[Avodah] Yom Kippur Thought

[Moshe Yehuda Gluck via Avodah]

R' JR:

Once upon a Neilah teary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a sin
of forgotten yore, as II read the Art Scroll lists I wondered only this and
nothing more? (Apologies to E.A. Poe)

 

When you look at the backup lists to the ashamnu's and al cheit's, you may
notice a lot of thought issues (e.g., thinking haughtily). While it would be
great to change oneself to never have a bad thought, are we required to ask
forgiveness for something we haven't acted on?

------------------------------------ 

 

(I can't wait to see the rest of the poem!)

 

Besides everything everyone else said, there's a fundamental difference
between a bad thought and a bad action - when we have a bad action, we did
it, we can repent. But a bad thought can still lead to a bad action - so the
"potential energy" of the bad thought is worse than the bad action. 

 

I've come lately to see Teshuvah as us saying to Hashem, "That's not me -
that's the other guy who did the aveirah - I would never do that!" - sort of
substituting the new you for the old you. (I'm sure I've seen this concept
elsewhere, but no idea where.)

 

So if a person doesn't do teshuvah on that negative potential energy in his
bad thought, he's leaving the "new him" with the potential to do the bad act
that the bad thought could lead to. 

 

KT,

MYG

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