My rabbi, Rabbi Berkowitz, explained that the reason a person's sins are turned into mitzvot (commandments) when they do teshuvah me'ahavah (repentance out of love) is that when a person truly learns to love HaKadosh Baruch Hu (God), their teshuvah (repentance) journey is fueled by their sins. The way they feel, the way they're praying, the devotion with which they're trying to connect to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, the guilt, the embarrassment, the shame—where is it coming from? From this pile of sins right here. So it turns out that these sins, which brought me close to God, turn into mitzvot.
My friends, it is never too late. It is never too little to be able to try to come and bring oneself closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. If you feel far, Hashem says that's only in your perspective, but for me, shalom, shalom, larachok velakarov (Peace, peace, to the far and to the near). For God, He doesn't say shalom and shalom; He says shalom, shalom (Peace, peace). As far as God is concerned, His welcome is the same for either. The turnaround time is next to nothing. In one sentence about Rachav, she not only does teshuvah, but also earns the merit of having, at last count, 10 different Nevi'im (prophets) coming from her: the 8 mentioned, plus Yechezkel, plus Huldah. She merits to marry Yehoshua bin Nun, the leader of all of Am Yisrael. If you feel far from HaKadosh Baruch Hu, recognize that your distance can fuel closeness that might actually transcend a person who never sinned at all. You're a kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's name). You inspire other people around you. So what are we waiting for? What are we waiting for? Today is Teshuvah day.
As the Gemara says, in the name of Rabbi Eliezer, he always used to say, "Do teshuvah one day before you die." And they asked him, "But who knows what day they're going to die on?" And he said the Gemara's version of exactly...