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Teshuvah (Repentance)

Fecundity and Effusion
Supernal repentance, which comes from great love and clear understanding, raises the content of all learning to a degree of fecundity and effusion that cannot be found in any learning in and of itself.
Orot Hatorah 6:3
A Great and Dangerous War
At times, as we struggle to cling to an elevated spirituality, all the forces of spiritual life ascend to the world of supernal thought. As a result, our body is bereft of our soul, and we are ruled by evil traits.
Afterwards, when have finished meditating and the force of life returns to its regular course, our soul finds our body broken, with all its qualities impaired. Then begins a very great and dangerous war.
And so the ascent of our gaze must be preceded by repentance and the desire to purify our traits. Then our traits maintain some sort of contact between our body and soul—even when our soul ascends to the heights.
Arpelei Torah, p. 16
The Power That Turns the Universe
In the world, there exist both gradual development and sudden leaps forward.
There are soulful people whose trait of leaping forward is stronger than their gradual growth.
This is the character of the Jews: deeply influenced by the concept of teshuvah, yearning for the most exalted realities. Our surroundings and conditions may not be in concert with that. Nevertheless, our powerful yearning is the power that turns the universe, and gives forth the most perfect wealth that may be found within life.
Orot Hakodesh II, p. 567
When Your Thought is Connected to Holiness
Sins stand as a barrier before the clear, divine light, which shines its great brightness upon every soul. These sins darken our soul and make it cloudy.
Teshuvah, even if it is only a thought, brings about a great salvation.
But we make our potential teshuvah reall, a complete redemption comes to our soul.
At any rate, when our thought is connected to holiness and the desire for teshuvah, we have no reason to fear. We can be sure that God will summon all the means that are necessary for us to attain the complete teshuvah that illuminates all dark places with the light of its life-force.
In accordance with the great worth of teshuvah, so is the Torah blessed and clarified—more and more. Our learning grows pure and clear. As the verse states: “God will not despise a heart that is broken and crushed” (Psalms 51:19).
Orot Hateshuvah, 7:5
Why Do We Fall?
Why do we fall? Because we do not realize how easy repentance is.
Orot Hateshuvah 14:4a
Desire to Repent
If you want to become completely righteous, you will find it hard to even repent.
But always desire to repent. Immerse yourself in the idea. Yearn to see the manifestation of repentance in action. Then your repentance will lift you to the level of a completely righteous person—and even higher.
Orot Hateshuvah, 14:36
The Teshuvah of Rosh Hashanah
“From the straits have I called God. Answer me in the breadth of God” (Psalms 118:4).
The mouth of the shofar is narrow, and then it grows broader. This alludes to the path of teshuvah. As the Rambam explains, first, there is individual teshuvah, and then a general teshuvah. The first is an introduction to the latter. That is to say, the teshuvah of the month of Elul is an introduction to the teshuvah of Rosh Hashanah.
In Elul, we are engaged in personal teshuvah. But on Rosh Hashanah we rise to the level of the desire of teshuvah not only for the entire nation—”recite the malchiyot before Me in order to coronate me over you” (Rosh Hashanah 16a)—but for the entire world: “Rule over the entire world in Your glory.”
Moadei Harayah, p. 60
THE ROOTS OF WHO YOU ARE
When your intent declines because of some transgression, then wisdom also declines, and divine illumination is darkened. With a solid inner might, return to your power after this decline. Return to your place with the force of your intent. Illumine the light that was eclipsed within you and within the entire world, utilizing the entire size, depth and the breadth of all that pertains to the roots of who you are.
Arpelei Tohar, p. 108
Supernal repentance, which comes from great love and clear understanding, raises the content of all learning to a degree of fecundity and effusion that cannot be found in any learning in and of itself.
Orot Hatorah 6:3
A Great and Dangerous War
At times, as we struggle to cling to an elevated spirituality, all the forces of spiritual life ascend to the world of supernal thought. As a result, our body is bereft of our soul, and we are ruled by evil traits.
Afterwards, when have finished meditating and the force of life returns to its regular course, our soul finds our body broken, with all its qualities impaired. Then begins a very great and dangerous war.
And so the ascent of our gaze must be preceded by repentance and the desire to purify our traits. Then our traits maintain some sort of contact between our body and soul—even when our soul ascends to the heights.
Arpelei Torah, p. 16
The Power That Turns the Universe
In the world, there exist both gradual development and sudden leaps forward.
There are soulful people whose trait of leaping forward is stronger than their gradual growth.
This is the character of the Jews: deeply influenced by the concept of teshuvah, yearning for the most exalted realities. Our surroundings and conditions may not be in concert with that. Nevertheless, our powerful yearning is the power that turns the universe, and gives forth the most perfect wealth that may be found within life.
Orot Hakodesh II, p. 567
When Your Thought is Connected to Holiness
Sins stand as a barrier before the clear, divine light, which shines its great brightness upon every soul. These sins darken our soul and make it cloudy.
Teshuvah, even if it is only a thought, brings about a great salvation.
But we make our potential teshuvah reall, a complete redemption comes to our soul.
At any rate, when our thought is connected to holiness and the desire for teshuvah, we have no reason to fear. We can be sure that God will summon all the means that are necessary for us to attain the complete teshuvah that illuminates all dark places with the light of its life-force.
In accordance with the great worth of teshuvah, so is the Torah blessed and clarified—more and more. Our learning grows pure and clear. As the verse states: “God will not despise a heart that is broken and crushed” (Psalms 51:19).
Orot Hateshuvah, 7:5
Why Do We Fall?
Why do we fall? Because we do not realize how easy repentance is.
Orot Hateshuvah 14:4a
Desire to Repent
If you want to become completely righteous, you will find it hard to even repent.
But always desire to repent. Immerse yourself in the idea. Yearn to see the manifestation of repentance in action. Then your repentance will lift you to the level of a completely righteous person—and even higher.
Orot Hateshuvah, 14:36
The Teshuvah of Rosh Hashanah
“From the straits have I called God. Answer me in the breadth of God” (Psalms 118:4).
The mouth of the shofar is narrow, and then it grows broader. This alludes to the path of teshuvah. As the Rambam explains, first, there is individual teshuvah, and then a general teshuvah. The first is an introduction to the latter. That is to say, the teshuvah of the month of Elul is an introduction to the teshuvah of Rosh Hashanah.
In Elul, we are engaged in personal teshuvah. But on Rosh Hashanah we rise to the level of the desire of teshuvah not only for the entire nation—”recite the malchiyot before Me in order to coronate me over you” (Rosh Hashanah 16a)—but for the entire world: “Rule over the entire world in Your glory.”
Moadei Harayah, p. 60
THE ROOTS OF WHO YOU ARE
When your intent declines because of some transgression, then wisdom also declines, and divine illumination is darkened. With a solid inner might, return to your power after this decline. Return to your place with the force of your intent. Illumine the light that was eclipsed within you and within the entire world, utilizing the entire size, depth and the breadth of all that pertains to the roots of who you are.
Arpelei Tohar, p. 108