On his eightieth birthday, the great gaon, Reb Issar Zalman Meltzer (author of Even HaAzel) said, "Now that I am eighty years old, I have to take hold of myself and begin to learn..." He said this with total sincerity, in the manner that a young bachur would say it at the beginning of a new zman.
We are now at the beginning of the year, and at the beginning of the Torah, and the beginning of a new zman in yeshiva. Keep in mind that all new beginnings must be done with perfection.
The Rambam (Hilchos Avodah Zarah 1:3) states that Avraham Avinu worshiped avodah zarah as a child, but even then, his mind was searching for the truth. When he was forty years old, he recognized Hashem.
This is one of the reasons the Torah begins with the letter 'ב. This letter is closed from all sides, and it is open only in front. This is a reminder to block your mind from thinking about the past and to focus on making the future better.
