Before Ne'ila Yom Kippur Pei Vov 2025

I began by singing this paragraph from Shachris:

אִמְרוּ לֵאלהִים:

תְּהִלָּתו מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ. מַעֲבִיר כִּלָּיון וָחֶרֶץ. מֵשִׁיב אַף וְחָרון וָקֶרֶץ. שֶׁוַע מְחַנְּנָיו יִרֶץ. לָכֵן יִתְגָּאֶה ה' אֲדונֵינוּ מָה אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ:

and I translated it. That means that unlike every other nation, every single year, an existential decision is made. What other nation has to face this? Why do we have to wake up to hear that the Ayatollahs said that Israel is a "one bomb country"? And how many missiles did they have pointed at our children and friends? Thousands of deadly missiles and thousands of deadly warheads. In the thirties, the decision was made, and it was against us. On October 7, the decision was against us. But Baruch Hashem, after the disaster of October 7th, the Ribono shel Olam protected us with hashgacha pratis, again and again, so much that you have to be willfully blind to not see it.

We all know this is true. Every Jew in the world knows, in his heart, that it is true. So I ask you what the heathen captain of the boat asked Yonah HaNavi: 

ויקרב אליו רב החבל ויאמר לו מה לך נרדם קום קרא אל אלהיך אולי יתעשת האלהים לנו ולא נאבד

The boat is about to be twisted into splinters, and we all are about to drown, why on earth are you sleeping? Now is the time to sleep? Now is the exact moment to call out to God to save us! As I said before Tekiyos, now is the time to be awake, not to sleepwalk. 

Do you know why Yonah went to sleep? Because Hashem told him "Go north!" and he, in direct contradiction of Hashem's command, davka ran in the opposite direction.  At this point, he was sure there was no chance Hashem would listen to him. But he was wrong!

The story of Menashe:

DH II 33:11

וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶל־מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה וְאֶל־עַמּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֥א הִקְשִֽׁיבוּ׃ 

וַיָּבֵ֨א יְהֹוָ֜ה עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם אֶת־שָׂרֵ֤י הַצָּבָא֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ לְמֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר וַיִּלְכְּד֥וּ אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה בַּחֹחִ֑ים וַיַּאַסְרֻ֙הוּ֙ בַּֽנְחֻשְׁתַּ֔יִם וַיּוֹלִיכֻ֖הוּ בָּבֶֽלָה׃ 

וּכְהָצֵ֣ר ל֔וֹ חִלָּ֕ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו וַיִּכָּנַ֣ע מְאֹ֔ד מִלִּפְנֵ֖י אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבֹתָֽיו׃ 

וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֣ל אֵלָ֗יו וַיֵּעָ֤תֶר לוֹ֙ וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע תְּחִנָּת֔וֹ וַיְשִׁיבֵ֥הוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם לְמַלְכוּת֑וֹ וַיֵּ֣דַע מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה ה֥וּא הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10:2

אַמַר רִבִּי לֵוִי. מוּלָא שֶׁלִּנְחוֹשֶׂת עָשׂוּ לוֹ וְנָתְנוּ אוֹתוֹ בְּתוֹכָהּ וְהָיוּ מַסִּיקִין תַּחְתָּיו. כֵּיוָן שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁצָּרָתוֹ צָרָה לֹא הִנִּיחַ עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה בָעוֹלָם שֶׁלֹּא הִזְכִּירָהּ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁלֹּא הוֹעִיל לוֹ כְּלוּם אָמַר. זָכוּר אֲנִי שֶׁהָיָה אָבִי מַקְרֶא אוֹתִי אֶת הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת בַּצַּר לְךָ וּמְצָאוּךָ כֹּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד יי אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹלוֹ. כִּי אֵל רַחוּם יְי אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא יַרְפְּךָ וְלֹא יַשְׁחִיתֶךָ וְלֹא יִשְׁכַּח אֶת בְּרִית אֲבוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לָהֶם. הֲרֵי אֲנִי קוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ. אִם עוֹנֶה אוֹתִי מוּטָּב וְאִם לָאו הָא כָל אַפְּיָא שָׁוִין. וְהָיוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מְסַתְּמִין אֶת הַחַלּוֹנוֹת שֶׁלֹּא תַעֲלֶה תְפִילָּתוֹ שֶׁלִּמְנַשֶׁה לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְהָיוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת אוֹמְרִים לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁלְּעוֹלָם. אָדָם שֶׁעָבַד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְהֶעֱמִיד צֶלֶם בַּהֵיכָל אַתָּה מְקַבְּלוֹ בִתְשׁוּבָה. אָמַר לָהֶן. אִם אֵינִי מְקַבְּלוֹ בִתְשׁוּבָה הֲרֵי אֲנִי נוֹעֵל אֶת הַדֶּלֶת בִּפְנֵי כָל בַּעֲלֵי תְשׁוּבָה. מָה עָשָׂה לוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. חָתַר לוֹ חֲתִירָה מִתַּחַת כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד שֶׁלּוֹ וְשָׁמַע תְּחִינָּתוֹ. הָדָא הִיא דִכְתִיב וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֵלָיו וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ וַיִּשְׁמַע תְּחִינָּתוֹ וַיְשִׁיבֵיהוּ.

What does that mean, that if Hashem doesn't accept his teshuva other baalei teshuva will despair? How many Menashes were there? He was the greatest of ovdei avoda zara, he made it universal in Klal Yisrael, he murdered so many, and Hashem needs to accept his teshuva so nobody else will despair? And what kind of teshuva was it? It was not just disrespectful, it was full of chutzah. But all that does not matter. His teshuva was accepted. Whatever you may be, you are not Menashe. Whatever thoughts of teshuva you might have, they are better than his. 

I want to ask each of you a question. Are you the same as you were ten years ago? Are you a better person, or not? Are you more charitable, or less? Are you more or less serious about davening? Are you more irritable? I think most of you will say we are not who we were ten years ago, certainly twenty years ago. To be human is to change, life is change. You have changed and you will continue to change. The only question is, how is it going to happen? Are you just the product of your environment, just floating and reactive, or are you going to decide what direction you're going in? And you can make that choice, and you can make it happen. As hard as you think it may be, as unlikely as you think it may be, you do not have to do it on your own. You can ask the Ribono shel Olam to help you.

ור' אלכסנדרי אמר הכי רבון העולמים גלוי וידוע לפניך שרצוננו לעשות רצונך ומי מעכב שאור שבעיסה .... יהי רצון מלפניך שתצילנו מידם ונשוב לעשות חוקי רצונך בלבב שלם. רבא אמר ..... יהי רצון מלפניך ה' אלהי שלא אחטא עוד

Now is the moment to wake up, decide where you want to be in ten years, and and to ask the Ribono shel Olam to help you get there in His middas HaRachamim.