The second aspect of teshuvah is to change our ingrained habits—that is, to begin to behave differently from now on, to begin speaking to others with patience, to rectify our interpersonal relationships, to stop wasting valuable time, and so forth... all the habits each of us knows we need to change. A person really does want to change, but when it comes l’maiseh, it is difficult, for these habits have been ingrained in his core. He has promised himself one hundred times that he will break these habits... but when it comes l’maiseh, he’s unable to follow through. This is especially true when it comes to habits that stimulate the mind and give us emotional satisfaction. These habits doubly need miracles in order to be broken. Thus, this aspect of teshuvah, too, is a matter of a miracle—a miracle that the Ribbono shel Olam performs for those who truly wish to return to Him.
