Are You ready For A Fresh Start?

We restart our year and the cycle of krias haTorah with the reading of Parshas Bereishis. The word bereishis itself alludes to the incredible opportunity available to us when we gain a fresh start and new beginning.

The Tikoni Zohar lists many different remazim alluded to in this one word. Among them, it says that bereishis can be read as bais reishis, two beginnings. Every person's life has a natural start, when they enter this world and are born. However, one can recreate himself throughout his life. If a person does aveiros, and wishes to start over, he can do teshuva and begin again with a clean slate. The pasuk tells us asa ha'Elokim es ha'adam yashar, Hashem made every person yashar, with integrity. However, the Shela Hakadosh explains, a person becomes corrupted by performing various aveiros. Teshuva is the process whereby he returns to his natural state, to the state of perfection in which he entered this world.

This process is hinted at in the seder hatekios, the order of the sounds made by the shofar. We begin with a tekia, a pure, simple sound, representing one's state at birth. The shevarim, a groaning sound, followed by a teruah, a sound of wailing, represent the teshuva, the regret that follows his aveiros one might transgress. Finally, we conclude with another tekia. After doing teshuva, he returns to his original state of yashar, free of sin, the way he was created.

A person should never give up hope and decide that he has gone too far to redeem himself, because we can always access this tremendous power and begin again. There is no better time than at the beginning of the year. It is a time of hischadshus, a time of renewal, and we can all become rejuvenated and start our avodas Hashem anew.

The Chofetz Chaim would relate a parable about a simple farmer who could not find room in his loft to store all his grain. A charlatan observed his dilemma and offered some advice for a fee of ten ruble. The farmer was desperate and paid the requested sum, and in exchange he was handed a magnifying glass. "Look at the doorway through this glass," his newfound 'friend' instructed him. "You will now see that it is big enough to bring in your entire load." The farmer was thrilled, but after a few moments, he came chasing after him with a complaint. "After I saw how big the doorway became," he said, "I looked at the grain, and it, too, now seems to be a tremendous load. It will never fit inside." The swindler laughed and turned the glass the other way. "All you have to do," he explained, "is to look at the wagon load with the small end. You will see how small it is, and you will realize that it can fit inside."

The yetzer hara employs similar tactics, explains the Chofetz Chaim. First, he convinces us to an aveira by downplaying its severity. "Everyone does it!" "It's only a minhag!" "I can always do teshuva afterwards!"

Let's say we lose the battle and succumb to his arguments. He then returns and encourages us to view this event from the opposite angle. "How can you do teshuva," he asks. "You did something so terrible. You are doomed, and so you might as well just repeat it."

In the bracha of Hashkiveinu, we daven for Hashem to save us from both dangers. V'haser satan mi'lifuneinu umei'achaireinu, save us from the Satan from before and from behind us. In other words, save us from the yetzer hara prior to the aveira, so he should not persuade us to do it. Additionally, if we do what he asks, we ask for protection from his next tactic, when he exploits our guilty feelings, causing us to give up hope.

As we are ready to embark on a new year, let's remember that we always have the ability to start again. We can utilize the power of the second reishis and return to our previously pure state.

In the first Mishna in Avos tells us Shimon Hatzadik haya m'shiyarei kneses hagedolah, Shimon Hatzadik was from the last surviving members of the great Assembly of chachamim who lived at the beginning of the second Beis Hamikdash era. He tells us, al she'loshe devarim ha'olam omeid, the world stands on three pillars: al hatorah, v'al ha'avoda, v'al gemilas chasadim, on Torah study, service of Hashem, and good deeds.

Harav Moshe Wolfson questions why we need to preface the statement of Shimon Hatzadik by mentioning his affiliation with the anshei kneses hagedolah. Clearly, he is teaching a lesson that was relevant specifically for that generation.

Rav Wolfson explains that when the Bais Hamikdash stood, the path of avodas Hashem was clear. Klal Yisroel lived in Eretz Yisroel, brought korbonos, and the Shechina's presence was palpable. However, when they returned from galus and rebuilt the Bais Hamikdash, there was no longer the same open display of miracles. Therefore, they turned to the anshei kineses hagedola, which counted many nevi'im among its one-hundred-twenty members. They established the tefilos and brachos that we use until today, charting the course for the future spiritual development of Klal Yisroel.

Eventually, the members of the anshei kneses hagedolah began to pass away. When Shimon Hatzadik, the last remaining member, became older, they began to worry once more about their future.

In this Mishnah, Shimon Hatzadik comes to allay these fears. "You don't need us," he told the Yidden. "The world stands on Torah, Avoda and Gemilas Chasodim. As long as you follow these principles, you're connected to ruchniyus and to Hashem."

Rav Wolfson explains that this concept connects beginning of the Torah with its end. The Torah concludes by describing the petira of Moshe Rabbeinu. Understandably, the people were nervous how they could possibly continue without him. The solution is found on the word breishis. Chazal expound this word in many ways. They say, beshvil hatorah sh'enikra reishis, the world was created for the Torah, which is called reishis. Another derasha repositions the letters to form the words bara tayish, He created a ram, referring to the ayil offered as a korban at the time of akeidas Yitzchak, the quintessential act of Avoda. Additionally, Chazal refer to a set of mitzvos which are called reshis - chalah, ma'aser and bikurim, which are the first portion of the crops and the dough. We give these to the Kohein, and this is considered an act of gemilus chasadim.

This is the very solution suggested by Shimon Hatzadik. Even when a great leader is niftar, Klal Yisroel continues, guided by these three great principles. When we harness the power of reishis, constantly starting anew and growing ever greater, we return to our original state of yashar, as Hashem intended.