We are in the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah, and most people are challenged by the yetzer hara about what teshuvah is, and how it works. You realize that the greatest challenge to the yetzer hara is teshuvah. To the yetzer hara, the most ‘feared’ tool that Hashem gave us is teshuvah.
Somebody did a big avlah to the Brisker Rav. The Brisker Rav was upset. This fellow considered himself the Brisker Rav’s talmid. My rebbi told me, “My father, the Brisker Rav, sent him a message: ‘I won’t have a shaychus to you from now on, not in this world and not in the next world.’” When I heard that, somehow, for some reason, it struck a chord, and I realized that what I have with my rebbi is not just while I’m with him in his house or sitting by his shiurim…You’re with them in the next world.
Let’s say a person had challenges this year which were sent to enable him or her to fulfill the mission for which they came to this world. But instead of utilizing them to fulfill their mission they did the opposite. So then Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, “We have to turn up the heat a little bit.” But if a person passes the challenges, then Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, “Now you’re ready for the next step.”
We are approaching the end of the year. What’s coming in a couple of days is the day of mishpat, of judgment. If a person would take into account the mishpat that he got last year and think about what kind of maasim he is presenting to the Ribbono Shel Olam, he might become afraid.
In this week’s parshah Moshe Rabeinu is on the last day of his life and he calls Klal Yisrael together and says אתם נצבים היום – you stand this day (Devarim 29:9). Rashi says מלמד, this teaches us, שכנסם משה לפני הקב”ה ביום מותו להכניסם בברית – that Moshe assembled them in the presence of Hashem on the day of his death in order to initiate them into a covenant with Him.
