Jax’s DT- Subbing for JayMatt, for Motzei Rosh Hashana (Sunday night’s DT)
DVAR TORAH: Teshuva
Two men were in the royal prison. One day, one of the walls collapsed, allowing the prisoners to escape. One of the men immediately seized the opportunity to escape. He asked his friend if he was coming. The friend declined, not wanting to break the law again.
Later, the King’s Guard arrived and found that one man escaped while the other, who could have easily have escaped as well, was still sitting there in his cell.
The guard began to furiously beat that man with his club. The man asked the guard, “Why are you beating me? It was my cellmate who transgressed by fleeing!”
“Yes, but you had an opportunity and didn’t take it. For that I beat you!”
The prisoner by not escaping showed that in his mind, the prison was not such a terrible place to be!
??? traps us in a prison. We become so set in our bad ways and so full of shame that it is difficult to repent. We have a golden opportunity to break out of that prison and do Teshuva. Hashem gives this opportunity every day – and even more so with Rosh Hashana just ending, and Yom Kippor approaching near. Were we not to seize this opportunity to escape, we would be showing that in our minds, the prison of ??? is not such a terrible place to be. That would be the saddest shame of all.
Have an easy fast today!
G’mar Chasima Tova,
Jax
(this DT is was already posted by me, yet is being re-posted to set the tone for Yom Kippor)