Welcome to the Mussar HaTorah Podcast for Parshas Netzavim-Vayelich. Join us as we explore the weekly Parsha, uncovering valuable insights and striving to become the best versions of ourselves through Mussar teachings.
In this week's double parsha, Hashem tells Beni Yisroel of a time when they will be exiled and while they are there they will "call to mind". The Sforno comments that this "calling to mind" is not just a way of remembering past events. Rather it is a deep introspection by every Jew into their own subconscious. This self-reflection in needed to determine the motivations of every deed they have done. Once the motivating factors are determined, it can be established if they are according to what the Torah wants. This is the essence of teshuvah; a sincere introspection followed by an honest comparison of one's thoughts and deeds with the Torah's absolute standard of right and wrong.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, even the performance of a mitzvah requires a great deal of introspection. Banneinu Bachya writes in the introduction of Chovos HaLevovos he was hesitant to take on the task of writing his guide to the development of proper middos. This is because he felt he m ay have been wrongly motivated by pride. However, he concluded, after an honest soul-searching, it was laziness providing this "holy" rationalization and preventing him from writing this classic mussar text and what I consider one of the 4 pillars of mussar.
Rav Henoch Leibowitz (z"l) comments: Could anyone have more moral clarity and understood themselves more than Rabbenu Bachya? This is a giant among giants who wrote the masterwork on "duties of the heart". Certainly he had a clear grasp over his own psylogicial make-up. However, we see that even he had plumb the depths of his self-concious to see what the true motivations were behind his thoughts and actions.
How is it possible to search for and find our true motivation? Even though each person has their own complicated psychological code to decipher, the Torah assures us that everyone is capable of breaking the code. Hashem created all of us with the unique power of self-analysis. This great potential raises our responsibility to check all of our actions and correct them as well as the motivating factors behind them
Rav Henoch continues that it is a person's open-eyed confrontation with themselves the Seforno defines as the mitzvah of teshuvah. Though it may seem like a difficult process, it is not something that is beyond us as the pasuk says:
> " כִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹ֥א רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא
"For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not too hard for you, neither is it far off."
By delving into and understanding our true intentions we can purify them and thereby improve our actions to make them more meaningful.
The main part of preparing for the Yamim Noraim is teshuvah. This preparation requires is to set aside time for an honest introspection into our actions and the factors motivating our deeds. During this special time we are guaranteed that if we begin making the effort to improve ourselves, Hashem will certainly help us succeed in our goal.
Have a good Shabbos.
