to make peace may make peace, and one who wishes to make war may make war.'"

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:14)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

There will be justice or Justice

Hi,

"Rabbi Eliezer said: Where there is justice there is no justice; where there is no justice, there is justice.

"What does this mean? Rather: If justice is performed in this world, Gd does not need to execute Justice from above. If justice is not performed in this world, Gd executes Justice from above."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:5)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Justice vs. Korbanot, revisited

Hi,

[You may wish to see this post first.]

"It is written [Mishlei 21:3]: One who performs acts of righteousness and justice has done something which is more choice, for Gd, than an offering.

"This says that these are acts are more choice than offering, and not only equal to an offering. How is this so? Offerings apply only in the time of the Beit haMikdash, while righteousness and law are conducted in the time of the Beit haMikdash and in a time when there is no Beit haMikdash. Also, [most] offerings atone only for accidental sin, but righteousness and law atone for accidental and intentional sin."

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:3)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Honest ants

Hi,

"Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta said: An ant once knocked down a single wheat kernel (for collection). All of the ants came to sniff it, but none of them took it. The ant which had selected it came and took it.

"See the wisdom and glory in the ant: It learned from no one, it has neither judge nor officer... You, for whom I have appointed judges and officers, certainly should listen to them!"

(Midrash, Devarim Rabbah 5:2)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Start them young

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 22:6], 'Educate a child according to his path, and then he will not stray therefrom even when he ages.' Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua taught lessons based upon this sentence.

"Rabbi Eliezer said: If you teach your child Torah while he is still young, he will grow and continue in that path, as it is written, 'he will not stray therefrom even when he ages.


"Rabbi Yehoshua said: It is like an ox which does not learn to plow [in its youth], so that there is great difficulty with it in the end."

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 22)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The value of a good reputation

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 22:1], 'A name is more choice than great wealth, and good favor more than silver and gold.'

"Come and see how valuable a good name is in this world. Even if a person has a thousand gold dinar, if he has not acquired a good name then he has acquired nothing."

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 22)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Who controls the heart of the king?

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 21:1], 'The heart of a king is like streams of water in Divine control; wherever He chooses, He will incline it.'

"Rabbi Yishmael explained: 'Streams of water in the hand of Gd' because just as when you place water in a vessel you can incline it to any side you choose, so when flesh and blood ascend to the throne, his heart is put in Divine control. If the world merits then Gd inclines the king's heart toward positive decrees, but if the world is guilty then Gd inclines it toward bad decrees. Every decree he produces first emerges from Gd. This it says, 'Wherever He chooses, He will incline it.'"

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

How to live a long life

Hi,

"It is written [Mishlei 21:23]: One who guards his mouth and tongue keeps trouble from himself.

"This teaches that a person's death and life are only subject to his tongue. If one merits and controls it, it will provide him with life. Otherwise, it will kill him. And so it is also written [Mishlei 18:21], 'Death and life are in the control of the tongue.'"

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Tzedakah providing protection

Hi,

[Note: 'Af' translates literally as anger.]

"It is written [Mishlei 21:14], 'A gift in secret will bind 'Af.' If a person gives tzedakah in secret, Gd will bind the angel of death, who is called 'Af,' away from him and his household."

(Midrash, Midrash Mishlei 21)

Have a great day,
Mordechai