Welcome to the daily Hizuq. The Torah says about the Mitzvah of Teshubah according to the Ramban. Kikarob elecha hadavar meod beficha ubilba bekhala asoto. Teshubah is very close to us. It's in our mouths and it's in our hearts. When it comes to sins between us and Hashem, this is understandable. But what about when it comes to sins between man and man? If someone took money from someone else but can't find them to return it, how will he achieve Teshubah just with his heart and his mouth? Or what if he wronged another person who refuses to forgive him? How will he achieve Teshubah with his heart and his mouth? When Ravzalman of Al-Ajjan was trying to find somebody that he insulted in his youth, he couldn't locate him and he began to cry, thinking about that he wasn't going to get forgiven. The Vilni Ghaon found out about it and told him, when a person does all that he can to fix a sin, Hashem will send him help from above to fix it, even if that sin is ben-adam l-khavero. The Hovot Levavot writes in the Shara Teshubah, if someone stole money but he honestly feels remorse and wants to pay it back, but he doesn't have the money to pay. Hashem will give him the money just so he could achieve Teshubah. The Hovot Levavot writes as well, if a person wronged another, but he has a real desire to make Teshubah, Hashem will put feelings of mercy in the other person's heart to forgive him. As long as we have a real Datsun in our hearts, Hashem will help us make the Teshubah we need to be forgiven. Rabbi Shemuel Travitz told a personal story which took place about 20 years ago. An older man in his 90s named Mr. Laib prayed in his shul. Mr. Laib moved to his area, Rishon Litzion 15 years prior, and he came to his shul every day. One day, Mr. Laib asked the rabbi if he could speak to him in private. He told the rabbi he wasn't always religious. Growing up in Russia was very difficult for him. He had gone into business selling leather with his brother, but the taxes were extremely high. They formed a corporation of 10 people which exempted them from the taxes, but under that corporation they did some shady things and one of the men there was extreme in his corruptness. The brothers had to fire him, but in an act of revenge, this man told the KGB about their shady practices. They were punished mercilessly for their crimes. They then took revenge on this man and told the KGB about what he did while he was with their company. They came down very hard on this man and took a lot of money away from him. Mr. Laib then told the rabbi, I can't live with myself. I informed on another Jew in an act of revenge and I never got forgiveness from him. Please rabbi, help me. I'll do whatever it takes. I just need to be forgiven. The rabbi asked Mr. Laib if he knew anything about that man or his family. Mr. Laib replied he had heard the man passed away over 10 years ago. The rabbi then said technically he could ask forgiveness from the man by his grave with a minyan, but he would need to find the man's heirs to pay back the money for the loss that he caused him. Mr. Laib then began to cry and said he would do anything to make to get forgiven. The rabbi told him he would discuss the matter with other rabbis and that Mr. Laib should come back to him the following week on a Wednesday. That next week Mr. Laib came back to the rabbi on Tuesday and his face was glowing. He told the rabbi he didn't need any rulings. His issue was solved and he explained on Sunday night he felt feverish and decided to go to the doctor on Monday morning. He prayed in the first minyan as usual and went right afterward to the doctor. The doctor's office was still closed as it was very early in the morning. Mr. Laib was waiting outside and saw another man waiting by the bus stop next door. They made conversation with each other. Turned out this man was from the old neighborhood that Mr. Laib was from in Russia. Not only that he discovered that this man's wife was the daughter of the man he was trying to get forgiveness from. He then went back with this man to his home and told his wife all that happened. She said she remembered the episode and exactly how much money the KGB took from her father. She then told him she had three siblings back in Russia, three brothers who were her father's heirs and she gave him their contact information. Mr. Laib had a bank account in Russia with money that he was not able to bring over with him but was able to transfer it to people in Russia. It had just the amount he needed to make full restitution to those heirs. He contacted them and made the bank transfer dividing up the money three ways. Later on, they each sent him a receipt to show that he paid. The man, Mr. Laib came to the rabbi and showed him the receipts. He said here, this is my proof that I have received Tishuvah and he asked the rabbi when the time came he wanted to be buried with those receipts. This man had a strong desire to make Tishuvah and he even shed tears to show it. Hashem gave him the siyata-dashmaya he needed to find the people he was looking for. Tishuvah is very close to us. It's in our hearts and our mouths. All we need is a strong desire to do it. Have a great day.

Yohim Revii Be Shabbos, Parshos Kairach, Simcha Falaif, Shia 138. One of the places that people struggle with Simcha is in Tfilah. A person feels, especially if he's going through a difficulty, he feels like when he's davening he cries, he pours his head out to our Kaddishborchu, and he's bizarre. Now a person could be bizarre when he's davening. He's in pain, he's going through something. But the Apostle says, Evdu es Hashem be Simcha. Even if a person is in pain, he has to be able to appreciate the s'chos that he has to talk to our Kaddishborchu. And Tfilah mitaych Simcha is a real Avaites Hashem. You're serving their bainish loam, you're not just asking for what you want. It's Avaita, like Chazal said, Tfilah is Avaites Shabalayev, you're serving their bainish loam. How could you be sad when you're serving our Kaddishborchu? Of course you're going through something. But how could you be sad when you're serving their bainish loam? That's how a person should approach Tfilah. Evdu es Hashem be Simcha, we say it towards the beginning of Davenegh. In Mismallah Saidah, serve their bainish loam with Simcha, even if you're going through something. Make an effort that your Tfilah should be be Simcha. And then it's Avaites Hashem, it's Evdu es Hashem be Simcha, and then Bezer Hashem, which Tfilah is Makobl.

Welcome to the daily chizuk. After Qayyim killed Havel, Hashem gave him very severe punishments. The land would no longer produce for him as it did before, and he would become a wanderer and separated from Hashem's immediate presence. Qayyim then said to Hashem that as he wandered the earth, whoever found him would kill him. Immediately afterward, Hashem told Qayyim that he would protect him and he even gave him a sign for it. What changed? Hashem had just decreed such harsh punishments upon Qayyim and now suddenly he was going to protect him? The Ora Hayim Akadosh there explains that when Qayyim said whoever found him would kill him he was recognizing that without Hashem's protection he would not be able to survive. Qayyim understood that his safety was completely dependent upon Hashem and in the zikhud of that recognition, Hashem had extra mercy upon him. This is a very powerful idea. We're talking about Qayyim immediately after he committed one of the worst avedah. Furthermore, we're talking about someone who spoke directly to Hashem yet after he recognized how much he needed Hashem to protect him that recognition alone was so precious to Hashem that he showed Qayyim an outpouring of love. How much more so if a person today who doesn't see Hashem openly would recognize that he needs Hashem for everything. We have opportunities all day long to strengthen our Emonah in this area. Before a person leaves his house he could think, Hashem, I need you to protect me every step that I take. Before he goes to work he could say, Hashem, I need you every step of my day for success. Before making any important decision a person could say, Hashem, I need you to guide me. When his children leave the house he could say, Hashem, only you could truly watch over them. Every time we sincerely think, Hashem, I can't do this without you. We are implementing this beautiful fundamental in Emonah. How fortunate we are. The one we need is our loving Father who controls everything and always does what's best for us. Sometimes different circumstances bring us to truly internalize this truth. Rabbi Benyamin Prusansky told a story about a man named Rabbi Shia Erps, the director of Camp Khol-Simcha. On one occasion he became trapped inside a large industrial freezer. The heavy door had slammed shut and there was no handle on the inside and despite being very handy and physically strong, nothing he tried worked to get him out. The tools he had with him couldn't get the door open. His radio had no reception to be able to call anyone and nobody could hear his cries for help. After nearly an hour in the freezing cold, he finally stopped trying everything and turned to Hashem and said, Hashem, my tools, my strength, my radio have all failed me. I understand now that without you I have nothing. You are the only one who can save me. Please, Daddy, open the door for me. He then went over to the door one more time and pushed gently at it and the heavy door swung open wide. He later reflected he had never felt such a complete lack of control. He had been so sure that somehow his own abilities would save him, but only when he truly recognized that everything depended only on Hashem did the door finally open. If just recognizing his need for Hashem brought protection, even to Qayin, at such a low point in his life, we could only imagine how precious it is when we go through our day recognizing again and again, Hashem, I need you. I know that everything I have comes from you and I know that only you can give me what I need. Have a great day.

Yohyim Rev. Ibesh Abbas, Parshas Hazinu, Simcha for Life, Sh. 164. Chazal said, Ibrahim Ibsachim Daphnun, it's also G'mon Babasar. Ibrahim says, O'ilum hafuch rahisi, he saw an upside-down world, al-Yohyim l-Matah ve-Tachtayn l-Malah. The upper people were lower and the lower people were higher. And the Svarmakadashim explained that it's not just specifically in different people. It could even be in one person, or it is even referring to one person. When a person's going through a Zaman katnas, a Zaman that he doesn't feel dvekus and he has to push, so he's Tachtaynim, he feels that that's a lower time of his Rukhniyas. That's l-Malah, in Shamaim they consider that much more Khashiv. And the al-Yohyim, the times that the person feels he's on top of the world, he's Baruch Hashem being matzliyach and he has a khashik, that doesn't have the same Khashivis. And the Svarmakadashim explained it, it's a very important khizik for people. A person has to keep pushing his avayda besymcha even if he doesn't feel it and understand that al-Yohyim, al-Matah, sometimes the times that you think are the greatest times are really not so great because it's the Rabbanishlum siyat of the Shmaaya and the times that are very, very difficult, those are the times that are really Khashiv because that's where you have to put in the keikhis.