It’s Big, but Do What You Can Do… Maybe a Little More

 

When we start looking at the idea of Teshuva, we can get overwhelmed. All the different levels and details, all that it says in our holy Seforim can make it seem like something too lofty. It may look too hard.

 

The Nesivos Sholom shares with us an amazing insight that will help us navigate this journey of Teshuva. 

 

The Gemoro (Psachim 8.) when talking about Bedikas Chometz deals with a thick wall that has holes and cracks that you can’t see all the way through to check properly. Says the Gemoro “Check in the cracks and holes until your hand can reach and the rest be mevatel (nullify) in your heart.”

 

The Nsivos Sholom explains this Gemoro on a deeper level in the context of Teshuva. When searching for our own “Chomatz,” as we are doing our cheshbon hanefesh and trying to do Teshuva we need to know that we don’t have to be perfect. We are only expected to do what we can do. Of course, we need to put in work. But we don’t have to go all the way. , We need to stretch out our hands, but only as much as it goes. The rest, we allow Hashem to take care of. When Hashem sees that we have done our best, He will do the rest.

 

Perhaps we can add that this year we are being called to stretch out our arms a little more. To do a little more than we thought we could do. We are still not expected to be perfect but let’s broaden our horizons and go to spaces we’ve never been before. That extra shiur that we don’t usually go to, or another minyan we don’t always attend. And then we have bitachon that Hashem will definitely do the rest and bless us all with a shana tova umesuka.

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