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Home > Daily Emunah Podcast - Daily Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear > Shabbat Shuva: Hashem Will Carry You The Rest Of The Way
Podcast: Daily Emunah Podcast - Daily Emunah By Rabbi David Ashear
Episode:

Shabbat Shuva: Hashem Will Carry You The Rest Of The Way
Category: Religion & Spirituality
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2021-09-10 13:00:00
Description: Rav Shlomo Hoffman, zatzal , told, during the early days of Yeshivat Chevron, he was walking in the hallway during the Aseret Yameh Teshuva and the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Yechezkel Sarna, saw him in a depressed state and asked him why he was so sad. The young Rabbi Hoffman replied, “It’s the Aseret Yameh Teshuva and I’m thinking that my teshuva is not sincere enough because the Rambam says a complete teshuva is when Hashem can testify that the person will never go back to his sin again.” The Rosh Yeshiva told him, “Why are you being so strict? We hold like Rabbenu Yonah who says if you put yourself on the right path to stop doing the averah , that’s true teshuva . And that you are doing. Be happy! On Aseret Yameh Teshuva , we are also supposed to be happy.” If somebody has, let’s say, spoken lashon hara and feels bad and wants to change, he needs to do something that will put him on the right path to change, such as accepting to learn the halachot , or putting himself in a better environment. If we truly want to be better and take the steps necessary for improvement, Hashem will help us achieve it. Recently, a boy going into 8 th grade heard speeches from many Rabbis about the ill effects of smartphones and how they have destroyed people’s lives. After hearing the speeches, the boy decided that he would never use one. A few days later, his mother took him and his siblings to a Walmart in New Jersey to buy school supplies. They all attend school in Brooklyn, but since they were in New Jersey for the summer, they went to a Walmart near them. This boy had forgotten his school supply list and he did not know exactly what he needed. His mother told him she had the list in an email and she would give him her phone to take into the store with him. The boy then told his mother about his kabbala not to use a smartphone and she understood and told him, “Okay, try to do your best to find what you think you need.” While they were in the store, one of his siblings picked up a loose-leaf off the shelf and a piece of paper came flying out onto the floor. They picked up the paper and were in amazement to see that it was the boy’s yeshiva school supply list for his grade. Somebody else must have left it there, and it was waiting for him to be used. He felt like he got a smile, kavayachol , from Hashem, appreciating his efforts and giving him his school supply list without having to use the phone. Our spirituality is up to us. Of course, we are never in full control and there are times where mishaps can happen, but when Hashem sees how careful we are in doing His will, He protects us from sinning in those situations that are beyond our control. The sefer Vavei H’amudim told a story about a young man who experienced such an occurrence. The young man said, every morning he gets to shul early to make a coffee before he learns so he’ll be more attentive during his learning. One day, he made the coffee and sat down in the coffee room to drink it. Before he took his first sip, a bee started buzzing right in front of his face. He put the cup down and started shooing the bee away. He then accidentally knocked his whole cup of coffee down and it spilled all over the floor. At first he was angry. Then he calmed himself down thinking it must have been for the best. After cleaning up the spill, he went back to the urn to get more hot water but nothing was coming out. He opened it to refill it and saw dozens of tiny bugs swimming around at the bottom of the urn. Most probably, there were some of those bugs in his coffee. He was always so careful to avoid eating foods that could potentially have bugs, and here, when the circumstances were beyond his control, Hashem sent the bee to save him from eating one. It’s up to us to put ourselves on the right path and do our best to do what’s proper and, if we do, Hashem will take care of the rest. Shabbat Shalom.
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