The Ba’al Shem Tov taught that our thoughts of repentance and feelings of remorse actually originate from a bas kol, a heavenly voice, that calls to us daily to repent (see Avos 6:2).
Rav Simcha Bunim illustrated this idea with a parable:
A father and son were traveling together in a coach laden with wares that they planned to sell at the annual spring fair. They passed through a forest, and the young boy, seeing the beautiful spring blossoms around, declared, “Father, please allow me to stop here and pick some of these beautiful flowers!”
The father shook his head and said, “No, my son. If you stop to pick the flowers while I continue onward, you may not be able to catch up and you will get lost.”
“Please, Father, I will pick flowers slowly, and as you travel on I will call out to you. As long as you answer me and I hear your voice, I will know your location. Then all I need to do is to travel in the direction of your voice, and I will not lose my way. Once I have picked enough flowers, I can catch up to you and we will travel on together.”
The father agreed, and the son alighted from the wagon to pick flowers while his father continued onward. Soon the father called out to his son, “My son, my son!” But there was no answer. The father covered his face with his hands in despair and said, “Had you heard my voice, you could follow it and find your way! But if you don’t even hear my voice, you have likely lost your way!”
