Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk would sigh and say: “With what face will I come before the Almighty on the Day of Judgment? For I have committed many sins.” He would then think through and count them in detail, as was his holy practice. In the end he said: “If so, it will be the brokenness of my heart that will stand for me on the Day of Judgment.”
What To Do
One year, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Rebbe Rayatz asked his father, the Rebbe Rashab, what should be done now. His father replied: “On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, one must spend the whole day saying Tehillim, repenting for the wrong things done over the past year, so that by the time of the Rosh Hashanah evening prayer, a person will be pure and cleansed of all the negative habits of the previous year.”
A Resolution to Add
The Rebbe Rayatz writes: “Every year on Rosh Hashanah, a person should resolve to increase in three areas: beautifying positive mitzvot, being careful regarding negative commandments, and adding in good conduct.”
The Shofar Elevates
“Shofar” is an acronym for “Shoresh Poreh Rosh V’La’anah” — “a root that is sprouting (bitter herbs, like) hemlock and wormwood.” (Deuteronomy 29:17). This teaches that even a Jew who has sunken into the 49 gates of impurity can rise and be elevated through the shofar. (the Holy Jew of Pshischa)
The Work of the Evening
The Rebbe Rashab would very much prolong the Maariv prayer on the first night of Rosh Hashanah for no less than three or four hours. At the festive meal he would be very brief, and the Bedtime Shema he would recite for four hours.
“Yehi Ratzon” of the Shepherd
Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov went out to wander in exile and traveled through Jewish towns. Once, as he walked among the mountains, he heard a sweet voice reciting Tehillim. He followed the voice and saw a Jewish shepherd reciting Tehillim with great sweetness.
When he finished, the shepherd said: “May it be Your will, Master of the Universe, that just as I faithfully shepherd my flock, so too You will faithfully shepherd Your flock, the Jewish people.”
The tzaddik told him that at the end of Tehillim there is a special “Yehi Ratzon” prayer, which people customarily say to conclude the recitation of Tehillim. The shepherd replied that from now on he would recite the printed text.
The tzaddik had barely walked away when he heard a heavenly voice proclaim: “Go back and tell the shepherd to continue concluding his recitation of Tehillim with his own ‘Yehi Ratzon,’ which is as precious in the eyes of Hashem as the praises of David, son of Yishai (King David).”
