According to the Gemorah "Teshuvah precedes the world". Rabbi Shlomo Aviner explains this statement as not chronological, but rather causal. In other words, Teshuvah enables the world to exist and is the foundation of our lives. The world is dynamic, everything is in motion, there is constant activity as the world progresses in an unceasing upward process of self perfection.
Hashem purposely created an imperfect state, so that with man it could be enhanced and perfected. This process of improvement is the essence of Teshuvah, which is not only the transformation of evil to good, but also the progression from good to perfect. The idea that is expressed in this concept is that man should never be satisfied with his way of life. We are constantly required to elevate ourselves from one level to the next. Doing less than we are able is a sign of failure and is a sin in itself.
This idea is expressed in the opening words of this week's Torah reading, Parshas Nezavim.
אתם נצבים היום כולכם לפני הי - suggesting that we are always standing before G-D, which requires that we proceed to do the best that we can,and realizing that He demands our best and nothing less.
Thus, we see that Teshuvah is the act of man returning to the original true nature of a human being who was created in the Image of G-D.
We then begin to realize that the process of Teshuvah is returning to a way of life that is constantly representing the will of G-D. Our life must be in line with the divine plan, and when it is, we will achieve the ultimate in the perfection of man. This was Hashem's plan when He created man on Rosh Hashana.
I hope we can achieve the destiny of man as G-D had planned for us in the coming New Year.
Wishing everyone a לשנה טובה תכתבו ותחתמו and may the coming year bring peace and serenity to our personal lives and to our glorious State of Israel.
( I hope you enjoyed my Blogs this past year and look forward to reading your comments)
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