In a number of
pieces, with EmunahSpeak:
"Interior Decorating” being
but the most recent, we have
established the core principle of the Chovos Halavovos as being that we should
recognize the munificent kindnesses that Hashem bestows upon us from the time
of our inception until our neshamas are recalled to their source. And we also learned that, as a consequence
thereof, this recognition should quite naturally instill in us a desire to be
makker tov for all of the aforementioned kindnesses.
And in addition
to spending our lives attempting to pay back some small part of what we owe to
Hashem, in the form of Torah and Mitzvahs, for the 24/7/365/lifetime
beneficences that have been bestowed upon us, we also said in EmunahSpeak:
If You Feel Blessed that if
you feel that Hashem has bestowed you with extra tov you should feel obligated
to pay back a little more by adding something to your avoda, be it an extra
twenty minutes of learning, a little more kavana in davening, or perhaps
resolving to put more effort into doing chesed.
And this fact of
Hakoras HaTov being the core principle of the Chovos Halavovos most assuredly
means that it’s not limited in its application to Sha’ar Avodas Elokim which
discusses the nature of our service to Hashem.
In Sha’ar
HaTeshuvah of the Chovos Halavovos we are taken beyond what the Halacha
requires as to normative teshuvah in cases between man and Hashem. In such a
situation it is not enough just to say you’re sorry, coupled with viduy etc. In addition to confessing our guilt in
relation to the errors that we have committed, regretting those errors, and
taking on never to the repeat them, the Chovos Halavovos adds a little
something of its own.
Rav Chaim
Malinowitz tells us in its name that if we err, it means that the organ, limb
etc. with which we erred is, spiritually speaking, weak. In order to properly complete the teshuvah
process we therefore need to exercise the “muscle” that was weak and go to the
other extreme in order to ‘tone it up.’
You spoke Loshon
Hora?
It’s the view of
the Chovos Halavovos that from now on you should only speak good thereby
refraining even from negative comments that would be perfectly permissible.
You ate
something that you shouldn’t have?
Henceforth, take
on to stay away even from some food that is permitted.
And so it goes for
every move you made that ended up requiring you to do teshuvah.
But isn’t
teshuvah the ultimate free lunch?
Therefore the
Chovos Halavovos, consistent with its view that the Hakoras HaTov that we owe
Hashem for everything and then some is the touchstone of our existence, tacks
on a little something to what the Halacha requires of us vis á vis teshuvah.
After all, if we
should feel obligated to pay back a little more by adding something to our
avoda, for those little right turns that our lives take, courtesy of
Hashem, as opposed to lefts, then what should we say about teshuvah
which is essentially a freebie that Hashem throws our way in the form of a
second chance after we have made a train wreck out of chance numero uno?
