Elul!

Elul is upon us and collectively the Observant community is getting into Tshuva Mode.

Beyond BT poses an interesting question which I think applies to many people who are Ba'al Tshuva, or have moved in the level of observance over a period of years:

When I first became a BT, Teshuva was so easy. Over the course of 2 years, I was keeping Shabbos, Kosher, Davening regularly and performing all the seasonal mitzvos.

After 8 years it has become a lot harder to do Teshuva, even at this time of year. When I look over the last year, the changes are much smaller and were much more difficult to make.

Have other people experienced this change in Teshuva?

Are there a different set of tactics and goals at this later stage?

Is there anything special about the Teshuva of a BT at this point or am I now fighting the same battles that a FFB faces?

“Former Teshuva Master”

I think in a nutshell the problem is that the focus of one's tshuva must change, and the new focus is often more difficult.

Many people going through a transition towards more observance have a list of things that they know deep down they should be doing but aren't yet. This list may even be subconscious, but come Rosh Hashana time it's relatively easy to find the item on the top of the list and commit oneself. If last year I didn't daven, than this year I'll start davening. If I'm already davening, maybe I'll increase the Tfilllot I say each day, or attend minyan each day, or be more careful with kashrut, or Brachot, or some other easy-to-identify Halachic obligation.

This type of Tshuva is relatively easy, and it's a wonderful feeling to look back over the past year and say "two years ago I ate traif, last year I stopped eating non-kosher meat, this year I'll be 100% kosher".

The proble is that eventually you find that you're living a complete halachic lifestyle - there is nothing quick and easy on the top of the list. Sure you could improve your kavana during davenng or cut down on Bitul Zman or Lashon Harah, but these things are hard to quantify, they aren't the sort of thing that you can put a check mark next to on your list. I think that this is one of the reasons that suddenly a “Former Teshuva Master” can find it very difficult to have a meaningful Elul.

To make matters even more difficult, this question is seldom addressed directly. In Yeshiva whenever there was a talk on Tshuva they always used a simple example like "lets say someone wants a cheeseburger and stops himself, that's tshuva" - the problem is that most tshuva is not so easy to qualify, and besides I've never had a cheeseburger in my life, and don't have a particular ta'ava for one, so the metaphor really doesn't talk to me.

Anyway, the article from Beyond BT got me thinking, and I tried to put together a list of things that I really can work on. I probably wont achieve all of these improvements this Elul, it is possible that I wont achieve any of them, but at least if I have a list it'll be a place to start on this year's tshuva adventure.

These items are just off the top of my head, if you have suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. Bli Neder over the next 40 days (until Yom Kippur) I'll review this list, maybe modify it, maybe just think about it, but hopefully this will help give me some direction to move in during Elul, and maybe - just maybe, after Yom Kippur I'll have at least one measurable improvement in my life.

• I'll make a conscious effort to appreciate my wife more, especially her non-stop effort to keep the household running smoothly. I'll identify additional ways that I can help around the house and show additional support for my wife both physically and emotionally.
• I'll make a conscious effort to spend more time with each of my kids. They all need time with their father on a daily basis and I'll try to make sure that spending time with them is part of my daily or weekly routine. This could include learning Gemara with my oldest, or practicing reading with the girls (each at their own level), or maybe riding a bike or playing a board game with them - each of them.
  
• I'll work on anger, especially with my kids. It is very easy to loose patience with your own kids, but I'll try to never raise my voice to them and to treat them at least as well as I would the kids of a neighbor (I can't imagine myself yelling at someone else's kids).
• I'll try to use all my time as constructively as possible. When I'm working I should be 100% at work, when I'm with the kids I should be 100% with the kids, when I'm in a shiur I should be 100% at the shiur.
• I'll slow down with my Brachot, especially Birkat Hamazon. Does mumbling and skipping words in Birkat Hamazon really show my appreciation for the food that I just ate? Is it really so difficult to make sure that I say ALL of the words?
  
• I'll try to start off my day by being ON TIME for shul - how difficult should it be to get to shul a few minutes before it starts to put on Tfillin, recite Korbanot, and maybe even look at Parsha Shavua?
  

Well, I think that's a pretty good start, IY"H over the next few days I'll see how I can further refine this list.

Please feel free to leave comments.