It’s vital to remember that one of the main tactics of the devil is to cast a spell over you to induce a sense of forgetfulness and apathy… The devil wants you to forget that you are a child of the King. The entire venture of teshuvah (repentance) presupposes that you are created b’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God – and therefore you have infinite value and dignity. This is all the more evident in light of the awesome ransom that Yeshua paid to reconcile your soul with God. So what is the greatest sin you can commit in your life? To forget what God has done for you… Remaining asleep, unmindful of your true identity is one of the most tragic things of life. Therefore Rosh Hashanah is sometimes called Yom Ha-Zikaron – the “Day of Remembrance” (Lev. 23:24). The blast of the shofar is meant to jolt us from our sleep… We are to remember who we really are — to remember that God is our King. The person who says, “Tomorrow I will do teshuvah” really is saying, “Not now.” And then tomorrow comes and he says, “Not now.” And in this way his entire life passes by, saying, “Not now.” Finally one day he wakes up only to find himself already dead. May God help us wake up to the Reality that is set before us.
During this season (and always) we make a conscious effort to turn back to reality: first, we turn back to God and to ourselves (i.e., self-examination and confession); second, we turn to others we have harmed (i.e., asking for forgiveness), and third, we turn to others in need (i.e., giving tzedakah). I realize that we are to do teshuvah every day, of course (Psalm 16:8); though the “Season of Teshuvah” provides us with an opportunity to again remember the importance of these matters. As Yisrael Salanter wisely said: “Consider every day as if were an Elul day, and Elul itself is of course Elul.”
The message of teshuvah (repentance, “turning back to God”) is always, “Wake up – you are living a nightmare.” There is only one remedy, and that is discovered by coming to the Divine Light by opening your heart to the love and very real presence of God….
The appointed hour draws near; the “footsteps of the Messiah” are approaching. Let us then heed the admonition of our Savior: “when you see these things taking place, you know that the time is near, right at the door” (Mark 13:29), and let us encourage one another to wake up and come alive: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you!” (Eph. 5:14). The message of teshuvah (repentance, “turning back to God”) is always, “Wake up – you are living a nightmare.” There is only one remedy, and that is discovered by coming to the Divine Light by opening your heart to the love and very real presence of God.
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