Can we be HONEST?
If G-d wanted us to be angels, he would have put wings on our back and let us play a harp while floating on a cloud. But HE didn’t.
Instead, G-d created within us the Dual Urges to be either Physical or Spiritual or both. In Torah, we recognize and honor both our “Guf” and our “Neshama.” As parents, we teach our children to do their best but also recognize that they will never be perfect. So too is our relationship with our Father in Shemayim – He knows we are not angels and may even take distance from him with certain selfish behaviors known as a sin or in Hebrew – Avara.
And just like our children, we also feel GUILT and SHAME when we do so. Typically, this guilt and shame stands in the way of our repairing and returning (aka “Teshuvah”) our relationship with G-d or those around us. “So why bother doing Teshuvah – I’ll never be good enough” – I may be thinking. And just sweep this under the rug.
But this guilt and shame, regardless of who we are gnaws away at us inside. And adds to our inability to reach out and reconnect. So instead, let’s take a different view of Sin and Teshuvah – one which I believe not only recognizes our humanity but is also very liberating!
Rav Dov Ber, the Maggid of Mezritch – The Ba’al Shem Tov ’s successor, teaches us about what is “Hidden within the Sin.” He shares that Just as olive oil is hidden within the olive, so is Teshuvah hidden within the sin itself. This is because, although repentance is one of the 613 commandments, one cannot repent unless he has sinned in the first place. Teshuvah, the possibility of repentance, is already hidden in its initial state of potential within the sin itself! From the Likutei Amarim
THINK ABOUT THIS NEXT TIME you don’t behave like an Angel.
These thoughts are shared by Duvid Chaim and Miriam, founders of the 2b1 Institute – serving men, women and couples seeking Personal Development, Intimacy and freedom from addictions.
Learn more at www.2b1institute.com