I want to, if I can, just throw this out there to our listeners today. When a person is imperfect, when a person feels that Shavuot is coming right around the corner, we're going to receive the Torah, and I'm not ready yet. I'm not, you know, I didn't do it right. Someone just asked me, "Rabbi, if I missed the Sefirat HaOmer (counting of the Omer), but I caught up in the day. But then it happened again, two times during Sefirat HaOmer. We forgot in the night, remembered in the day. Is he still allowed to make the Beracha (blessing)?" I said, "Of course. There's no law that you can only use the loophole once." I said, "Technically, a person could forget every night and remember every day for 48 days, and make a Beracha on the 49th night. No problem."
My friends, that is higher than an angel. You made a mistake. There's always a way to fix it. You did something wrong. There's always a way to make it right. You didn't learn Torah when you were young. There's always an opportunity to learn when you're older. You never went to shul (synagogue). You can start coming now. My friends, HaKadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One, blessed is He) built the Torah in a way where it was not for the perfect. And if Teshuvah (repentance) is one of the central themes of the Torah, if God's greatest glory comes not from the people that never make a mistake but from the people who fight through their mistakes, then understand that this Shavuot, when it comes time for Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah), HaKadosh Baruch Hu is looking for the ones who made the biggest level of improvement, not for the ones who are doing exactly what they did last year.
The Knicks played in the first round against a team called the Hawks, and on the Hawks there's a player, and he was given the NBA's Most Improved Player award this year. Anyone know who I'm talking about? Any basketball fans here? Who was it? Alexander Walker. Most improved player. Hashem is not looking for MVPs. He's looking for MIPs.