Selichot; Forgiveness and Renewal

This past Saturday night we began saying Selichot. This is a time period of introspection and renewal. We use this time to ask others for forgiveness. We are able to forgive- but how many of us can forget? G-d not only forgives but forgets our sins and turns them into mitzvoth!

(See video below:)

The following is an excerpt by the Rebbetzin: "There is a story about a man who was confronted by the a dilemma of how to do Teshuva. He decided to consult a Rebbe for guidance. After relating his story, he asked, “Rebbe, knowing my background, how far is the road of repentance for me?”

The Rebbe gazed at him with piercing eyes and said, “As far as east is from west.”

The man turned ashen. “So far?” he exclaimed in a doleful voice.

“No,” the Rebbe answered. “So near. East from west is just one turn in the right direction.”

"The Rebbe’s illustration speaks, not only to you, but to all of us in every generation. Yes, just one turn in the right direction can put us back on track.... and that is the magic of tshuva. To be sure, the yetzer hara does not want to allow us to make that turn. It will cunningly whisper, “Who are you kidding? You can never overcome your past...you are too far gone.....the Torah community will never accept or forgive you. No decent woman would ever agree to marry you. You’re no good! You might as well stay where you are and protect yourself from further pain and rejection.... etc., etc.

"Such negative thoughts however, emanate from a dark place – they are reflective of your yetzer Hara, and not of you. You are your neshama and your neshama is pure and holy and comes from G-d Himself, and therefore, it can never be spoiled.. Every morning as we commence our day, we proclaim that eternal truth in our morning prayers, “Elokai, Ha’neshama sh’nasata be .... My G-d, the soul that You gave me is pure. You created it; You breathed it into me...” It is this pure soul that defines you and not the craziness that side-tracked you. So, of course you can come back – of course you can make that turn. Hashem promises us that even if our sins be red as scarlet, He will make them white as snow.”

"Resh Lakish, at one time, was the leader of a group of bandits, but when he made that “turn in the right direction” and embarked upon the path of Torah, not only was he accepted, but he became an eminent sage, the learning partner of the great Rabbi Yochanan.

As for finding a wife — he married the most sought-after woman in Jerusalem, the beautiful sister of Rabbi Yochanan – a true aishes chayil.

But, you still might ask, “What about his sordid past? How was he able to overcome that?”

When you do tshuva, not only is your past cancelled, but Hashem, in His infinite mercy, takes your sins and converts them into merit. Still, the yetzer hara may try to seduce you by saying that this is a story from our distant past and is not applicable to you, today".

We each have the power to forgive others and most importantly ourselves. We all make mistakes. This is a time period for renewal. By using the power of Teshuva, we have the ability to turn mistakes into learning experiences and sins into mitzvots! This is G-d's gift.