Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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בלה תובשחמ
mitzvot during the year. Our sages want us to remember on Yom Kippur that
however far from God we may feel ourselves to be, we have kept many, many of
His commandments. When we contemplate all our good deeds over the last year,
we are amazed by how much we did. Then we can find the self-confidence to
resolve to keep even more in the year to come.
The Book of Yonah also demonstrates this theme. Yonah looks at the sins of the
people of Ninveh and wants God to destroy the city. Yonah does not accept the
immediate, sincere repentance of the entire population. Sometimes we judge
ourselves that way, too. We can only see our sins and feel guilty about how distant
we are from God. But, that is not the way God sees things, as He always gives us
a second chance. All we need to do is repent. God looks at the good that is in
us and we should do the same. When we realize our own goodness, we can give
ourselves a second chance. We can think about changing and believe that we can
do it. We can look at our past and find a better direction for the future and follow
it.