The Story Of The Disappearing Speeding Ticket & Rabbi Yomtov Lipman Heller

Okay.

One of the themes of the month of El is how Hashem accepts us as we are.

And when a person returns to Hashem sincerely, Hashem doesn't look at them as based upon their past mistakes and judges them based upon their past mistakes.

But Teshuvah actually transforms us and completely renders our present state to be disassociated from the previous state.

Teshuvah reveals the essence of our soul that was always pure, that was always good.

It was not just that through Teshuvah Hashem forgives us, but more that Teshuvah puts us in, completely transforms our definition of who we are today.

So that's why there was a custom amongst those who returned to Hashem sincerely, they would actually change their name, previous generations, because they were saying, I'm not the same person as I was before.

So, the way Hasidus expresses it, it's not that you're different than the way you were before, it's that you're expressing your true essence of who you are.

The definition of teshuva is to return to yourself, because inside you always were good.

So, the exterior facade that was not the way things were meant to be, is not really you.

The inner you is what's come now to the fore.

And therefore, there's no reason to... judge based upon past error.

The contrary.

Where you are now is your true you.

So on that note, I wanted to share with you a few stories.