Thursday, September 26, 2024

The Inspiration For Teshuva

 וְהָיָה֩ כִֽי⁠־יָבֹ֨אוּ עָלֶ֜יךָ כׇּל⁠־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה הַבְּרָכָה֙ וְהַקְּלָלָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָתַ֖תִּי לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ֙ אֶל⁠־לְבָבֶ֔ךָ בְּכׇ֨ל⁠־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר הִדִּיחֲךָ֛ י״י֥ אלקיך שמה.  The Kozhnitzer Maggid reads the possuk as וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ֙ אֶל⁠־לְבָבֶ֔ךָ בְּכׇ֨ל⁠־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר הִדִּיחֲךָ֛, why do you want to do teshuva even as you are dispersed amongst the gentiles? י״י֥ אלקיך שמה, since Hashem inserts Himself in the deep depths of impurity surrounding a person and gives one the spark to do teshuva.  That is what Dovid says (86:13) והצלת נפשי משאול תחתיה, You came to pull me out of the depths of darkness.  The next possuk continues ושבת עד ה אלקיך, when you take that inspiration and due true teshuva, then the pessukim continue Hashem will gather you from the ends of the earth, meaning Hashem will elevate and gather together all the holy sparks that you left behind.  

The Pirkay D'Rebbe Eliezer (Ch. 43) says שלח הב"ה ביד עבדיו הנביאים אל ישראל ואמר, שובה ישראל עד ה' אלהיך, עד ההוא ששמעכם בהר סיני אומ' אנכי ה' אלהיך, meaning the ability to do teshuva stems from that connection to Sinai.  That voice of Hashem experienced at Sinai is heard by the Jewish soul down through the generations.  The Be'ar Moshe cites the Baal Shem Tov that the the בת קול  that says אוי לבריות מעלבונה של תורה is the thoughts of teshuva that pop into a person's mind.  This is the spirit of inspiration that allows one to do teshuva.  He says that is the intent of the next words, וְשָׁמַעְתָּ֣ בְקֹל֔וֹ כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר⁠־אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם, if one hears the internal voice of the commandments at Sinai today, if one hears the בת קול, then one will be able to do teshuva. 

No comments:

Post a Comment