Good morning, everybody. Good morning, good morning, good morning, Hashem. I was tuning here with our daily advice, a little bit different. Usually, you know, we do it in the Minyan (prayer quorum), but because it’s Rosh Chodesh (New Month), we decided to do it after Minyan. Now that Minyan was starting, we’re rushing out. Well, today I decided to pick the topic of Teshuvah. Teshuvah.
The Rabbis write that a person who picks even one thing, one item, to repent on and come close to Borei Olam (Creator of the World) is doing what we’ll call Teshuvah. And we have to understand: Teshuvah means to return. Return. What if a person was evil his entire life? Where is he returning? Where is he going? The guy—there’s no way to go back to; he’s coming close. Call it Kiruv (drawing close). Where’s Teshuvah? The answer is, our Rabbis said that in Shamayim (Heaven), we were all close to HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, blessed be He). We were all tachat kisei hakavod (under the Throne of Glory). There was a closeness, a relationship. The person comes here, unfortunately, due to circumstances in his life and decisions that a person makes, and distances himself from Borei Olam. Not that God distances Himself from us, but we distance ourselves from Borei Olam. And therefore, we come back to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. That’s Teshuvah. Teshuvah is where you’re going back: you’re going back to the relationship. You’re rejuvenating the relationship. You’re refreshing the relationship. You’re taking an approach, a step. A step to Borei Olam. And therefore, it makes sense, because everything that you do to get closer is Teshuvah, whatever it is. Now there are three types of Teshuvah.
There’s Ben Adam (human being): the way I observe Shabbat, pray in the morning, if I’m careful, you know, with the way I honor God’s name. That’s Ben Adam, and that’s coming close to Borei Olam. If I take one of those things and say, “Here’s my step. This is my step.” And it’s true. I’m doing it because, Borei Olam, I love you. Take a look at everything I have. Take a look at everything I have. Take a look at the wonderful weather outside. Take a look at the atmosphere. Take a look at the clear skies. Take a look at the person’s health, at his family, at his job. Take a look. Take a look, Borei Olam. Nobody would ever, ever trade his entire life for somebody else’s. Number one, you don’t know. But the other person has a number two. Ain’t so bad. Guys, I ain’t so bad. Thank you, Hashem. Here’s my step for you. One step. One step.
Then there’s Ben Adam lechavero (between one person and another). My friend. I’m not always so nice. I’m a little bit snobby, standoffish. I ignore people. I insult people. I’m looking for an edge. That’s Ben Adam lechavero. Guess what? If you stop one of those, you are taking a step closer to Hashem. Because God loves His kids, and He doesn’t want them to be denigrated. He doesn’t want them to be insulted. He doesn’t want them to be hurt. And therefore, when you are nice to the kids, come in close.
But there’s one more Teshuvah that a person could choose. And that’s a big step. And that is Ben Adam le'atzmo (between a person and oneself). Believing in myself. Believing I could do things. That’s Teshuvah. Because God wants you to believe that you’re good. That’s what Hashem wants. And if I decide that I am going to work on my confidence, on my self-worth, on the way I dress respectfully, in a respectable manner, the way I talk, in a respectable manner, because I hold myself in high regard. I believe that I’m good. Ben Elohim (son of God). That’s true. I work on my middot (character traits), my middot with myself. That’s true. I’m in Bitachon (trusting Hashem). That’s Ben Adam le'atzmo. That’s not Ben Adam lechavero. I have to work on my trusting Hashem.
So, ladies and gentlemen, choose one, pick one thing, choose one item, one item in any of those three categories. Do it from love. Watch, the Borei Olam opens the gates of blessing and salvation, of healing and healing of the soul and the body, of the Lord of all the wonderful things. This is the month, not now, and when...
