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Written by Rabbi David Samson
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Saturday, 25 August 2007 |
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Jews who have become religious, baale t'shuva, describe t'shuva as the most joyous experience in their lives. Very often, a gleam of happiness shines in their eyes. Their speech is filled with an excited ring, as if they have discovered a secret treasure. Even people who have tasted all of life's secular pleasures insist that the experience of t'shuva is the world's greatest joy.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 26 May 2008 )
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Written by Michael
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Saturday, 25 August 2007 |
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The constant spiritual battle between the evil inclination and the good inclination is a part of the inner fabric of life.  And the winner is... |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 August 2007 )
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Written by Michael
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Saturday, 25 August 2007 |
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The new spiritual horizons which the baal t'shuva discovers give him a feeling of freedom, as if he were soaring through air. This new-found freedom comes when the walls blocking G-d's light have been razed. The baal t'shuva is freed from the bad habits and passions which had enslaved him in the past. He escapes from a web of wrongdoing. The lack of godliness which had pervaded his actions, his thoughts, and his being, is erased. Freed from his darkness, he can experience the great light and freedom of G-d.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 August 2007 )
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Written by Michael
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Saturday, 25 August 2007 |
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Often people are afraid to set out on a course of t'shuva because they associate repentance with pain. While pain is a part of the t'shuva process, the hardships of t'shuva are quickly erased by the joy which the baal t'shuva discovers.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 August 2007 )
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Written by Michael
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Saturday, 25 August 2007 |
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Another reason why the joy of t'shuva is so great is because the happiness of t'shuva is felt in the soul. Until a person discovers t'shuva, he experiences the pleasures of the world on the physical, emotional, or intellectual levels alone. He enjoys good foods, sexual highs, stimulating books, new clothes and the like. But a man has a deeper, spiritual level of being, his soul, which derives no satisfaction from earthly pleasures.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 August 2007 )
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Written by Michael
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Saturday, 25 August 2007 |
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"In the place where the baale t'shuva stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand" (Berachot, 34b).
This is because the baal t'shuva has to exert a far greater effort to overcome his yetzer and transform it into a passionate lust for G-d.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 August 2007 )
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