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Discover a joyful and uplifting path to Repentance!
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The Joy of Repentance\Guilt-Free
Based on Tomer Devorah by the Holy Ramak
Authored and Published by the Salant Foundation
Distributed by Feldheim
The Lesson of the Rock - Trust
Underscoring Hope in God
The Ramchal, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, writes (Otz’ros HaRamchal, Essay on Hope):
If one hopes (i.e., the highest level of trust) in God, then even if his good deeds are negligible, he will not be ashamed. As the Torah states (Yeshiyahu 49:23): “And you shall know that I am the Eternal, in Whom those who trust shall not be ashamed.” From this we learn that even one impoverished of deeds should still retain hope in God, for through this hope, God will reveal Himself to the person and cleanse his transgressions. And indeed, it is from such hope that the ultimate rectification shall spring: the stalwart hope that all Israel has maintained through the protracted exile, and their unwavering faith in the belief in their final redemption. And this ultimate hope is expressed by the Prophet (Zechariah 3:19): “I will remove sin from the Earth;” and this is the meaning and fulfillment of the verse (Beresheis 49:18): “For Your redemption I hope, God!” Indeed, the ultimate honor of our King is reflected in the trust that His subjects place on Him. As the Talmud states (Makos 24a): Chavakuk came and condensed the Torah into one principle, as it states (Chavakuk 2:4): “The righteous person shall live by his trust:” trust in God– this is hope.
Moshe’s Prayers
One of Moshe outstanding traits was his steadfast faith in the endless depths of the Creator’s compassion. Whenever B’nei Yisrael — the Children of Israel — sinned in the Wilderness, Moshe prayed to awaken the Merciful One’s compassion and kindness upon His children. Nowhere was this more evident than regarding the sin of the Golden Calf. Since Moshe knew that God is infinitely merciful, he intuited that He would reveal ever greater levels of compassion even after such a grievous incident; or perhaps even more correctly, precisely because of it!
He therefore prayed (Shemos 33:13), “If I have found favor in Your eyes, make known to me Your ways!” The Eternal accepted his supplication and responded (Shemos 33:19), “I shall be graceful to whom I choose to grace, and compassionate to whom I choose to be compassionate.” Indeed, as a result of this entreaty Heaven revealed the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy to Moshe. We mention these Thirteen Attributes of Mercy on Yom Kippur — the Day of Forgiveness, and also whenever we are moved to Repent. The Creator radiates new worlds of compassion upon us and cleanses us like a new creation. (Based on Da’as Torah of Rav Yerucham Levovitz)
The Lesson of the Rock
The Bas Ayin presents a novel commentary on the Mei Mariva (the Waters of Striving) over which Moshe was deprived entrance to Eretz Yisrael — The Land of Israel (Bamidbar 20:7-13). In the course of his exposition, the Bas Ayin cites two fundamental principles from the Zoharthat underscore the importance of Trust in the Holy One to accept our Teshuvah.
First, the Holy One’s very purpose in creating the Universe was to be known as the paradigm of compassion and kindness, as the versestates, “He created the world with kindness” (Tehillim 89:3). Second, He created Teshuvah before He brought the Creation into existence. Therefore, it behooves us to unwaveringly trust in the Holy One’s unbounded mercy and take inspiration in the sure knowledge that He accepts our Teshuvah at all times.
Miriam died in this episode; and as a result, the rock that had supplied the people with water in her merit dried up. Moshe was then faced with the inconceivable pressure of desperate myriads clamoring to him for lifegiving water in the burning desert heat. A shock of anguished vexation jolted him, and he cried out, "Rebellious ones! Shall water issue from a rock?"
The instant the words left his lips, Moshe deeply regretted his outburst and performed complete Teshuvah. However, due to his intense humility, he was “sure” God would not forgive his momentary expression of negativity, no matter how “justified” and brief. More than that, he assumed that since he had corrupted his faculty of speech, he no longer had the merit to draw water from the rock through mere speech. Therefore, he concluded there was no other alternative than to strike it with his staff.
The Bas Ayin explains that Moshe’s primary transgression was that he did not believe that the Eternal, in His unbounded compassion, would immediately accept his repentance, forgive his expression of anger, and repair the blemish to his faculty of speech.
Summary: How awesome an endeavor it is to internalize this lesson, and strengthen our Trust that the Almighty, in His unbounded compassion, will always accept our Teshuvah and immediately forgive our misdeeds, for “He created the world with kindness” (Tehillim 89:3)!
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