Sha’ar 2:14: Life and Teshuva are Both Gifts

Good morning rabosai, I hope everyone is well. We've been talking about the different leshonot of tefillah that Rabbeinu Yonah employs in giving us a regimen, guidelines for how to spend the aseret yemei teshuvah. Excuse me. So Rabbeinu Yonah, this posuk, we tried to understand a little bit about that aspect of tefillah and experience of tefillah, ולעשות תפילה ורינה ולהפיל תחינה. What does l'hapil tchinah mean? Mistama Rabbeinu Yonah has in mind, I'm not positive, mistama he has in mind lashon va'etchanan. Rashi tells us from Chazal, the beginning of parshat va'etchanan, that this lashon tefillah reflects the fact that when a person davens, he's asking Hakadosh Baruch Hu for matnat chinam. Chanina is a person asks for grace, a person asks for amnesty, a person's asking for matnat chinam. In this context, I mean, that's always the case. Whenever a person comes to Hakadosh Baruch Hu b'tefillah, a person doesn't come with an IOU in hand that he's collecting, Rachmana litzlan. It's always the case when a person comes to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that he's coming for matnat chinam, but Rabbeinu Yonah is emphasizing it especially in this context for the following reason. There is a very, very famous Yerushalmi which is much quoted. The Yerushalmi is in perek bet of Makkot Halacha vav. The Yerushalmi says as follows: שאלו לחכמה חוטא מה הוא ענשו. That's sort of, if you personify chochma, as it were. So chochma was asked, what should the fate of a sinner be? אמר להם חטאים תרדוף רעה. Ra'ah should chase after them. That's what they deserve.

שאלו לנבואה חוטא מה הוא ענשו. אמר להם הנפש החוטאת היא תמות. שאלו להקדוש ברוך הוא חוטא מה הוא ענשו. אמר להם יעשו תשובה ויתכפר.

So while it's unquestionably true, and this is a really fundamental perspective, it's a perspective that we should strive to have at all times,

כל החיים הם מתנת חינם. עד שלא נוצרתי איני כדאי.

All of life is the ultimate matnat chinam. When we think about it, as clear as that idea is, as simple in the sense of compelling and unquestionable as that truth is, it's not so simple to internalize it, to that that should translate into our mindset and attitude and emotional reality. Because when you think about it, rabosai, we don't, so I think we're often not aware of this, but very often we live with a sense of entitlement. Very often we feel entitled to a certain level of health, a certain level... A certain level of prosperity financial a certain level of personal fulfillment in terms of family and relationships. And there's a sense of entitlement. If when when all of those pieces are in place we take them for granted. We're excited we thank the Ribbono Shel Olam if we win the lottery. If in addition to having enough money to take care of all my needs and a little bit more I also get an unexpected bonus at the end of the year so then I'm excited. I got something extra. But everything else I feel entitled to. But everything is extra. כל הנשמה תהלל יה על כל נשימה ונשימה Chazal say every breath every breath is a matnas chinam. So anything that a person asks for any day of the year like Moshe Rabbeinu's v'eschanan el Hashem a person is asking for matnas chinam all of life is a gift and a person is not supposed to have any sense of entitlement. Within that and maybe within it is not the way to describe it maybe beyond that one wouldn't have thought that that could ever be surpassed. If everything is a matnas chinam so how can you sort of surpass that? So something does surpass that and that's teshuva. That a person is given life which is a matnas chinam which is a blessing which is an extraordinary blessing almost beyond description. And then the person is chotei. A person's chotei against Hakadosh Baruch Hu who in addition to other descriptions we could try to give is is his source of life. ואף על פי כן Ribbono Shel Olam שאלו הקדוש ברוך הוא חוטא מה הוא עונשו. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu doesn't want to answer the question. I don't want to talk about onesh. יעשו תשובה ויתכפר לו. So that's a matnas chinam על גבי מתנת חינם. It's a matnas chinam on in a different sphere even. And yitachen that's what Rabbeinu Yona is emphasizing that one of the tzuros hatfilla of Aseres Yemei Teshuva is lehapil techina. That a person realizes that he's asking for for again a matnas chinam which is even of a higher belongs to a higher realm and of a higher magnitude than than the extraordinary matnas chinam which is life to begin with. And what's more

והעת עת רצון והתפילה נשמע בו. כי עניין שנאמר בעת רצון עניתיך וביום ישועה עזרתיך.

There are certain times when when tfilla is especially effective. ואני תפילתי לך ה׳ עת רצון. There are certain times that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has designated as itei ratzon for tfilla and Aseres Yemei Teshuva is such a zman. V'amru raboseinu so maybe we'll leave that for for next time. Okay so we'll stop here and bli neder and bli neder im yirtzeh Hashem we'll resume around 11:30. Okay rabosai have a good rest. Okay rabosai, have a good productive morning, everyone should be well, be safe im yirtzeh haShem.