Repentence

A powerful story about courage, humility and forgiveness, that will change your Yom Kippur. When Nancy Baida and Harry Ashkanazi ran into an argument at a Chinese Auction, they never expected it to end the way it did.

Teshuva is usually seen from my personal point of view, but Rav Kook deals with the very common problem of taking responsibility to rebuke our children and even our wives/husbands, to purify the spiritual atmosphere of our homes. This issue is seldom dealt with, and the class deals with many practical suggestions and solutions how to politely rebuke without having it be counterproductive.

In Orot HaTeshuva 11, Rav Kook describes two types of Teshuva - sudden Teshuva and gradual Teshuva

How can we ever "quiet" our God-given conscience, if we do sincerely strive for improvement, but can never achieve moral & spiritual perfection?! Sounds frustrating, until Rav Kook teaches us in Orot HaTeshuva that the strive for perfection is (!) as perfect as man can be, and that's all God asks. Although it's hard to understand how we can actually erase mistakes that were already done, the sources teach that even when our sages say that in particular cases, Teshuva doesn't help, they're just saying so as part of the test, where if despite that, if one doesn't "despair" & does Teshuva, it's a sign that he's really sincere, his thought of improvement has no ulterior motives & is accepted! It's a lot easier & more natural than we think.

This last Sedra of the year, Nitzavim, seems perfect as a precursor to Rosh Hashana. The sedra reiterates the bond & covenant we have with the Eternal.

There are those who wonder how we can ask God to return us in Teshuva (repentance). After all, Teshuva is our job. I heard once from Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, that every Teshuva contains an aspect of man and an aspect of the Blessed Creator, Who sends man an awakening to repentance.