Monday, August 12, 2013

Hilchos Teshuva - Addictions - Before It's Too Late - Soda Water And Yom Hadin - Today's Kushya Yomis

I must confess - my favorite of the Rambam's books is hilchos teshuva for reasons I won't get into. I am sorta drunk with it. I stand up at a hilchos-teshuva-anonymous [HTA] meeting in the basement of some church and say "My name is Elchanan and I am a hilchos teshuva addict. It all started one Elul over ten years ago when I was learning Bava Kamma and a friend convinced me to take a break and have a chavrusa in hilchos teshuva. Since then I constantly find myself going for more and more. It affects my marriage. My wife will be like 'Did you take out the garbage' and I will not hear her because I am so involved in hilchos teshuva. Then she will ask me again and I will say 'It's a machlokes Rambam-Ryvid'". [How funny would that be?]

In any case, I beg/urge/encourage/advocate that all of my sweetest friends should similarly put time into this limmud over the next month. One month and it's alllll over.

????????

The Rambam paskens [in hilchos teshiva...] that Yom Kippur is קץ למחילה וסליחה - the last chance for mechila.

More learning suggestions - Maran HaRav's "Oros Hatshuva". Not normal. Also the Pachad Yitzchak on Rosh Hashna and Yom Kippur. And can we forget the Maharal's "Nesiv Hatshuva"?? [On yutorah Hashem has been mezake me to have many shiurim on inyanei teshuva. You can listen and it will be a zchus for me.] And any sefer that wakes you up from your slumber. ELLLLLULLLLLLLLL!!! Even the fish in the sea are shaking. Even soda water is feeling it. Try this - pour some soda water into a cup and see how it SHAKES!!

Today's Kushya Yomis here on a shver Rambam in hilchos teshuva.