"And you will return to the Lord, your G-d... and you will listen to His voice..." (Devarim 30:2).
When a lit candle is brought into a dark place, the darkness disappears, and it is no longer noticeable that there had been darkness there. So it is with a person who returns in teshuva (repentance): even though he sinned before and corrupted his ways, through teshuva he becomes a new being. This is the meaning of “And you will return”—and then you will reach “to the Lord your G-d.”
(the Baal Shem Tov)
"... the Lord, your G-d, will bring back your exiles, and he will have compassion upon you." (Devarim 30:3).
Sins give rise to cruelty in a person’s heart, and a sign of teshuva is when a person behaves with the attribute of mercy. Thus it says: “the Lord, your G-d, will bring back your exiles—and he will have compassion upon you.”
(Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg)
"And you will return to the Lord (Havayah) your G-d (Elokim)..." (Devarim 30:2)
The work of teshuva must be to the point that the Divine name Havayah, which is above the worlds, becomes “your G-d (Elokim)”, the G-dly light that is enclothed in nature. (Elokim is numerically equivalent to nature). That is, the light of the Name Havayah must penetrate into the inner being of the person.
(The Alter Rebbe)
Distancing the Sins
One who wishes to return in complete repentance should not focus on fixing his flaws, but rather strive to distance his sins from before his eyes. First and foremost, he should flee from the evil inclination that pursues him and exert himself in serving G-d with love and awe.
(the Maggid of Kozhnitz)
