Some notes from Harav’s Wed shiurim on Rosh Hashanah you might appreciate: Erev Rosh Hashanah is ONLY for teshuva and tefilla. Do everything on Tuesday so that starting netz on the last day, you can focus on the tachlis (purpose) – ruchnius! Go through the Table of Contents of Sefer Hamiddot and do teshuva on every midda – Hashem will help you focus on the ones most important for you. Men can go through the Table of Contents of the Shulchan Aruch as well. Do teshuva on every aspect of your day and how it was, versus how it should be - (his examples are for men but apply to women) – how was Shachris, Mincha, Maariv? How was my kavana? How was my hitbodedut? Did I do minimum 1 hr every day? etc etc – AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
Remember that this last week of the year – each day corrects that day of the entire year, so this week corrects for the entire year! Even if you couldn’t make the year what you wanted, MAKE THIS WEEK THE WAY YOU WANT IT.
Then for the 10 days of Teshuva – all the books are open before Hashem and Hashem writes based on your ratzon – will/desire. Spend every single minute, not just fixed prayer times, telling Hashem what you want! Hashem, write me in the book of – emuna shleima, ratzon d’kedusha b’shleimut, tefilla b’kavana, shaa hitbodedut yom yom, adding to kedusha and daat every moment of every day, saying todah with your whole heart, etc. etc. You can do this before Rosh Hashanah too, but especially starting on Rosh Hashanah itself through the 10 days, all the time!!!
Remember that these days are incredible chesed. You get to clean the table, to start over, to get a new din for the year, a new opportunity. If you’re doing daily hitbodedut it’s even easier since you are cleaning your table every day. Make the most of it!
Don’t forget – until this moment, rak todah – only say thank you. To pray on something is a lack of emuna, because then you think Hashem should have done it differently and that is heresy! You have to cancel your will to Hashem’s will. Just say thank you and all the salvations will come to you, because now you are expressing emuna shleima, complete emuna. Whatever happened was for the best. Remember that “good” is getting closer to Hashem and “bad” is going farther away. You want money, but if not having money is bringing you closer to Hashem, then it’s good! Say thank you! Until this moment you didn’t have the vessels for whatever, but now you say thank you, and you strengthen your emuna, and you request for the future, and now you have vessels – and now Hashem can give it to you! Remember Hashem is all merciful, He WANTS to give it to you, you don’t need to convince Him, you just need to have the vessels so it will be good for you in truth.
And for the future – ratzonot. Even a person lost is sadness and despair, express your will for the future. OK so I want happiness, and I'm not happy. Thank you Hashem I'm not happy. Please Hashem, from this moment on, make me happy! From this moment on, give me emuna shleima! Enable me to say thank you with my whole heart! Etc etc. It brings all the salvations immediately AND it gives a person incredible koach, energy and strength.
Every minute should be filled with either todah, or ratzonot!
Shana tova u’metukah!!!
