The Torah implies that teshuva is easy and accessible.

Is this really so? If teshuva is so easy and accessible, why do we see so many people, millions of secular Jews, who are not Shomer Torah U’Mitzvos?

A couple of years ago, there was an Israeli couple who grew up in Chaifa and who were not at all religious. This couple was once in Miami on vacation. One day, while they were sitting at the beach, they saw Jewish men in suits and ties, along with women wearing fancy dresses, walking on the beach to the ocean. It was quite a peculiar sight and they were wondering what was going on. The husband was curious and decided to walk over to one of the men, to ask him what was going on. The man replied that he is Jewish and that today is Rosh Hashanah. He went on to explain that they were performing the mitzvah of Tashlich. The Orthodox man, seeing that he was talking to an Israeli, asked him if he wanted to read Tashlich. The Israeli, who until this point had never done anything religious in his life, decided that he wanted to do so. “Yes, please”, he said with a smile. After reading Tashlich, another Jew standing nearby walked over and asked him if he would like to perform one of the main mitzvos of the day: Teki’as Shofar? The man said “sure”, and so, the yid blew shofar for him.

Now, although it was clear that the person who blew the shofar and that Israeli would probably never see each other ever again, interestingly, the man who blew the shofar volunteered his name. He looked the Israeli in the eye, extended his hand and said “by the way, my name is Shlomo Katz”. The Israeli thought it was a little interesting that this man had specifically mentioned his name, after all, nobody else had.

Regardless, he shook Shlomo Katz’s hand, thanked him and headed back to his wife.

When the man went back to his wife, his wife asked him what had happened. The Israeli related everything, concluding with mentioning that the man who blew shofar “was a nice man. He mentioned to me that his name was Shlomo Katz”. After hearing this, his wife suddenly became lost in thought. The Israeli asked his wife what was wrong? She answered slowly “I…I actually had a grandfather named Shlomo Katz. He was very religious. My grandfather was actually the one in charge of blowing shofar for his entire community. He blew it every year for them, for years. Although I was not brought up religious and my family did not keep any mitzvos, I remember my mother fondly mentioning this to me with pride many times over the years. She always said that he was a great Rabbi. What are the odds, that the man you met today, and who blew shofar for you, happened to have had the same exact name as my grandfather who would always blew shofar? And for such a ‘coincidence’ to occur on Rosh Hashana? I can’t help but feel that it is a message”.

The couple were moved by what happened and the events of that day triggered their curiosity about religious Judaism. They wanted to learn more. Slowly but surely, this couple went on to become frum.

Many years later, this Israeli man, now a frum Shomer Shabbos, once had the opportunity to meet R’ Chaim Kanievsky. When he met with him, he related to R’ Chaim this incident that had sparked his teshuva journey. He then asked R’ Chaim, “Hashem could have sent us this sign of someone named ‘Shlomo Katz’ who blew shofar for me, which clearly had the potential to inspire us, years earlier. Why did Hashem delay sending us this message? Wouldn’t it have been better if we would have become frum sooner? Why did Hashem wait so long?”.

Few people could answer such a question. R’ Chaim could. R’ Chaim answered “Hashem was waiting to talk to you for years. He always wanted to send you a message. However, you had to take the first step. When you finally took the first step and approached the yidden to inquire what they were doing, and then when you consented to recite Tashlich and then to hear the shofar, then and only then, Hashem sent you the sign. For, we must always take the first step forward before Hashem intervenes. As it says in Mesechtes Shabbos (104a), Hashem’s assistance follows the principle that: ‘if one comes to purify himself’, only then, is ‘he is assisted [by Hashem]’” (see also Makkos 10b). (This true story was related by R’ Berger in Monsey, by R’ Paysach Krohn, and others, with very minor differences).

Ask anyone who has ever struggled with enjoying or being good at learning Torah, who struggled with tzniyus, with their middos, etc. – and then somehow turned themselves around & became excellent in these areas - how they did so? How did they completely change themselves around? Undoubtedly, you will often hear them say that they just decided one day to push themselves and truly commit to making it happen. There is no shortcut, you just have to go ahead and take the first real steps; the results will follow.

Indeed, many of us can look at our own personal struggles over the years that we have overcome, to find that we too have experienced this in some way or another. As the Torah states, teshuva is exceedingly close & accessible. All we have to do is push ourselves to take the first true and sincere steps, no matter how difficult they may be. Once we do, in conjunction with our efforts, Hashem will take care of the rest.

Living inspired

There is an age-old praiseworthy practice, mentioned by many, including R’ Yisrael Salanter, to accept one small thing to focus on improving during Elul/Yomim No’rayim and the coming year. This undertaking is supposed to be realistic enough to stick to. Regardless, this practice utilizes the above-mentioned principle to take a concrete small-first-step towards improving ourselves and coming closer to Hashem.

Now, there are many great areas that we can focus on improving in regards to the mitzvos bain adam l’makom (between man and Hashem. For some examples, see footnote below**). However, while doing so is certainly important, it is in a sense even more important to improve in an area regarding bein adam l’chaveiro (interpersonal matters). Consider the following: We cry-out multiple times during selichos and during the Aseres Yimei Teshuva, the yud gimmel middos ha’rachamim (13 attributes of Hashem’s mercy). We do so because, as the Gemara states, Hashem gave us a promise that if we recite them we are guaranteed to be forgiven. This is so even if we’ve fallen so low and sinned so greatly, that not even our greatest zechusim, including zechus avos, can save us (Rosh Hashanah 17b).

R’ Meir Stern Shlita (the Rosh HaYeshiva of the Yeshiva Gedola of Passaic), points out that if one wants the guarantee of the yud gimmel middos harachamim to work, one must put effort into EMULATING these middos when it comes to our own personal bein adam l’chaveiro interactions. As the Gemara states “Ma Hu Chanun V’rachum af atah” - “Just as [Hashem] is Gracious and Compassionate, you should also be gracious and compassionate”*(Shabbos 133b. See also Sotah 14a). Certainly, one cannot expect to receive the guarantee of reciting the yud gimmel middos harachamim, if one acts completely contrary to the middos he is fervently articulating when he is personally dealing with others.

This Elul, let us all choose a specific undertaking via which we will take a concrete small-step towards Hashem***. Additionally, let us all make an attempt to emulate Hashem’s yud gimmel middos more, in all of our interactions with others. Doing so is key to guaranteeing ourselves a full kapparah, to living a meaningful life, and to doing our part to receive a K’siva V’chasima Toiva.

Gut Shabbos and a K’siva V’chasima Toiva

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*- This is also implied by the fact that the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah 17b states one must “perform” this procedure and does not state that one must merely “say” this procedure.

**- For example: One can accept upon themselves to have more concentration when reciting the first bracha of bentching or Shemonei Esrei, to concentrate more when saying one asher yatzar a day, to learn mussar for 5 minutes a day, etc. Regardless, the most important thing to do is to take a concrete small-first-step towards improving ourselves and coming closer to Hashem.

***- Consider the following analogy, from Harav Shimshon Pincus, which further brings out this point (our avodah is to take the first step to come close to Hashem):

“There is a perfect analogy to describe the kind of Teshuva we do during these times.

Imagine, a father who is strolling through the busy ‘shuk’ (marketplace) for Arba Minim in Yerushalayim on Erev Succos, on the hunt for that ‘perfect’ lulav and esrog. He takes along his precious little toddler, ‘Yankele’. He instructs Yankele to stay close and not to let go of his hand. However, in the process and commotion of inspecting various lulavim, etc. Yankele becomes distracted, he lets go of his father’s hand and wanders off on his own.

Soon, Yankele’s Totty realizes that his son is no longer with him and he begins to search frantically for his lost son! He hurries to the Police station to inquire whether they have received a lost child. To his relief, they answer in the affirmative. However, they ask him to prove that the boy is truly his own son. All of a sudden, a shrieking child is heard in the background…..’TOTTY!!!’. Yankele makes a beeline straight for his Totty and grabs him and hugs him tight…’WHERE DID YOU GO, TOTTY?!?! Why did you leave me?!’. In this instant, there are no questions as to this Father/Son relationship; Yankele holds his father tight, vows to never let go again, and they are reunited!

This is the definition of our avodah to do Teshuva during Elul and Yomim No’rayim- Take the first steps & yell “Totty” with all of your heart! Doing so is guaranteed to be effective.

We are all children of Hashem. We love our Totty in heaven and he loves us unconditionally in return. Hashem provides for all of our needs. We try to stay close and keep a connection with Hashem. However, we are all human and at times we stray far away by virtue of our sins which act as a barrier to distance ourselves from Hashem Yisborach.

However, there comes a moment in time – when we fall so low, we stumble so severely AND THEN WE SUDDENLY FIND HASHEM (Elul and the Aseres Yimei Teshuva is such a time)!

In this instant, we cry out to Hashem with the force of all of our mishaps, of our trials, tribulations and failures – and we scream; TOTTY, WHERE ARE YOU?? WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!! I NEED YOU!!!

We proceed to grab Hashem’s hand with such a fierce love and longing and with a deep and unswerving desire to never let go again! Doing so is guaranteed to be effective.