The Passuk says: “You’ll outdo your fathers, and He will give you greater Brachos and Hatzlachos than your forefathers” (Seforno). Why should we do better than them? We can suggest the reason is simply because the Passuk is discussing when we will do Teshuva, and all the gates of unbelievable goodness are open to a Baal Teshuva. And Chazal say: דוֹמֲﬠַל ןיִלוֹכְי םיִרוּמְג םיִקיִדַצ ןיֵא םיִדְמוֹע הָבוּשְׁתּ יֵלֲﬠַבֶּשׁ םוֹקָמְבּ ברכות לד ב Baalei Teshuva are even GREATER than pure Tzaddikim!
This is the most underestimated Chazal, and it is so hard to believe. How can a Baal Teshuva be better than a Tzaddik Gamur? RSRH explains the first three Kapit’lach (chapters) of Tehilim. In the first, Dovid mentions how lucky a person is if he doesn’t go: םיִﬠָשְׁר תַצֲﬠַבּ in the ways of the wicked, etc. and instead he should just learn Torah and he’ll be happy. In the second Kapit’el (chapter), םִיוֹג וּשְׁגָר הָמָּל, he speaks about going to war against the Goyishe Derech of running after lusts etc.
The Gemara says, that these first two Kapit’lach (chapters) are really one, and they tell you to keep away from Ta'avos. And in Kapit’el (chapter) #3, Dovid speaks about the Tzaros he had from his rebellious son Avshalom, which happened to him because he was Nichshal in his own lusts when he destroyed the life of one of his own subjects, Uriyah HaChiti, by being Nichshal with his wife, Bas-Sheva!!
יִכּ יִתוֹציִקֱה הָנָשׁיִאָו יִתְּבַכָשׁ יִנֲא 'ה יִנֵכְמְסִי תהלים ג ו The very fact that he woke up in the morning tells him that Hashem still loves him, and that he will return to his former Madrega of Kedusha and Tahara. It is unbelievable how Dovid is the big Baal Mussar, with two phenomenal Mussar Shmuessin against foolish Ta'avos, and his next Shmuess is about his own: ִמ ְכשׁ וֹל stumbling with those same foolish Ta'avos (and in the worst way!)
Dovid Is Our Amazing Inspiration for Teshuva
One of the famous Gedolei HaPoskim of Lakewood once spoke to a person who had done the most unspeakable Chet. When the person said that he had Cha'rata, the Rav told him: “It’s over, totally!” In Novardok I saw a similar M'halech, where overnight a person is totally 100% kosher, since he simply and quickly did Teshuva.
People view Teshuva as a “bear” (R’ Nosson Wachtfogel Zatzal warns about this) and this is a major barrier blocking a person’s Shteiging. His Yetzer Hara loves to constantly remind him of his bitter past, and all his Maalos are quickly forgotten or almost non-existent in his mind, since they all “go over his head”.
For good reason we say: דִוָדְל 'היִרוֹא in Y'mei Elul, since Dovid is our amazing inspiration for Teshuva. Look how he says: הַו יִנוּבָזֲﬠ יִמִּאְו יִבָא יִכּ ' יִנֵפְסַאַי תהלים כז י that even his parents, who are the main support of every human, forsook him. He’s got everything going wrong in his life, being an Admoni like Eisav HaRasha, and of Mo’avi blood, with an unending list of powerful enemies (who held him to be a Rasha!) throughout his turbulent life!
Dovid is so perfect for everyone. And in our own lives, we need to respect our own pecklach and issues, our weaknesses and our stormy past, just like our Melech, Dovid is the most respected type of human (like the Halacha states: ַהמוֹ ֵר ְבּ ד ַמ ְלכוּ ַח תָי ִמ בי ָתיה one who rebels against the king is immediately sentenced to death).
Look how Hashem wants so much to be M'chazek us, by giving us a Dovid for a Melech; now every schnook and every bum and every nebach feels comfortable and has hope!
Royalty Means Moving on Despite Your Mistakes in Life
And Davka a person with such an embarrassing history is our king?! A Yid has to learn to respect his pitfalls and mistakes, his failures and disadvantages; only these can make him truly great, when he isn’t Nis'pael from them, and he moves on like Dovid HaMelech, who doesn’t get fazed by his outrageous sins!
This is exactly the Gadlus HaAdam. Adam means “Adama” earth, the lowest form of the: ְבּ ִר ָאיה world, yet, the Adam is the: ֵנ ֶז ַה ר ְבּ ִר ָאי ה “crown of the world” i.e., the glory, the beauty, and the greatness of all of Hashem’s wonderful world! So no more looking down at our “outrageous” mistakes in life. Moving on despite them will give us true royalty!
