One Step at a Time
The Gemara in Sanhedrin supports the idea that a person must recognize that he is unable to accomplish teshuvah on his own.
The Gemara teaches us, תורה לדברי אפילו מועלת מחשבה, thinking and plotting that we will accomplish great projects—even in good things like learning Torah, saying “I will complete this and this masechta by this and this date”—will cause the Satan to get in our way, doing everything he could to interfere with our plans.
Similarly, a person who accepts upon himself positive resolutions and plans his entire journey—indicating that he thinks he can be successful on his own—will surely not succeed. The Ribbono shel Olam wants us to accept upon ourselves good resolutions and embark on the journey step by step. We must also remember that the Satan will stand in our way, and thus, we must get up every day and daven for our success in teshuvah. HaKadosh Baruch Hu wants us to understand that we cannot do this with our own power, and only He can help us return to Him through miracles.
