How to Do Teshuvah in the Generation of Redemption

We are all searching for holy advice and the correct paths for teshuvah (repentance) and for rising in the service of Hashem, each Jew in their own place. In a wonderful lesson delivered by HaRav Moshe Tzanani shlit"a, a holy light of sanctity and fear of Heaven descended.

A mandatory lesson that everyone owes to themselves and those around them.

Holy pearls from the strengthening lesson of Rav Tzanani shlit"a

The holy lesson opened with a question from Rabbi Yaakov Salma to Rav Tzanani: "The Baal HaTanya says that one who was forced by circumstances and did not put on tefillin should put them on at night without a blessing, so as not to be in the category of a 'karkafta' (one who never wore tefillin)."

Rav Tzanani answered: "Every spiritual fall that comes upon a person is intended to awaken them to teshuvah, because a Jewish person feels inside when they are not acting properly. One must know that everything is recorded above immediately; we do not live in a world of lawlessness. You have no idea how much everything is recorded above. 'An eye sees and an ear hears, and all your deeds are written in a book' (Avot 2:1). There is a book above in which everything a person does is written, and at night the soul ascends and signs off on every single thing. When a person departs this world, they will be shown the book with their signatures on all their deeds."

"Therefore, one needs teshuvah for every single thing, and if a person does teshuvah, they are forgiven; the things they did teshuvah for will not be mentioned to them. A person does not understand where their sufferings and fears come from; everything is from their own deeds."

"In truth, everything is for the best, because they want to give a Jew a great reward above, but one cannot come before the Almighty stained."

"Even a thought is recorded above and creates angels. A person who sinned and contemplated teshuvah—it is written that after passing, they will descend below, but when they cry out to Hashem, they will be raised up by the power of their thoughts of teshuvah and the regrets they had."

"Above, there are truly scales of mitzvot versus transgressions; this is not a children's story—the sufferings also join the side of merits. One must perform teshuvah in a measure that involves bitterness equal to the pleasure they derived from the sin, but if a person is with the tzaddik, then the tzaddik performs wonderful tikkunim (rectifications) for them so that a person can erase everything and become completely white. However, even with the tzaddik, a person must exert effort and strive. For example, a person must guard their eyes; people think the tzaddik is a 'patent' or a shortcut, but that is not true."

"Soon there will be Gog and Magog; it is impossible to describe what is going to happen. Hashem will manage the wars, the Mashiach, 'The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against Hashem and His Mashiach... He who sits in heaven laughs, Hashem mocks them' (Psalms 2). Hashem will laugh at the wicked, but the spiritual war is ours, the people of Israel. They want us not to despair. How much a person merits if they fight! Even if they fall, if they continue to fight, they create more and more vessels. 'In the place where baalei teshuvah stand, even the completely righteous cannot stand' (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot)."

"The Flood alludes to our era; the war today is terrible. Find merit in yourselves. A person persecutes themselves for no reason, but above, they are valued differently. The period is very difficult spiritually. Rebbe Nachman says about our generation that being a kosher person will be like climbing a smooth wall. There is great darkness in spirituality; therefore, we are given great abundance in physicality, because every small lack drives a person crazy, because they have no mind. The Ramchal explains that before the coming of Mashiach, there will be almost total darkness, and as the light departs, all wickedness intensifies."

"But this is our gift: that a simple Jew can merit the infinite, just by not surrendering to desires—do not abandon yourself. In 'Tales of the Rebbe,' Rebbe Nachman tells of the King who goes hunting and all his ministers forget him, and only one peasant in a small hut receives him with a bright face. Suddenly, the ministers remembered that the King was not with them and sought to bring him back, but the King said that only the simple man who remained with him would bring him back—the ones who will bring back the King are the simple people, the baalei teshuvah. 'From the mouths of babes and infants, You have established strength' (Psalms 8:3)—these are the ones who will remain at the end with Mashiach."

"Rebbe Nachman, in Torah 8 of Likutey Moharan, says that when baalei teshuvah are made, lightning and thunder are created; this is the light of the Geulah. You, who were in such low places and are now doing teshuvah, this makes noise in the heavens and draws the light of the Geulah. 'Whoever is holier than his fellow, precedes his fellow' (Mishnah Horayot 3:6); the higher a person's soul, the lower it fell into the depths when it descended into the world. For several reasons, the yetzer hara (evil inclination) knows it can draw vitality from it. And also, it is a calculated matter from the Creator, who brings the high souls down for a struggle with the sitra achra (the other side) and thus breaks it."

"This is exactly the reason they are fighting against our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland; after all, all the accusations against him are nonsense. Their fear is that the Rav brings so many people to teshuvah. The sitra achra knows that the moment the Rav extracts these souls from it, it is destroyed. That is why all the self-sacrifice of our teacher, Rav Eliezer Berland, is to create baalei teshuvah. Where did all the masses of baalei teshuvah come from? Everything started with Rav Eliezer Berland, or the messengers he sent to bring merit to Israel, or through Uman and the Rav's self-sacrifice to open the way there. That is where teshuvah began. True, there were other influencers and those who brought people close, but the essence of the teshuvah was done by Rav Eliezer Berland and the Yeshiva."

"The whole goal of Amalek, the yetzer hara, is to cast a person into despair and sadness. One must find a corner and ask Hashem to reveal the truth to us, not what the liar, the yetzer hara, wants us to think. Suddenly, words of teshuvah will come to a person from the warmth of the heart."

You can download the lesson of Rav Moshe Tzanani by clicking the link - Click here