Two Forms of Teshuva Part Four

From an unedited transcript: We use the word ‘meheira’ all the time – quickly, redeem us quickly, heal us quickly, hear our voices quickly, accept our service quickly. Have you ever noticed the word ‘meheira’? I would never

have said to a King, Your Majesty, I need you to do this for me quickly. I wouldn’t even say it to my father, but to G-d we say, ah, listen G-d, I need You to do this quickly, meheira, I need You to do it right away.

What’s going on? We’re asking Hashem for a favor and then we say, meheira, oh by the way, I need You to do this favor quickly. Because in the world as it really is, in the world of Hashem, everything can change in one second. I don’t need to go through a process, I can change meheira – quickly, in one second, and the minute I begin to live each moment as meheira, this is my moment in which everything can change quickly, just like that, that’s when I can begin to live like the way I’m supposed to live, that every second is the greatest opportunity to approach my service of G-d. My entire life, which is service of G-d, with the joy of that every single moment and the possibilities of that moment, which gives G-d joy, which is chedvas Hashem hi mo’uschem, G-d’s joy in us.

When we can live with that kind of joy and that kind of determination, hi mo’uschem – that is our strength, that will give us the ability to change, the ability to grow, that will give us the ability to realize all of our potential. That is the teshuvah of a Reuven, a teshuvah that when witnessed by the angels of G-d, the celestial angels, they go – ah, Harotzeh Bis’shuva – this is the kind of teshuvah G-d desires and if G-d is telling us this is what I desire, I think it behooves us to pay attention and take the same approach. That’s the teshuvah of Reuven.