Shabbos Shuva / Aseres Yemei Teshuva
וּמַעֲלוֹת זִכְרוֹן חֲסָדָיו וְהִתְבּוֹנֵן בָּהֶם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ח':ב') וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת כָּל הַדֶּרֶךְ וְנֶאֱמַר (דברים ח':ה') וְיָדַעְתָּ עִם לְבָבֶךָ כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יְיַסֵּר אִישׁ אֶת בְּנוֹ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ מְיַסְּרֶךָּ. וְדָוִד אָמַר (תהילים ק"ז:מ"ג) וְיִתְבּוֹנְנוּ חַסְדֵי ה', וְנֶאֱמַר (תהילים כ"ו:ג') כִּי חַסְדְּךָ לְנֶגֶד עֵינָי. ( שערי תשובה ג,יז)
And [another] level is the remembrance of His kindnesses — to reflect upon them, as it is said (Devarim 8:2), “And you shall remember the whole way [that Hashem your God led you these forty years in the wilderness]”; and it is said (Devarim 8:5), “And you shall know in your heart that just as a man disciplines his son, so Hashem your God disciplines you.” And Dovid said (Tehillim 107:43), “Let them contemplate the kindnesses of Hashem”; and it is said (Tehillim 26:3), “For Your kindness is before my eyes.” (Shaarei Teshuva 3:17)
Rabbeinu Yona lists 10 ma’alos, virtues, that were given to us in the form of positive commandments. The list includes bechira, talmud Torah, walking in the ways of HaShem, contemplating the greatness of HaShem, remembering and contemplating the chesed of Hashem, kedusha, avodas HaShem, ahavas HaShem, yiras Hashem and dveikus to HaShem. A formidable list.
For each ma’alah, the Rabbeinu Yona cites a pasuk as its source. Unique among the ten is the ma’alah of remembering and contemplating the chesed of HaShem, for which four separate pesukim are quoted, as you can see above. I would suggest that these four pesukim present a four-step plan for the all-important virtue of appreciating HaShem’s kindness.
1. “Remember the whole way.” HaShem’s chesed is often a path, a derech. Remembering all the steps that got you to where you are, all the twists and turns, all the people involved, the hills and valleys, are part of reflecting upon HaShem’s chesed. Like the Dayeinu that we say at the Pesach seder, each step of the way is important, and even more so when we put all the steps together. Even in small things, like thinking about “all the derech” that a loaf of bread took and all the people who touched it before it made its way to your table, is a lesson in appreciation.
2. “Just as a man disciplines his son.” The challenges of life are also part of Hashem’s chesed. Think of times that the going got tough, but you came out better for it, or it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
3. “Contemplate the kindness of HaShem.” The Rambam writes that yiras HaShem can be developed by looking into the depths of creation and the depths of His Torah. Don’t take things at face value; take time to think and think deeply. For example, as Rav Avigdor Miller, ztz"l, puts it, we live surrounded by an “ocean of air.” Until I read his words I never really thought of it that way. Let's try to think about things that way.
4. “Your kindness is before my eyes.” When you experience moments of HaShem’s chesed, try to freeze the memory in your mind in as much detail as possible. Creating mental pictures of HaShem’s chesed will help keep your emunah strong even at times when HaShem feels farther away.
How important is it to exercise this muscle of remembering and reflecting upon HaShem’s chesed? Let’s let Rabbeinu Yona tell us: "And it is for the sake of these virtues that man was created. And what hope is there for a person if he does not place the very things for which he was created as his life’s work and the main focus of his efforts?”
Principle: As we ask Hashem to grant us life, it stands to reason that we would be in a much better position to have our request granted, if we turned our focus, in a practical way, to those things for which life was given to us.
Good Shabbos and Gmar Chasima Tova,
Rabbi Goldberg