[Avodah] Teshuva - postive or negative?

[David Riceman]

Daniel Eidensohn wrote:
> I recently was asked by a number of  recent baalei teshuvos -  how to 
> deal with what they perceived as the intense negative atmosphere of 
> Elul  in their seminary classes. They said that they were attracted to 
> Torah observance because it was such a positive, future oriented way of 
> life. However they find that in the seminary programs, there is a focus 
> on finding fault with oneself, looking at the negative, being self 
> critical and skeptical about their motivation.
>   
<snip>
>  Any other sources which are relevant to this  issue?
>
>  

According to Dov Katz this is a machlokes between Slabodka and the older schools of mussar.  See Dov Katz, Tenuas HaMussar III:121-126.  I suspect that it's not so much a machlokes as an adaptation to different circumstances.  Maybe these people are just studying in the wrong place.

David Riceman