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0:05 All right, you must say good morning. 0:06 Good morning. Let us begin. 0:08 We are continuing our session today in the second chapter in Orach Chaim. 0:14 On the PDF that I sent out last week on the chat, it is page 16. 0:20 So, remember again, in this particular in this particular chapter, Rav Cook is introducing us to two different models of teshuvah. 0:27 The first model is what he called teshuvah pitomice, which means like this instantaneous, almost like surprise, pitom, you know, sudden teshuvah that is the result that is the result essentially of divine inspiration. 0:43 Remember again, we saw this in the in the Tanya shiur on Monday nights in the memory that we're learning of Anila Dodi Ve Dodi Li the bottom line Tanya says, this is often what's called is Arusa De Leela. 0:54 This, you know, this awakening or inspiration from above. 0:58 So, this divine as Rav Cook as Rav Cook describes it is like tidal wave of divine energy that comes along, lifts me up, and inspires me ultimately again to become something incredible. 1:11 We'll talk more about this in just a little bit. 1:12 Now, Rav Cook says again, what's the root of this teshuvah? 1:16 Like, where does it come from? 1:17 So, of course, it comes from above, but ultimately again, what it's really really in what Rav Cook called it was was this Sisu Gula Pnimis. 1:27 This literally this this inner spiritual beauty. 1:30 That in other words, in order for this tidal wave of divine energy to take hold, there has to be something holy and spiritual inside of me for it to take hold of. 1:40 Right? If there's nothing for the energy kind of to vest in, then by definition, all the divine energy from above can't do anything for me. 1:48 But because I have a neshama, because I have holiness within, so therefore, when that divine energy comes down, it has the ability to awaken something within me. 1:59 So, that ability to feel this what we call chuva pit omis, this sudden desire and awakening to become something greater really is a result of the inner holiness and inner beauty that I always possess. 2:13 That's always there. And this goes back This goes back ultimately again to the first chapter as well. 2:18 Rav Kook spoke about this idea that he that a Jew possesses this inner holiness that no matter what I've done in life, it's always there. 2:27 And sometimes all chuva requires is an awakening of that inner goodness. 2:31 Okay, that's the first category. 2:34 He says v'yeshna, so this is page 16, the second paragraph. 2:38 V'yeshna chuva hadragas. And then there's a different level, what we call chuva hadragas. 2:44 Now, remember again, darga means steps or incremental. 2:50 Incremental chuva supposed to chuva pit omis, which is like sudden chuva. 2:55 Chuva hadragas is incremental chuva, step-by-step. 2:58 Meaning what? Look Look how he describes it. 3:01 Lo b'rika avrecha b'kibolei hapech min ha'omek she'al ha'olam. 3:05 It's not like a lightning bolt. 3:07 It's not a lightning bolt. 3:08 It's not this this immense overwhelming light that kind of goes off inside of me, that goes ahead and causes me to shift from ra, from bad, to good. 3:20 That's not what it is. 3:21 It's not It's not that lightning bolt alone. 3:24 Margish hu she'tzerach liyos holich, page 17, umatev d'rachav v'orchot chayav. 3:31 Instead, what is it? 3:33 It's this feeling. It begins as a feeling. 3:35 Now, I must say this is incredibly important. 3:38 All chuva begins as a feeling. 3:42 All chuva begins as a feeling. 3:44 Rav Rav Gifter, the tells of our yeshiva Zera Yisrael Rav Kook has a beautiful sefer on the Ramam Sefer Chuvah called Hirhurei Chuvah. 3:52 Now, it's titled that way because the first thing he talks about is Hirhurei Teshuvah, thoughts of Teshuvah. 3:59 Thoughts of Teshuvah before anything, before I do anything. 4:02 Rabbi Soloveitchik calls this pre-actional Teshuvah, right? 4:06 Our cognitive Teshuvah, where before I eat I I haven't done anything, haven't changed anything, but there's a feeling that something needs to change. 4:16 So, sort of Cook writes Teshuvah Hadargis is this step, or better stated, incremental Teshuvah, where there's level after level, step after step. 4:26 And how does it start? 4:28 It all starts with a feeling. 4:29 It all starts with a feeling that ultimately, again, this is where I am now, but this is not where I want to end up. 4:36 And I need to get myself from where I am to somewhere else. 4:39 Now, by the way, I might not even know where the destination is. 4:43 I I might not even know exactly where I need to get to, but what I do know is I need to shift my begin to shift my life from where I am now and get myself somewhere different. 4:55 So, again, this should I might get I feel should start with holy active I feel that I need to go ahead and improve my life. 5:04 I feel I need to do that. 5:05 It says Ratzono Allah Machshavah. 5:09 So, again, my will and the entire like direction of my thoughts. 5:14 So, and again, that's it. 5:16 So, I feel like I just need a shift in everything. 5:18 I need to shift the way I think, I need to shift the way I behave, I need to shift the way I got to say, I want to be clear, if Cook is not suggesting that an individual in this state 5:27 feels that like everything in my life has to change, because often when we do Teshuvah, not everything has to change. 5:33 There's a lot of things that are good. 5:35 There's a lot of things that are beautiful. 5:36 There's a lot of things that are really that are really special, right? 5:39 But there's enough things that have to change, and I know they have to change. 5:43 So, listen to this, and in this approach of what he calls chuva hadraga, right? 5:48 Incremental chuva, holech um le koveish le at le at as darka as darka yosher. 5:54 And on this on this approach, I take step after step in affecting change in my life. 6:02 It's slow and steady. 6:05 Slow and steady. Koveish le at le at le at le at. 6:09 That's the Those are the Hebrew words. 6:10 I I operate slowly, step after step. 6:14 Metaken hamidos. I work on my midos. 6:16 Well, say it's interesting, by the way, the order that Rav Kook has over here. 6:21 You know, all of the great authors, whether it's Rav Kook, the Piaseczna, the Baal HaTanya, it's not just the ideas that they're expressing, but it's the words that they use to express the ideas that help us understand the full profundity 6:34 of the ideas. So, notice the order, right? 6:36 So, I I understand the model. 6:38 Incremental chuva, step-by-step affecting change, doesn't begin with behaviors, actually just begins with thoughts. 6:44 And then I begin to affect change. 6:46 How do I affect that change? 6:47 Step one, metaken hamidos. 6:49 I work on my midos. 6:51 Well, say how incredible is that. 6:53 Right? Before you do anything with your behaviors, the first thing that a Yid has to do to become a real baal chuva is ultimately work on his midos, work on his character traits. 7:03 How does he behave? 7:05 Next, metiv et ha maasim. 7:07 Then I go ahead and better or improve my actions. 7:12 Right? So, first midos, then actions. 7:15 Melamed et atzmo echli kasha yosef yosef. 7:18 And I teach and condition myself how to become better and better. 7:23 Ad shehu ba le maalah le maalah she zich u v'tikun. 7:27 And sure enough, after enough time, I will learn after enough steps, after enough time of incremental change, I will come to this level of zich which are literally means purification. 7:39 Purification. So, I must say this this is really This is really incredible." 7:44 The two two dramatically different models of chuva. 7:48 Chuva pitomis where literally again a lightning bolt goes off inside my soul. 7:53 And suddenly there is this flurry of activity and like what have you all like you you muscle you gave the same way that the smoker who goes cold turkey, right? 8:01 Or whatever you have you know and decides like, "Okay, everything has to change right now." 8:05 and turns everything around. 8:07 Chuva pitomis is turning everything around right now. 8:11 Chuva hadragas, step after step. 8:14 Step up There's no lightning bolt. 8:16 There's no great epiphanical moment, right? 8:19 There's just this awareness things have to change. 8:21 Starts with the hearer the thoughts then leads to action. 8:25 Starts with middos I'm going to work on my character traits then I go into actions. 8:30 Slowly but surely I affect change in my life until one day again I get to that level of where I am not perfected but I'm holier, purified, and finally the person I want to be. 8:44 So stop over here I'm both saying today obviously the million dollar question we're going to deal with tomorrow that our school is going to deal with is which higher level of chuva? 8:53 Is it chuva pitomis? 8:54 Is it chuva hadragas? 8:56 Which one is I guess both of the ideal that we aspire to and which is the form of chuva ultimately again that creates the most comprehensive personalistic change. 9:07 And with Hashem to be continued tomorrow. 9:09 Shkoyach.
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