And so when you’re spending time in the summer you think these thoughts, little by little you begin to realize that there’s a Ribono Shel Olam. And you repent with the best type of teshuva—awareness of the One you’re returning to.
Summer Teshuva
And so if you’ll listen to me, I would tell you, if you’re a frum Jew, and you want to start preparing for the Yomim Noraim at the best time, right now in the middle of the summer, so you’ll walk into a fruit store and stand there for three minutes and look around. Look around and let your eyes drink in the glories of Hashem’s summer. And while you’re there, take out your hand and bang yourself on the breast. Don’t care that people are looking at you. “Ashamnu, bogadnu, gozalnu. Ach, Ribono Shel Olam, such a beautiful and happy world You made for me. Such beautiful and tasty fruit. You’re making me happy and giving me more opportunity to see You everywhere.
“I know now—I feel it—that I’m standing in front of You always and so I repent. I want to come back to You. I’m going to keep my mouth closed and watch what I’m saying when I get home and not bother my wife when she’s in the kitchen. I won’t talk lashon hara on my neighbors.
“I won’t waste my evenings anymore. I’m going to go to shiurim and on Shabbos I’m going to come to learn in the afternoons instead of sleeping all day in bed. I’m going to give more tzedaka. I’m going to be mekayem mitzvos with more zerizus. I’ll daven with more kavana.”
All those things you should say as a result of the fruit store. But not only the fruit—all happiness summertime is for that. That’s what it’s intended for. That’s the purpose of the summer!
From Av to Tishrei
And that’s the purpose of Chamisha Asar B’Av. It’s a midsummer night; the time of the year when you can see the kedushas Hashem, the kevod Hashem that fills the world. Of course, you knew all about it already before Av, but now you’re actually becoming aware of Him. And the enjoyment, the good times, helps. It’s the best time of the year for happiness, a happiness that spurs the thinking person to more and more Awareness of Hashem, and, therefore, that’s the preparation for teshuva.
That’s the person who understands the secret of ‡ָרָבּו ‡ָ ̇י¿יַרֹו‡¿ּב לָּכַּ ̇¿יסƒ‡‡ָמ¿לָﬠ, of what it means that Hashem looked into the Torah and He created the world. Because the Torah achievements, the Torah idealism that He wants from us, that’s the blueprint of creation. And the summer happiness is a very important part of that. The happiness of Chamisha Asar B’Av is the hachana that will prepare us for the happiness of the kapparah of Yom Kippur. Because the very best teshuva is the teshuva of emunah, of yiras Hashem that comes from looking, seeing, studying and thinking what the happy world has to tell us about Hashem.
Have a Wonderful Shabbos and Summer
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Let’s Get Practical
Pause for Lehodia
This week we learned that summer happiness is not just a seasonal bonus — it’s a divine tool. Hashem crafted the joyful sights, sounds, and tastes of summer to help us become more aware of Him and His kindness.
This week I will bli neder pause for ten seconds, three times a day, to think “Lehodia”—to make known the greatness of Hashem. Whether it’s the sunlight, a ripe fruit, or the singing of birds, I’ll stop to recognize it as a message from the Creator. These short, quiet moments will help me gather the emunah “harvest” that the summer is designed for — turning simple pleasures into reminders of Hashem’s wisdom, kindness, and presence.
This week’s booklet is based on tapes: 17 - Repenting in Happiness I | 522 - Rosh Hashana: Hashem in Nature 561 - Midsummer Teshuva | E-160 - Repenting in Happiness II E-239 - Hashem Speaks in Nature Listen to Rabbi Miller on the phone! Call the Kol Avigdor hotline 718-289-0899
