On Erev Rosh Hashanah, One Can Still Save Himself

The Rov of Freiman zt”l (quoted in Sefer Erez Balevanon) relates that one year, during the recitation of Selichos on Erev Rosh Hashanah, the Minchas Elazar of Munkatch zy”a turned around to face the kehillah. Several times, he repeated the words of Selichos: “If only you would all return with heart and soul to your legion”, and said, “Now is the time. We can still save ourselves from purgatory.”

Later on, when they were reciting the words: “If you arrange your atonement over the many times and days”, he said: “If you arrange your atonement… But it is only because of the ‘many times and days.’”

In other words, the only reason why people do not do teshuva properly is because of the lengths of golus.