פרשת נצבים - מקור הכוח לתשובה

Then your God יהוה will open up your heart and the hearts of your offspring—to love your God יהוה with all your heart and soul, in order that you may live.

(13) If [a man] did so but not by design—it came about by an act of God—I will assign you a place to which he can flee.

(6) Then your God יהוה will open up your heart and the hearts of your offspring—to love your God יהוה with all your heart and soul, in order that you may live.

(3) I am my beloved’s And my beloved is mine; He browses among the lilies.

Moreover, there are days on which the Jewish people is accustomed to fasting, such as from Rosh Chodesh (the first day of) Elul to Yom Kippur, which are days on which we say penitential prayers and supplications. And as a support, they used this: (Song of Songs 6:3), "I am for my Beloved and my Beloved is for me (Ani leDodi veDodi li)" - the first letters of which [spell] Elul; and the last letters of which are four times yod (the numerical value of which is ten), which corresponds to the forty days. And likewise (Deuteronomy 30:6), "And the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants (et levavkha ve'et lev zaraeikha)," the first letters of which [spell] Elul. For the month of Elul is fit for circumcising the heart, meaning repentance.

(22) the same days on which the Jews enjoyed relief from their foes and the same month which had been transformed for them from one of grief and mourning to one of festive joy. They were to observe them as days of feasting and merrymaking, and as an occasion for sending gifts to one another and presents to the poor.

[The days] from Rosh Chodesh Elul until after Yom Kippur, are days of Divine favor [and acceptance.] Even though throughout the entire year the Holy One, blessed is He, accepts the repentance of those who return to Him wholeheartedly, nevertheless, these days are unexcelled and most suitable for repentance, because they are days of mercy and favor. On Rosh Chodesh Elul, Moshe went up Mount Sinai to receive the Second Tablets; he remained there for forty days, and came down on the tenth day of Tishrei when the atonement was completed. From then on these days have been designated as days of Divine favor [and acceptance,] and the tenth day of Tishrei as Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement]. In most communities it is the custom to fast on the day before Rosh Chodesh Elul and to recite the prayers of Yom Kippur Katan [minor Yom Kippur], in order to be spiritually prepared for repentance. If Rosh Chodesh occurs on Shabbos, Yom Kippur Katan is held on the preceding Thursday. The Ari (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria), of blessed memory, wrote, "If he did not lie in ambush but Hashem made it happen, then I will provide …" (Exodus 21:13) The initials of the words [ina le'yado vesamti lecha] form the acronym Elul, to indicate that this month is a favorable time for repentance to be accepted for the sins committed during the entire year. It also alludes to the fact that sins done inadvertently also require repentance during this month. The interpreters of allusions also commented: It is written (Deuteronomy 30:6) "And Hashem your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your children;" the initials of the words [es levavecho ve'es levav] form the acronym Elul. Also, the initials of Ani ledodi vedodi li, ["I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine,"] [Song of Songs 6:3] form the acronym Elul. Also, the initials of Ish lerei'eihu umatanos la'evyonim ["One to another and gifts to the poor"] (Esther 9:22) form the acronym Elul. These acronyms are an allusion to three things: Repentance, Prayer and Charity which must be practiced zealously during this month. "Hashem will circumcise etc." alludes to repentance, "I am my Beloved's etc." alludes to prayer, for prayer is the song of love. "One to another and gifts to the poor," alludes to charity.

(9) And this, too, is considered a state of hessech daat of man. For that rank transcends the daat of man and his contemplation on the greatness of the L–rd; it is, though, a sort of gift given by the L–rd from Heaven from the radiation of the [aspect of the] Supreme Countenance, as it is written: “May the L–rd make His Countenance shine upon you,” and as it is written: “And the L–rd, your G–d, will circumcise….”

It was a great kindness that the Holy One, Blessed be He, did for mankind when he established a way for wrong-doers and sinners to flee from darkness to light, and did not close the doors of repentance to them, even if they had sinned greatly, as it is said, "Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings" (Jer. 3:22). And repentance is accepted by God even if the sinner repents because of his great misfortunes; all the more so if he repents because of reverence and love of God. As it is said, "In thy distress, when all these things are come upon thee, in the end of days thou will return to the Lord thy God; and hearken unto His voice" (Deut. 4:30). And the Holy One, Blessed be He, helps penitents to repent even in matters which the strength of a man cannot attain, and he renews within them a pure spirit so that they may achieve the elements of repentance. As it is said, "And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul" (Deut. 30:2). And further, at the end of that passage, "And the Lord will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" (Deut. 30:6). What this means is that in that thing which is not within your power to attain, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will circumcise your heart and give you the strength to do it.