The Gates of Repentance

The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 15

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:49:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 15 - The Sixth Principle of Teshuva: FEELING ASHAMED

Perhaps it isn't said simply because it's so obvious, but we'll say it anyway. The greatest problem we have with G-d is the fact that He's... well... invisible.

If it weren't for that little fact, the struggle for goodness would be so much easier. It would all be clear. We'd do everything asked of us by Him in order to grow in our spirits. After all, He'd be right there. And we'd go out of our ways not to do anything to embarass ourselves in front of Him.

For as Rabbeinu Yonah points out, we're very cautious not to embarrass ourselves in front of friends and co-workers. We squeeze ourselves into tight clothing, for example, or act painfully polite and neat in company. Simply because we'd be ashamed to be seen for what we really are.

Some people go out of their way to avoid embarassing themselves for other reasons. They might be ashamed to be seen wearing certain designer clothing, drinking certain wines, or driving certain cars. Simply because they try to live by "higher standards". While others go out of their way to live up to certain professional, artistic, or academic high standards. And the lot of them would be ashamed to be caught off-the-mark.

Interestingly enough, though, higher standards are invisible, too. Those who live by them seem to take them very much to heart, however, and to just know when they're acting below standard. As if some huge, intimidating Standard-Thing were right in front of them, shaking a finger at them when they'd gone off.

Of course Standard-Things don't exist, yet standards are kept to all the time. Why? Because individuals with standards have internalized them. Because they mean so much to them, and touch a very deep point in their hearts.

Why is it then that we lapse into spiritual mediocrity from time to time, and aren't ashamed for example to pray listlessly, or to give nothing to charity? To phrase the question another way, what is it that has us overlook invisible G-d, and not live up to His standards for us?

Rabbeinu Yonah offers that it's simply because don't take Him seriously. In his own words, it's "because G-d is removed from our innermost being."

The righteous and those in search of spiritual excellence are sometimes simply *mortified* in G-d's presence when they catch themselves living below standard. That moves them to teshuva (to return to Him), and it should move us to teshuva, too.

And in reference to what we said at the very beginning, perhaps this isn't said either simply because it too is so obvious, but we'll say it too. The greatest problem we have being righteous is the fact that spiritual mediocrity is... well... too visible. And too alluring.

So Rabbeinu Yonah offers this practical advice in our quest. We'd do well to sequester ourselves from time to time in order to reflect deeply upon G-d's real (albeit invisible) presence in the world. And upon how deeply connected we are to Him as He watches over us, reads our hearts, and knows our every dream.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Source:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 14

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:59:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 14 - The Fifth Principle of Teshuva: WORRYING

This week we delve further into the psychology of the righteous. The righteous are a "misunderstood minority" on many, many levels. For one thing, they're taken to be mythical entities from the distant past, when they're not (thank G-d). And for another, they're taken to live ever blissful and serene lives, when they don't. What separates them from us, for the most part, is that they worry and fret over things that truly matter, and then act accordingly; while we worry and fret over *frivolous things*,... and then act accordingly.

Picture a room full of sculptures at work, if you will. Imagine the rush and tingle of creativity in the air, the cries of "Yes!" as each comes upon the very form that best expresses an experience he or she wants to set in clay, and the like. Imagine also, though, their gnarled brows, the odd and neurotic way their toes tap, and the "harumphs" they make as they punch down their clay in failure. Imagine, too, the rank and tangible air of *worry* in the room when they determine that they simply can't sculpt.

They worry if they'll ever create again, if they'd ever actually created anything of value in the past, if they'll ever want to create again, if they'll ever be asked to create, and on and on. They worry *a lot*. Why? Because sculpting matters to them, because it can be a noble act of self-expression and self-fulfillment, and because the very thought that they might never engage in it again *threatens* them.

Now, you and I wouldn't worry about that simply because we're not sculptors. And, frankly, we'd think they were overreacting, since they're very likely to create again. But all *they* can do is worry.

In a way, that's the lot of the righteous. They too worry about their creative acts-- of righteousness and holiness. Will they ever be righteous again? Were they ever truly, selflessly righteous in the past? Would they have the courage to be righteous in a decidedly unrighteous world again? They worry a lot.

You and I "know" a person really can't be righteous in this world, so we wonder what they're worried about in the first place. And besides-- we say in all naivete-- once you're righteous, you're always righteous, right? Wrong. For if that were so, the opposite would be true as well: once you're sinful, you're always sinful. And that would preclude teshuva (the act of returning to G-d after having sinned) altogether.

So it seems the righteous have as much right to worry about their spiritual stature as we do about ours. And they do, while we don’t.

Rabbeinu Yonah also cites a verse that subtly uncovers another difference between the righteous and ourselves. It indicates that while the righteous fret about their ways and judge themselves rather harshly in the process (in that they worry about how they'd failed spiritually in the past, and how they just might fail again in the future), they never do that when it comes to others. They overlook others' faults, and always give the benefit of the doubt. While we're guilty of quite the opposite. We're quite sure we're right on target, and just as sure that everyone else is wrongful, mean, and of bad intention. The contrast between those who have every right to criticize others and to praise themselves, and ourselves, is quite stunning.

We're also informed about what moves the righteous to seek spiritual excellence. It seems their primary impetus is the stark realization of just how generous G-d has been to us all, and how indebted we all are to Him as a consequence. The righteous dwell upon the reality of that in their lives, and wish nothing more than to repay their Maker for all His graciousness.

And finally while they, like us, could very well settle for an "adequate" degree of closeness to G-d by simply fulfilling the minimum requirements of teshuva (returning to Him)-- which comes down to just expressing remorse, admitting the harm you've done to other's directly to them, and getting rid of the sin-- they prefer to delve deeper and in a more heartfelt way within their beings, and to follow through on all 20 of the principles of teshuva that Rabbeinu Yonah is laying out in this work.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Source:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 13

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:19:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 13 - The Fourth Principle of Teshuva: MANIFESTING ANGUISH

What sets the Jewish faith apart from others is that Judaism focuses on action as well as knowledge and faith. It asks us to take our heartfelt convictions by the hand, if you will, and to lead them gingerly outside the self, into the cold and chaotic world. For while there may be no atheists in foxholes or in the privacy of prayer, there seem to be many in the whirligig of social and professional life.

So we're challenged to *manifest* our heartfelt longings for spiritual excellence; to practise and act out of our convictions.

After all, if I truly want to do teshuva (to return to G-d) I'd need to act a certain way as well as feel it. As the expression goes, I'd need to "walk the walk" not just "talk the talk".

So we're told here that if we'd lapsed somehow into spiritual mediocrity, it wouldn't do to just anguish over that. We'd need to manifest that anguish somehow or another, depending on where within us we'd lapsed.

Rabbeinu Yonah cites the revelation of our sages that the two greatest agitators of sin are the heart and the eyes. After all, the heart longs for and prods us onto things which the eyes then prettify and idealize. As such, it would seem to be wise to somehow use those two crafty "agens provocateur" as means of *returning to G-d*. Which is to say, to somehow or another long for and be prodded on to goodness which we'd come to see as prettier yet and more ideal than sin.

We're thus taught that the best way to rectify the errors of a heart that longed for and prodded us on to spiritual mediocrity would be to *actually and manifestedly* stew for a while in heart-bitterness and contrition. To sit stunned and taken aback for a time by how banal of spirit we'd allowed ourselves to be. And to thus rectify and metamorphize the heart from the outside in. To allow our heart-bitterness and contrition to seep into the curves and bends of the heart itself, and touch it deeply.

We're also taught that the best way to rectify the errors of the eyes that prettified and idealized spiritual mediocrity would be to *actually and manifestedly* weep for a while. To sit in a corner of the room somewhere for a time and cry from the depths, And to thus rectify and metamorphize the eyes from the outside in as well. To allow our tears to wash our eye-lenses, if you will, and allow us to see wrong and spiritual mediocrity for what it actually is.

There's another point being made here as well. As we'll discover at a later juncture, the sages addressed a theme in teshuva known as "temurah" (exchanging). And our principle touches upon the idea in some way. The "temurah" process involves using the very same agent that had done wrong to do good. Common examples might be speaking well of people rather than speaking meanly of them; using the wits and cunning you'd garnered to be a thief to discourage young people from stealing; using your experience as an alcoholic to help others recover; etc.

The point here is that if we'd lapsed by means of our heart, our eyes, and the like, it would do us well to use that very same agent to its best advantage step-by-step. By first growing heart-sick and crying, and thus cleansing the agent involved. And to then use it to do good.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Source:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 12

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:26:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 12 - The Third Principle of Teshuvah: BEING SAD

One practical way of assessing our own personality is to ask ourselves what makes us happy. For by determining that, we're essentially determining our values and inner convictions. If we're gladdened by coarse, small, and wrongful things, we're essentially coarse, small, and wrongful; whereas if we're gladdened by holy, majestic, and G-dly things, we're essentially holy, majestic, and G-dly. And the same goes for what saddens us.

Rabbeinu Yonah offers that we'd do well to be saddened by our lapses into spiritual mediocrity. And to sigh and mourn for the loss of the chance for spiritual excellence and closeness to G-d the way an investor would be saddened, sigh and mourn for the chance he or she had lost to become rich. Simply because we value spiritual excellence and closeness to G-d as much as another soul might value wealth (though there's really no comparison).

Of course Rabbeinu Yonah wouldn't be advocating growing depressed or dolorous. He seems to be alluding to the sort of sadness that lies somewhere between the kind of wistful sadness we'd feel recalling a past loss; and the deeper-blue sort of sadness we'd feel ruminating about what "might have been", and might have made our lives better. He certainly wouldn't be advocating an ongoing self-castigating sort of deep sadness. After all, it's hard to strive for spiritual excellence if you're that sad all the time.

Nonetheless, Rabbeinu Yonah asserts that the sort and degree of sadness he's advocating is in fact a sign of a pure soul, a clear mind, and seeing eyes. For as we indicated, it would be based on a sudden realization that you'd lapsed into spiritual mediocrity and suddenly turned away from G-d. Only "a refined, sublime soul", as Rabbeinu Yonah puts it, would be saddened by that.

This section ends with a rather touching quote from an ancient holy supplicant, who addressed G-d thusly: "Since I sigh in awe of You, dear G-d, please remove my other sighs; and since I worry about my shortcomings in Your service, please remove my other worries."

What this holy person was implying so pointedly is that it's so very human to sigh and worry. In fact, we spend much more time sighing and worrying than we'd like to imagine (though it seems that some of us are more "gifted" with those skill than others). As such, it would do us well to channel those natural inclinations into our pursuit of spiritual excellence. That is, to sigh perhaps over a chance we'd overlooked to do good, or to pray especially well; and to worry, for example, about whether or not our children will dream of growing close to G-d.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Source:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 11

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:04:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 11 - Second Principle of Teshuva: RIDDING YOURSELF OF THE SIN

Logic would seem to dictate that if we're to mend our ways and do teshuva (return to G-d), that we'd need to simply take it upon ourselves to stop doing the wrongful thing we'd done.

But would we actually be better advised to first concentrate on realizing just how remorseful we are for having done it (which would bring us back to last week's principle), and then stop doing it? After all, how serious would my resolve to stop doing the wrongful thing be if I hadn't really come to regret it?

In essence, the answer lies in what drove us to lapse like that in the first place. After all, sometimes we sin on a whim; other times, we sin by force of habit.

Rabbeinu Yonah draws an arresting picture of the inner-process we go through when faced with the choice between spiritual excellence and spiritual mediocrity. The process would resonate only too well with a sensitive soul who'd quickly catch him- or herself being thrust into the same maelstrom from time to time.

Every once in a while we lapse into spiritual mediocrity unwittingly. There it is, right before our eyes-- the chance to do something we'd be better off not doing-- in all its glory! Somehow or another, the forbidden or ill-advised seems to dazzle and delight the imagination. No matter how pedestrian or even soiled it may actually be, it suddenly becomes pretty, charming, inviting.

As Rabbeinu Yonah puts it, our impulses become intensified and start to overwhelm us, we find ourselves facing an onslaught of emotions and rationalizations, we're suddenly thrust into a veritable ocean of cravings, and we're abruptly ravaged by quick and chill winds. And we're caught-- speechless and victimized by our own heart's-draw.

It's not like we set out to do wrong. We didn't for example determine that morning to go out there and hurt someone's feelings by three in the afternoon. (There are of course people who *do* do those kinds of things; but they don't subscribe to classes entitled, "In Search of Spiritual Excellence"!)

In such instances, Rabbeinu Yonah counsels, we'd do well to work on fostering true, heart-felt remorse for what we did; then to work on our relationship with G-d Almighty all the more so, and draw close to Him again. Done in the right spirit, and coupled with a resolve to once again strive for spiritual excellence, we're far less likely to "fall for that" again. We'd thus have rid ourselves of that particular sin on a very deep level.

In other instances, though, we'd be better off following another plan. If we're *entrenched* in a pattern of misbehavior; if we do something clearly off-the-mark repeatedly, energetically, lovingly, and purposefully; and we simply want what we want, right there and then, as usual-- then the following holds true.

In this instance we'd be better off simply dropping the bag, so to speak, right on the floor. To not set ourselves aside to dwell on the deeper notions of remorse and existential abandon. But rather to simply stop, and take it upon ourselves right there and then to never do that thing again. And *then* we'd do well to foster heart-felt remorse and re-establish our relationship with G-d.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Source:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 10

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:11:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 10 - The First Principle of Teshuva: EXPRESSING REMORSE

Remorse is a very deep and all-encompassing series of realizations and reactions. It begins with your suddenly catching yourself doing something untoward. It goes from there to your being stunned by the fact that you'd actually done what you thought you'd never do. And it ends in a whirlwind of dissonance and sorrow, often culminating in the cry, "What have I done?"

Many a sensitive soul has suffered the pangs of remorse. But Rabbeinu Yonah asks us to go a step further, and to consider what our misdeed has done to our search for spiritual excellence, and most especially, how it has affected our relationship to G-d.

His first point is that "What have I done?" should mean, "What have I done to my relationship to G-d?"

He writes that we're to realize just how "bitterly wrong it was to have abandoned G-d"-- to have caused a rift in our relationship with Him, to whatever degree. And to know as well that there are "consequences to be paid" for that. Which is to say that not only would we have caused a rift, we'd *know* it too. We'd soon sense a certain chill in the relationship, in that we'd find it harder to address Him, and He'd find it harder looking at us full-face (so to speak).

But while Rabbeinu Yonah's first concern is that relationship, and justifiably so; our first concern is usually our own personal standing. So Rabbeinu Yonah addresses that, too.

In that light "What have I done?" takes on a whole other perspective. It suddenly metamorphises into, "What have I done to *myself*?"

Everyone knows the price to pay for having eaten that too-large piece of cake, for example. Not only is there a sense of remorse, but there are actually chemical, biological consequences to our having eaten it. As we all know, there are a lot of calories to contend with, all that fat and sugar, etc.

Fewer realize the price to pay for having lied to someone who then discovered the truth, for example. Our word is tainted, our reputation is besmirched, our motivations are thrown into a bad light, our actions are watched closely, our sincerity is questioned, etc.

And fewer yet realize the existential and personal price to pay for lapsing into spiritual mediocrity. The steam goes out of our spiritual practise, we become blase about our beings, we settle for rationalization and small-mindedness, etc.

In order to re-inspire us toward spiritual excellence Rabbeinu Yonah points out that we have a lofty, a veritable *Divine* mission in life; a "career goal" of the highest magnitude, if you will. And that it's cheapened and compromised when we settled for spiritual mediocrity.

For that goal is "to be conscious of G-d", which is to say, to realize viscerally and deeply that G-d is present all the time, right before our eyes, so to speak. We're to "fear" Him, a highly misunderstood term, which means to say that we're to react in the very core of our beings to the reality of G-d's presence all around us. And we're to "reign over our bodies", which is to say, to know our being and its expected reactions well enough to do everything we could to avoid harming it either physically and spiritually.

And though Rabbeinu Yonah doesn't say as much, its seems logical to assume that doing teshuva after our realizations and remorse would then allow us to say, "Look what I've done!"

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Source:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 9

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:47:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 9

As we indicated early on, this paragraph serves as the end of Rabbeinu Yonah's "introduction" to "The Gates of Repentance", and it reiterates his point that what teshuva is, is the process of drawing closer to G-d. From here on we go to the major thrust of this first gate-- the 20 principles of teshuva.

What those principles will prove to be are means of going deeper into ourselves to discover what our spiritual motivations and ideals are, and means of achieving spiritual excellence.

We'll discover that they're not a linear, ordered list of issues we'd need to delve into and work on. Because there'll be times when principle 13 (for example) comes into play, to be followed by principle 3, perhaps.

They'll also prove to be *barometers* of where we stand on a particular spiritual plane at any one time. I might find (for example) that I've already come to realize principle 5, but that I'm nowhere near having realized principle 19, perhaps.

And Rabbeinu Yonah's other point in presenting us with the 20 principles is to indicate that there are *degrees* of teshuva and consequent closeness to G-d; that they go from slight and surface-deep, to intense and all-encompassing; and that we each waiver in our closeness to Him from time to time in various and complex ways.

At different times in the very same life-period, year, day, *moment*, we go from level to level of closeness to G-d. In fact, there are moments when we're actually on two different planes at the same time.

But in order to lay out the degrees of closeness to Him in a linear fashion we'd offer that there are times when we merely acknowledge G-d's presence; others when moved to call upon Him; others when we enjoy a more palpable awareness of Him; others when we have a rather clear, intimate awareness of His presence; and others when we perhaps enjoy a full-throttled, deep and fulfilling closeness to Him.

Rabbeinu Yonah makes a couple of final points here. One is that teshuva involves the *cleansing of your heart* till it glistens. For each one of us is either spotted, streaked or stained in our beings. We might have sullied our words, done what we'd later regretted having done, dwelt upon unthinkable things, or perhaps been mischievous inside and out, by degrees. We'd do well to change course knowing that.

And his final point is that training in teshuva is best started when one is young. When he or she is free enough to dedicate the necessarily hours and years to the fine and subtle art of self-knowledge and self-mastery. But that every rung up the ladder is an accomplishment, nonetheless; and that each one of us is capable of spiritual excellence.

From this point on, we'll be discussing the principles of teshuva in terms of our spiritual status, as we've been doing all along. But also in terms of our purity of heart at any one moment, and in relation to our closeness to G-d.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Source:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 8

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:09:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 8

Many tzaddikim (great and holy ones) like Rabbeinu Yonah seem to transcend space and time, and to speak to the ages. After all, they're divulging immortal truths rooted in Divine Will, and needn't concern themselves with whom they're addressing, or at what point in the continuum their readers live. Other times, though, they speak directly to their generation.

This week we find Rabbeinu Yonah expressing his disappointment in his contemporaries. It seems they'd slipped into spiritual mediocrity and insensitivity in particularly onerous ways. And they were being told just where they went wrong.

It seems, among other things, they were sometimes disingenuous, insensitive, impious, stingy, slanderous, hateful, haughty, and the like. And they were being advised as to how to get back on-course.

What proves to be most off-putting to those of us "overhearing" all this is that we find ourselves falling into the very same ruts, steering off-course the very same ways.

Who among us isn't sometimes disingenuous and can't quite be taken at his or her word? Who isn't insensitive to others' feelings? Who's always pious and never goes off the mark? Who's not stingy and ungiving from time to time? Who never takes comfort in citing others' faults? And who's never "full of himself"?

So, what's a person who's slipped into such patterns to do? Rabbeinu Yonah's advice both for his contemporaries and us is to keep a record of the day.

In point of fact, many people keep journals that cite the more prosaic or accomplished moments of the day. But the kind of record Rabbeinu Yonah seems to be talking about is closer to the diaries many of us kept when we were younger that listed our fears and triumphs, dreams and realizations.

We're advised to keep a sort of "state of the spirit" diary each day. One in which we'd recount just where we'd striven for spiritual excellence that day, and where we'd settled for mediocrity.

And to read from it from time to time in order to stay the course, and to allow for the deepening of the self that is teshuva (the process of returning to G-d).

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Courtesy of:

Courtesy of Torah.org

Subscribe to Spiritual Excellence and receive the class via E-mail.

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 7

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:48:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 7

We often delude ourselves, or at least misjudge ourselves. Yet in order to achieve true spiritual excellence we'd need to know who we are at any given moment, the circumstances we find ourselves in just then, and what effect we're having on others that very instant.

That's to say, we'd need to develop self-awareness and other-awareness. But on two levels: spiritually and materially. Let's explain.

In short, "spirit" is the heart of the matter, a thing's inner presence, its electric center. While "matter" is the full and wide range of things associated with that thing. In human terms that refers to a person's heart, soul, and intentions, as opposed to his or her circumstances and surroundings.

When we're self-aware on a *spiritual* level, we know our hearts, our souls, and our intentions. And when where other-aware, we're sensitive to others' heart, souls, and intentions.

When we're self-aware on a *material* level we're aware of our surroundings, the way we affect others, and how much our actions matter to the other person. And when we're other-aware on a material level we're aware of the other's surroundings, how he or she is affecting us, and how much what he or she is doing is affecting us.

But, again, we often misjudge ourselves and those around us-- both materially and spiritually-- simply because we're often not self- or other-aware.

As such, we very often undervalue the things we do, and forget the good intentions we have, and the kindly and sensitive ways we respond to others in many situations. And contrarily we oftentimes overvalue ourselves, and discount our untoward intentions, how often or to what extent we hurt others or lapse into wrongdoing.

Among the many things Mussar (Jewish ethics and values) teaches us is the art of self- and other-awareness. And it places great weight on those skills, in the belief that each one of us is ultimately reponsible for his or her spiritual station at each and every moment. As such, we'd need to be aware of what we have in mind, what we're feeling, and what effect we're having at any given moment if we're to do what's right.

Now we begin to understand the significance of Rabbeinu Yonah's statement here that "if you repeat a sin ten times over (for example) you're considered to have committed ten separate sins".

At first glance this seems to be as redundant as saying, "Do ten things wrong and you've done ten wrong things." But the truth behind this statement-- its spirit-- comes through once we understand it in light of what we said above.

Its point is that when a person is *oblivious* to self and others on both a spiritual and material level, he tends to look at things broadly and superficially. So if he happens to mock people insensitively, when pushed to own up to his faults he'd only claim to have one: he sometimes mocks people.

"Shoot me!" he'd say, "So I make fun of people sometimes!"

Rabbeinu Yonah's point is that if such a person were to somehow be moved to teshuva (i.e., to draw closer to G-d) he'd need to become self- and other-aware enough to realize that *each instance* of mocking someone was itself a sin. Everyone he'd mocked would have to be apologized to, for each incident. And that the converse is true as well-- each instance of *goodness* would itself be an incident of spiritual excellence.

If we're wise we, too, would be self- and other-aware enough to realize how shallow we sometimes are in our moral assessments.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Courtesy of:

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 6

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 6

Rabbeinu Yonah starts off by citing an enlightening verse from King Solomon's Book of Ecclesiastes. "There is no one on earth (so) righteous that (he only) does good and does not sin" (7:20). Which is to say that each of us-- even the righteous among us-- is capable of sin and spiritual mediocrity from time to time.

Now, the more sensitive among us know only too well our own foibles. After all, who among us could claim to be with G-d, to have the best of intentions, to do just what's right, etc. all the time?

Yet sadly enough, there are times when we actually *do* claim to be fully righteous. And it's usually just as we're about to err, just about to do something wrong. We call that "rationalization".

And it works like this. Tempted with the chance to do something less than uplifting, we take a quick check of the situation, factor in just how happy doing it would make us, then factor in what we just came up with to "prove" that it's perfectly alright to do it, "once you take into consideration that...", and we jump in, thrilled with both our righteousness *and* street-smarts. (Hopefully we soon start to think it over, regret what we did and how we rationalized it, and we draw close to G-d and the side of righteousness once again.)

So, we all go off, and it's only human. The difference, though, between us and the righteous is just this. While they too sin once in a while, as we saw, they become *stunned*, *repulsed* by what they did, and they take it upon themselves never to "fall for that again", if you will-- never to lapse into spiritual mediocrity again-- if they can help it. And they take steps to ensure that.

We, though, often don't react that way. For if you know your heart well enough you'll admit that there are certain known-- even fairly serious-- sins we just don't take all that seriously. That we sort of pick and chose our morals and ideals depending on circumstances, influences, mood, and on "political correctness".

(A quick aside. Ever wonder why nothing's deemed *morally* "correct" or "incorrect" anymore? Why just "politically" so? Assumedly because morals are *values*-based, which implies judgment-- which is itself "politically incorrect"; while politics is *power*-based, and never touches on values. Being "politically correct", then, allows one to be Machiavellian-effective without having to take morals and values into account.)

Nonetheless we're warned that not only would we need to *avoid* sin to achieve spiritual excellence. We'd also need to take the kinds of inner and outer *precautions* against sins that any good physician would have his or her patient take to prevent disease, or to prevent the worsening of an already-existing disease.

To do otherwise, we're told, is to be half-hearted in our search for spiritual excellence. For after all, once we commit ourselves to something as lofty as that, dare we fool ourselves into saying, "Well, I like this, but I don't like that?"

We'd do best to commit ourselves to spiritual excellence with the whole of our being the way anyone committed to any high ideal would.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Courtesy of:

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 5

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:56:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 5

Let's begin with a review. As you may recall, we contend that the first 9 paragraphs of "The Gates of Repentance" serve as the book's introduction, and we've thus far gone through nearly half of them.

What we've come to understand is that teshuva is a fundamental, G-d-given means of drawing closer and closer to G-d after having overlooked His presence by sinning, rather than mere "penitence" as it's usually understood.

We've seen that teshuva enables us to achieve our potential for spiritual excellence and to transcend ourselves (1:1); that it provides a sort of metaphysical "escape hatch" we'd be foolish not to take advantage of (1:2); that only an emotionally oblivious and alienated soul would overlook the great opportunity to draw close to G-d that teshuva is (1:3); and that a sensitive soul would be so moved to regret and sorrow after realizing he or she'd lapsed into spiritual mediocrity, that he or she would sit stunned, and would expend a lot of time and energy on reviewing errors of judgement, as w ell as at finding ways to draw closer to G-d right there and then, rather than later (1:4).

Our paragraph now touches upon a second reason not to delay in our quest for spiritual excellence.

It's based on this. Everyone remembers being a small child with a sense of honesty, fairness, and decency, and doing everything "right". For one reason or another, though, there came a point when we decided to take a friend's treat from him, to cheat at a game, to lie to a teacher, etc. and we somehow "got away with it". We either didn't get caught, or no one reported us. And we felt powerful. "This is great!" we probably thought, "Why didn't anybody think of this before?", we said in all naivete.

We continued being good people otherwise, all in all, and maintained a sense of honesty, fairness and decency. But somehow or another, we kept on cheating in little ways (and getting away with it).

Suppose there came a point when we were caught on tape doing wrong, the tape was then shown to us and we thus came face to face with our cheating, and it proved not to be a pretty sight.

We'd be humbled, shocked. "Is that me?" we'd ask. "Do I do that?"

After a while, a healing sense of remorse would arise, and we'd take ourselves aside to ask how we'd ever come to that.

"It just seemed OK" we might say. "It just seemed perfectly acceptable-- something I just kind of do."

What it comes down to, at bottom, is an insight our sages offered which Rabbeinu Yonah cites at this point in our text. That once you repeat an untoward act once or twice it starts to seem "alright" to you, and you do it again and again with aplomb (see Kiddushin 40A).

You develop a harmful pattern, as so many of us do.

But a person striving for personal excellence would want to avoid that for any number of reasons, not the least of which is because it's simply wrong. But also because of the following principle cited by Rabbeinu Yonah as well, which is rather shocking to a sensitive soul.

It's that when you develop such a pattern and do the same wrongful thing again and again without giving a thought, the next time you start to do it, but you get waylaid and don't do it-- you're nonetheless considered guilty of it anyway!

Why? Because a pattern's been established, that's become the way you do things, and that's that. And even if you don't manage to do it, you might as well have!

Rabbeinu Yonah's point is, then, that the sort of person who'd strive for spiritual excellence would want to avoid such a moral rut. He or she would thus do everything to not repeat a misdeed, and would try as soon as possible to do teshuva for the first incidence.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 4

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:14:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 4

He starts off by delving into some of the stark and chilling reactions people might have to their own spiritual mediocrity, once they begin to truly strive for spiritual excellence. And he refers to *sighing*, *trembling*, *worrying*, and *crying* in reaction to it. We'll take this opportunity to introduce a theme that will come up again and again in our discussions: our reactions to *spiritual* issues as opposed to our reactions to *worldly* issues.

Now, some people would taken aback by such raw emotional responses like sighing, trembling, etc in the face of spiritual introspection. "After all," they're likely to say, "We're talking about religious issues... not anything that important!"

Yet if (G-d forbid) our career was crumbling, our marriage failing, or our health were being threatened we'd certainly find ourselves sighing, trembling, worrying, and crying, to say the least. Why? Because those sorts of things are clearly important to us all.

It's our contention that spiritual development and the drive to achieve spiritual excellence are certainly important, too. In fact, we contend they're even more important than those others *in the big picture*. And that the sensitive soul in search of spiritual excellence would likely think so, too.

Rabbi Yonah's point in this paragraph then, is that once such sensitive and striving souls would discover to their dismay that they'd lapsed into spiritual mediocrity, they'd surely *sigh*, *tremble*, *worry*, and *cry* in reaction to that.

And he points out that we'd surely never lapse into an instance of spiritually mediocrity *another time* if we'd sighed, trembled, worried, and cried about such a lapse *the first time*. For after all, anyone who'd gone through that once wouldn't want to go through it again!

At this juncture Rabbeinu Yonah goes somewhat into the dynamics of ill judgement. He explains just what would ever move a person to lapse into spiritual mediocrity in the first place.

It comes down to the fact that our all-too-human but decidedly earthy impulses are often swift and aggressive enough to overtake our better judgements. And after all, who among us *hasn't* been thrown into a tailspin by a "crazy impulse" to do something he or she regretted later on, in a more rational moment?

The solution? We're to "ask for advice how to grow in the fear of G-d" and how to "be alert to our impulses' assaults". That's to say, we're to study holy Mussar (ethical, spiritual) texts that divulge the secrets of great spiritual growth and excellence (i.e., "the fear of G-d"). And we're to read and know our own hearts well enough to know our own failings.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 3

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:21:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 3

Last time, Rabbeinu Yonah revealed the great opportunity for spiritual excellence that teshuva (returning to G-d) really is. This time he describes the sorts of people who wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity. And we find that there are two sorts.

The unlearned, whom Rabbeinu Yonah characterizes as "asleep, inert, and oblivious". And individuals "so alienated from G-d that they don't believe there are consequences to sinning", i.e., to spiritual mediocrity. He then indicates that their opposite is the righteous Torah scholar who's *also* liable to slip into spiritual mediocrity, but who's nonetheless sure to quickly do teshuva. All this calls for explanation.

First off, there's unlearned, and there's unlearned. Most of us are learned, which is to say, we're educated. But not all of us are scholars, nor are all us are analytical or used to doing research. So in a certain sense, very many of us could be said to relatively unlearned, or unscholarly.

But I dare say most of us aren't "asleep", which is to say, *unaware*. Most of us aren't "inert", which is to say, *dull and blunt*. And certainly very few of us are "oblivious", which is to say, *intellectually and emotionally comatose*. So it's easy to assume that we'd likely be open to teshuva if we knew enough about it and came to realize how important it was to our goal of becoming spiritually excellent.

Still and all oftentimes, the truth be known, we're *kind of* asleep, inert, and oblivious. And we overlook the chance to do teshuva.

Other times we catch ourselves being rather blase about the fact that our actions have "real world" consequences-- that they affect our very beings as well as others we love. Yet in our more sensitive moments we're certainly capable of acknowledging this. And we either sit stunned and immobilized with the realization of that; or we own up to our moral power, and use it for goodness from then on.

Rabbeinu Yonah's point seems to be that when we are in fact *unaware* of the effect we have on others (i.e., when we're "asleep"); when we're *dull and blunt* when it comes to other people's feelings (i.e., when we're "inert"); and when we're *intellectually and emotionally comatose* (i.e., when we're "oblivious")-- we're also *alienated from G-d*!

After all, our relationship to Him is said to mirror our relationship to others. Consequently, if we're emotionally and spiritually alienated from others, we're alienated from G-d too. And we'd be the sort of people who wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity to draw close to G-d that teshuva is.

Quite a daunting thought!

What are we to do then? As Rabbeinu Yonah indicated, we're to become *learned*, i.e., we'd be wise to become serious, righteous students of Torah. For while they too are only human, and they too are liable to err, they invariably jump at the chance to do teshuva once they realize what they've done. For their Torah studies constantly remind them of teshuva's ultimate goals-- spiritual excellence and closeness to G-d.

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 2

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Shaarei Tshuvah

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 2

This week's paragraph of "The Gates of Repentance" cites a fascinating parable which reiterates just how great teshuva (returning to G-d) really is. After all, it serves as an *escape hatch* of sorts. Let's see how.

Our sages tell of a band of robbers who were thrown in prison by the king where they languished for a while till they dug an escape hatch and fled. One of them, though, decided not to escape. And when the jail keeper arrived and turned one way and caught sight of the escape hatch, then the other way and noticed the remaining prisoner, he said to him, "Fool! There's an escape hatch right before your eyes and you're not using it?" (Kohelet Rabbah 7:15)

Rabbeinu Yonah uses that story to make the point that we'd be fools not to take advantage of the "escape hatch" that teshuva is.

But let's examine this story a little more deeply.

Perhaps there's something to be said for the one remaining prisoner. After all, wasn't his an act of conscience? Isn't it likely to assume that he said to himself, "Sure I could escape with my friends, see my wife and kids again, and be a free man. But that would be wrong. After all, I stole, I was caught red-handed, I was wrong, and I deserve to be here! In fact, when the king himself hears of my altruism, he's bound to be pleased."

Rabbeinu Yonah's point, though, is apparently this.

When we're "spiritually mediocre" and we sin, we harm our own beings and others', and besmirch our reputations before G-d. Our own beings are harmed because we belittle our potential, others are harmed by what we've said or done to hurt or damage them, and our reputations are besmirched before G-d because He knows our spiritual potential and expects the very best of us.

Now, doing that sort of harm would seem to be a mortal error. It would only be logical to assume that anyone guilty of that would be landed into on the spot, excoriated, and left undone.

But no. There's always an "escape hatch". There's always the great and magnanimous second chance that is teshuva.

In fact, how many of us get a second chance in life, after all? Who wouldn't simply love to go back to the past to take back harmful words, to take an exam over again, to buy a certain stock, to ask an important question of someone we trusted, etc., etc.? And yet G-d Almighty gives us all second chances *on a very deep and holy level that's far removed from time and space* to undo errors and make right what had been wrong. That metaphysical, transcendent escape hatch or second chance, which allows us to redo the past and alter the future, is teshuva.

With this all in mind we can better understand Rabbeinu Yonah's remarks that you'd pay a higher emotional, spiritual price by *continuing* to harm yourself and others, and *not* doing teshuva when you knew it was available to you.

After all, is there anything more audacious and mean-spirited than hurting someone, knowing you could easily make amends-- and not doing so?

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Gate 1 - Ch. 1 - Class 1

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Gate 1

Chapter 1

Class 1

We now begin our in-depth study of "The Gates of Repentance".

But first these few words. Let's never forget our goal, which is to achieve "spiritual excellence". Now, if we're ever to reach that goal, we'd need to be bothered by and dissatisfied with its diametric opposite, "spiritual mediocrity", better known as "sin". And we'd need to know what to do to either avoid it from the first -- or undo it by means of teshuva, "return to G-d." Keep that perspective in mind and you'll understand a lot of what's to follow in the spirit we believe it was meant. In point of fact, we're likely to return to this idea again and again in our readings. That having been said, let's proceed.

Rabbeinu Yonah's first point is that teshuva is a *favor* from G-d. The truth is, teshuva-- the ability to undo error and make things right again -- is something of an unfair advantage. After all, logic would seem to dictate that if I erred, I erred, and that's it. I'd need to accept my failings and go on.

But because He loves us so, G-d has favored us with the chance to do teshuva.

Rabbeinu Yonah then expands upon the nature of sin (i.e., instances of spiritual mediocrity), the effects they have on our beings, and how teshuva undoes all that. And he then points out just how generous G-d has been to us in ways that go beyond just providing us with teshuva itself.

We're taught that teshuva allows us to *rise above our destructive acts*. That teaches us two things. First, that sins are destructive acts. And in fact they're both self-destructive, and destructive to the relationship we'd had with the person we'd sinned against or with G-d. Second, it teaches us that teshuva nonetheless enables us to "rise above" all that, which is to say, to grow in the process.

Then we're told that teshuva enables us to *avoid the traps we ourselves set*. For we ourselves set many of the traps--i.e.. harmful behavior patterns-- we fall into. Nonetheless, teshuva allows us to undo them, and to move beyond them.

Teshuva also gives us the chance to ward off the sort of *personal devastation* that results from spiritual mediocrity. What Rabbeinu Yonah is undoubtedly alluding to here is the sense of shame, bleakness, and hopelessness that often overtakes us when we do things that hurt others, or are spriitually destructive.

Finally, teshuva enables us to *deflect G-d's anger*. What that means to underscore is the fact that G-d is sometimes displeased or disappointed in us when we lapse into spiritual mediocrity, the way a teacher might be displeased and disappointed with a student whom he'd had great faith in, and expected a lot in. For G-d certainly expects a lot of us, and we sometimes don't meet with His expectations. And though He certainly still loves us deeply, it's our very potential that seems to anger G-d, or disappoint Him. While it's our subsequent teshuva that restores his pride and faith in us.

Rabbeinu Yonah then goes on to point out how much more of a gift from G-d teshuva is, in fact. For not only has G-d provided us with the "out" that teshuva is, He has also *taught us how* to do it, He *prods* us in it, He *never does away with the opportunity* to do teshuva, even when we're defiant and resistant. And He even accepts it when it's offered for *self-serving reasons*.

And as we said last week, G-d also grants us the ability to achieve a deeper degree of *love of Him* we'd ever thought possible when we do teshuva. And He accomplishes that by *circumcising our heart*, which is to say, by sensitizing us so, that the thick crust of vanity and self-absorption that surrounds our hearts falls by the waysides.

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Gates of Repentance - Shaarei Tshuvah - Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (Aryeh) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Chapter 1

Introduction

We begin our exciting journey together through the classics of Mussar [ethical development] literature... in search of spiritual excellence.

Our first work is "The Gates of Repentance", by the great and holy Rabbeinu Yonah. From here, with G-d's help alone and in the process of time, we will go to Bachya Ibn Pakudah's "The Duties of the Heart", Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto's "The Path of the Just", and Rambam's "Eight Chapters".

Rabbeinu Yonah wrote "The Gates of Repentance" (Shaarei Tshuvah) around the year 1250. It's comprised of four "gates", which we'll present now in an abbreviated form.

The first gate presents us with Rabbeinu Yonah's 20 principles of teshuva, which we'll offer one at a time.

First a quick aside. Though teshuva is usually translated as "repentance" or "penitence", we won't be translating the term at all. Both because neither translation does the term "teshuva" justice, and also because our explanation of what teshuva is will soon be offered, and we'll find ourselves getting used to the word teshuva soon enough. We resorted to the title "The Gates of Repentance" rather than "The Gates of Tshuvah", by the way, for the sake of those who might want to look into the work and not know what teshuva is.

The second gate focuses upon the six instances in which you're likely to be inspired to do teshuva.

The third gate offers us the ten categories of mitzvos it would do us well to understand, if we're going to serve G-d deeply and knowledgeably (as well as a lot more).

And the fourth gate discusses the idea of Divine "atonement" or ultimate forgiveness.

Rabbeinu Yonah wrote no formal introduction to "The Gates of Repentance," but it becomes clear that the first 9 paragraphs of the first gate serve that purpose. We'll introduce those paragraphs as we go along, one at a time and point by point. But for now I'd like to present my understanding of the "introduction" thematically.

It becomes clear that while these first 9 paragraphs offer so much, they make one over-arching point that will help us understand just what teshuva is all about after all. For this "introduction" focuses upon G-d and our relationship to Him.

The very first paragraph mentions the fact that when we do teshuva, G-d fosters a spirit of purity within us that enables us to love Him to a degree ordinarily out of our reach. And at the very end of this "introduction" (para. 9) we're told that the greater degree of your teshuva, the closer to G-d you get.

Rabbeinu Yonah has thus "framed" what we take to be his introduction with the ultimate theme of "The Gates of Repentance" and the meaning of teshuvah itself -- drawing close to G-d. For when we sin, we draw away from G-d, so to speak (for one could never truly draw away from G-d). But when we do teshuva, we return to Him (the Hebrew word for teshuva itself means "return"), we return everything to its rightful place in our relationship to Him and in the world. And we return our soul to the purer, clearer spiritual position it occupied before that sin was committed.

And we thus draw closer yet to G-d, the way a couple who'd somehow hurt each other's feelings, then apologized and made amends, would then find themselves even closer than before after the fact.

May Rabbeinu Yonah's message inspire us all to draw closer to G-d ourselves.

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

Courtesy of Torah.org

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