The Talmud tells us that a convert is like a newborn.
The Likutei Halachos learns a very powerfully encouraging lesson from this. A convert has to sincerely want to become a Jew and immerse in the mikveh. A male convert must also become circumcised. After going through these processes, the male or female convert is like a newborn baby. But have they come to some sort of perfection through this process? Does immersion or circumcision automatically erase their character defects? Not by a long shot! Even so, the fact that they have acted on a genuine desire to become Jewish is transformative. Although this desire alone is not enough, one who doesn’t have it is not accepted as a convert. We must be assured of the purity of his intentions. From this we can learn the preciousness of one who keeps trying to be a good Jew and do the right thing even if he falls. Surely he is much more of a newborn than a convert since he has continued to yearn to move forward many hundreds of times!
We can also learn this from teshuvah. Even if one regrets his sins and wishes to improve on the last day of his life, his repentance is accepted. How much more precious is one who does teshuvah many hundreds of times! And one who repents every day is even more laudable. The main thing is to keep yearning to be better until we merit the help from Above that we need.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Likutei Halachos on Teshuvah
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5 comments:
where in LH can i find this? yasher koach
Anonymous: The post is mostly from Likutei Halachos Hilchos Shabos, #7:7 etc. But I don't see the part about a ger there at all. It is possible that I extrapolated it from there since it clearly emerges from his words (here and in other places).
The Maharal writes that we are all compared to converts since we have been placed in a material world and we are primarily spiritual.(Again this is how I learn it. You could say that all he says is the sechel is like a ger and for this reason it is equated with the tzadikim etc in Al Hatzaddikim in shemona esrei. Nevertheless, elsewhere he writes that the ikar of Jews is the Tzelem Elokim and the Sechel so it seems to be a reasonable limud.) Combine that to the Likutei Halachos there and what I wrote is fairly obvious. (Maharal is Gevuros Hashem chapter 9 and his chidushei aggadah on Bava Metzia pg. 51)
Actually I now recall that the Rebbe himself compares us all to geirim in terms of davening with devotion. He says that a ger would be happy even just saying the davening and so should we if that is all we were able to do. Apply the L.H. to this and what I wrote is even more clear.
Thank you. I looked it up. I will check out the Maharal later. Thanks for that source. I am looking to see if there is a chazal or Rishon that says that doing teshuvah makes one like a newborn. LM 6 gives this idea of Ekyeh, now one begins to live. But for the Chasidically challeged I would love to find a Chazal or Rishon. I know the beggining of Yesod Hateshuva has this. Thanks again.
B'simcha rabah.
I know exactly what you mean by "Chasidically challenged,"--great phrase by the way.
No time to check now, but off hand I suggest the Pachad Yitzchak, in Yom Kippur #19:3 based on the Maharal's understanding of Chazal. He concludes there: כחה של תשובה להשיב את בעליה לנקודת ההתחלה
See there for his astounding explanation of the Maharal in Nesiv Hateshuvah, chapter 3.
As he writes there before quoting and explaining the Maharal: הדיבור הזה בוקע רקיעים אי אפשר להפריז בגודל החידוש ובעומק הריבותא של הדיבור הזה
BTW I heard the "Chasidically challeged" phrase from Reb Moshe Weinberger of Aish Kodesh in Woodmere. Thanks for all the other info. I think the Rabbeinu Yona will do. I still like Reb Nachmans "I now begin to live" Ekyeh in LM. It explains it so well.
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