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The Lesson from a Boy 

Even as a young child, my Rebbe, R’ Aharon from Belz zt”l, was famous for being a Torah scholar and his righteousness was well-known. One day, his teacher challenged him to present a chidush, a novel Torah insight. 
 

The young student thought for a moment and then said, “During Selichot we say, ‘Act for the sake of nursing-infants who have never sinned. Act for the sake of weaned-children who have never transgressed.’ What can these words mean? These infants and children aren’t capable of sinning. They are still developing their self-awareness. Why are we asking to be saved and forgiven because of their meritorious acts? What have they done?” 
 

The boy answered, “Obviously, these words have a deeper meaning. The “nursing infants” and “weaned-children” are alluding to those individuals who have repented wholeheartedly from their sinful behavior. The Seforim HaKedoshim (holy books) teach that when someone does teshuva and returns to Hashem, they are considered as if they were literally born anew. They now have the power of choice and are as free of sin as a newborn. We pray they should be a merit for us. We ask to be saved for the sake of the Baalei Teshuva.” 
 

This fundamental idea that the Belzer Rebbe taught us as a child, needs to be publicized throughout the Jewish people, from the young to the old. It is critical for a Jew to understand the power of teshuva and the beauty and opportunity of always being able to return. 
 

When someone wants to change his life and recommit himself to Hashem, he cannot allow the sins of the past to hold him back. Even if they committed the gravest sins, they cannot become depressed because of who they were and what they might have done. 
 

They must remember that it is always possible to return, to do teshuva, to turn a new page in their book of life. And, when they do, they are like a newborn child, free of any sins. Their past is erased. 
 

The Rambam wrote (Hilchot Teshuva 2:4) that a baal teshuva¸ one who repents, needs to consider himself to be a different person; that he is not the same person who committed those transgressions. 
 

If a person wants to do teshuva, if they want to return to Hashem and begin again, Hashem, in His abundant mercy, is always prepared to accept him and forget, so to speak, his past transgressions. The Tanna D’bei Eliyahu (Chapter 4) taught that Hashem says, “If someone sins and repents, I will mercifully be with him, and I won’t remember even the slightest sins.”   
 

Diamonds Always 

The tzadikkim describe the yid’s (Jew’s) soul as a diamond. No matter what happens, a diamond is always a diamond. If it falls into the mud and becomes filthy, it is still a diamond. All you must do is pick it up, clean it off, shine it and that diamond will sparkle once again.   
 

Teshuva: Light in the Darkness

The Baal Shem Tov, zt”l, compared teshuva to a candle. When a person carries a candle into a dark room, the candle’s light completely dispels the darkness. A person who sins feels a darkness within themselves. If they do teshuva and return to Hashem wholeheartedly, that darkness will be vanquished by the light of teshuva. 
 

During the Baal Shem Tov’s times, there was one wicked person in Krakow who became a baal teshuva. The Baal Shem Tov said that the first time that person prayed, his words carried with them 500 years of illegitimate prayers. The holiness of this baal teshuva’s words, of his prayers, were so powerful that they were able to purify all of the prayers of countless yidden over the years that were uttered improperly and to carry them to the heavens.   
 

Boundless Love

Our Father in Heaven, Hashem, never abandons a single Jew. His love is boundless. A Jew can only feel despondent and lost when he doesn’t know the endless extent of Hashem’s love for him. The Gemara (Bava Metzia 11a) taught that, “Despair is from not knowing.” The Kotzker Rebbe, zt”l, explained that a Jew can only despair if they don’t know, if they forget, how precious they are to Hashem. 
 

The pasuk in Mishlei (3:11) says: “My son, despise not the discipline (mussar) of the Lord…“ R’ Avraham from Slonim, zt”l, explained that the “discipline (mussar) of Hashem”, the guidance and mussar that Hashem tells us is, “My son” – you are Hashem’s children. “Despise not” yourselves. Don’t give up. Don’t feel like you are unwanted because of what you have done. Realize your value. Even if you have done the severest sins, if you have lived a life that is void of Torah and mitzvot, you are still royalty and Hashem never gives up on you, His child. 
 

One way a person can escape despair even if he has led a sinful life is to realize that Hashem’s love is boundless, eternal, and without limit. Hashem still loves every Jew even when they are in the worst spiritual states. 
 

R’ Meir taught in the Gemara (Kiddushin 36a) that the Jews are considered Hashem’s children even if they are corrupt and rotten. The Ben Yehodiya (ibid) quotes the Sefer Gilgulim that taught that this was the reason that R’ Meir was buried standing up: he empowered the Jews to stand upright in this world. By teaching that the Jews are unconditionally considered Hashem’s children, R’ Meir provided the Jewish people with the strength to withstand the most difficult challenges. He instilled an awareness that the Jew is always able to start over, to begin anew, and to draw closer to their Father in Heaven.   
 

A New Creation

The first Shabbat after the holidays in Tishrei is called “Shabbat Bereishit”. The Tzanzer Rebbe, the Divrei Chaim, zt”l, explained that the reason is because after the holidays, when the Jews have undergone the process of teshuva, after they have purified their souls from all their sins, they are like a newborn. Therefore, it is called “Shabbat Bereishit” because it is the beginning of a new creation for every Jew. 
 

In Bereishit Rabba (51), Chazal taught that the word ועתה-“and now“ always denotes teshuva. The Koshnitzer Maggid in Avodat Yisorel explained that when a person wants to do teshuva, they cannot allow their past, their sinful behavior, to infect them with depression. They need to realize that teshuva is about the “now”, choosing now to be close to Hashem from this moment forward.   
 

Today We Stand

This idea is alluded to in the first pasuk of parshat Nitzavim: “You are all standing this day before the Lord…“ (Devarim 29:9). By focusing on “this day”, on the present, you can evade any feelings of despondency from your past’s shortcomings. And, by focusing on the present, you can “stand” up to any spiritual challenges. 
 

The Zohar explains that “this day” refers to Rosh Hashanah. As the time for repentance begins on Rosh Hashanah, a Jew must remember and remain focused on the present, on renewing their commitment to Hashem, going forward. In this merit, you will be written and sealed in the Book of Life for a healthy, happy and sweet year. 

Please beseech Hashem to grant the saintly Kalever Rebbe Shlita, 

Rabbi Moshe ben Raizel – רבינו משה בן ריזל 

a Refuah Shleimah bekorov mamash – an immediate and complete healing. 

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The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years, and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. You can sign up at www.kaalov.org.