For every one of these aspects, a miracle is needed—for a person doesn’t possess the means to accomplish them on his own in the normal course of nature. It is for this reason Chazal have told us that teshuvah preceded the creation of the world.
HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave us the gift of teshuvah and says to a person: “I know that you’re unable... I know that you will never be able to accomplish any of these aspects of teshuvah on your own. All I ask of you is to do your part and come just a bit closer to Me, and if you do so, I will perform a miracle for you. פתח לכם אפתח ואני מחט של כפתחו פתח לי פתחו אולם של כפתחו, open for me an opening as tiny as the opening of a needle, and I will open for you an opening as large as a hall.”
Because we’re discussing a neis, a person cannot control when and how it will take place. He can only do his part, to begin the process. That’s where his bechirah, free will, lies. And the truth is that even this—taking the first step in the teshuvah journey—can only happen through tefillah for siyatta diShmaya.
Hashem Will Certainly Do His Part
Thus, the secret of teshuvah lies in the Chazal that tells us ליטהר הבא אותו מסעיין, one who comes to purify himself is aided from Above. Someone who comes to do teshuvah will be given the siyatta diShmaya by Hashem to begin the process of teshuvah and in all three aspects of teshuvah mentioned above—culminating with coming close to Hashem and feeling the pleasure of closeness to the Shechinah.
And the Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, brought above by the Tur, tells us that in this month of Elul, it is easier to open the door to this miracle. One who knocks on this door during this month is answered more readily than at any other time. The aveiros will do their part to block this assistance from coming to the person—and therefore, a person must bang on the door of teshuvah with all his might—but in Elul, Hashem gives us so much more assistance. HaKadosh Baruch Hu tells us, “Begin to come close to me... make a small change, accept something upon yourself that you will do your best to keep, daven that you should be able to maintain it, and I will do My part and help you more than at any other time—because this month has been established for this purpose all those millennia ago.”
We must inculcate this fact into our hearts: The month of Elul stands on its own as a month during which we can best accomplish teshuvah, not merely as a preparation for Rosh Hashanah. If a person views Elul simply as a time to prepare for Rosh Hashanah, he is likely to say, “Why do I need a full month? I will work on myself when we get closer to Rosh Hashanah.” But this is a mistake; for—as the Zohar HaKadosh teaches us—we are given a ימים ירח, a full month, and there is no difference between the beginning of the month and the end of the month. To the contrary, one must begin the process as early as possible, so he has ample time, with ample assistance from Above, to truly change his ways.
