Sep 19, 2026 · 48 min · 11 segments
T’shuvah begins when we stop defending where we are and return to the One we left. Listen to Rabbi David's Shabbat sermon based on Parashat HaAzinu at Congregation Mayim Chayim.
Our principle day is Teshuvah begins when we stop defending where we are and return to the one we left.
Again, Teshuvah begins when we stop defending where we are and return to to the one we left.
Now, we hammered home on this on Rosh Hashanah, and I'm going to remind you again now, and we remind it throughout the year.
Turn around to go a different direction.
And this is important because when we are walking outside of the will of God, it's because at some point we stepped off of his trajectory.
We stepped outside of his will.
We're walking away from his desires for us.
And when we do that, I don't know about you guys, if you're honest with yourselves as much as I try to be with myself from time to time, when we know we're going in the wrong way, when we know we're doing the wrong thing, when we see signs we're filling, it is far easier... to make excuses for why we're there than it is to actually fix our trajectory, than it is to actually turn back around.
And I think that's what we tend to do.
We make excuses to defend our mistakes.
Oh, but if so-and-so hadn't have done this, I wouldn't have done that.
And if this hadn't happened, then I wouldn't have done...
We don't really... have a culture of taking ownership of our actions anymore.
And so we have a really bad habit of blaming everyone else for our mistakes.
So with that said, I'd like to encourage you to open up your scriptures to Deuteronomy chapter 32, beginning with verse 1.
This is the very beginning of of our Parsha today.
And it says, Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak.
Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
May my teaching trickle like rain, my speech distill like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
Our principle day is Teshuvah begins when we stop defending where we are and return to the one we left.
Again, Teshuvah begins when we stop defending where we are and return to to the one we left.
Now, we hammered home on this on Rosh Hashanah, and I'm going to remind you again now, and we remind it throughout the year.
Turn around to go a different direction.
And this is important because when we are walking outside of the will of God, it's because at some point we stepped off of his trajectory.
We stepped outside of his will.
We're walking away from his desires for us.
And when we do that, I don't know about you guys, if you're honest with yourselves as much as I try to be with myself from time to time, when we know we're going in the wrong way, when we know we're doing the wrong thing, when we see signs we're filling, it is far easier... to make excuses for why we're there than it is to actually fix our trajectory, than it is to actually turn back around.
And I think that's what we tend to do.
We make excuses to defend our mistakes.
Oh, but if so-and-so hadn't have done this, I wouldn't have done that.
And if this hadn't happened, then I wouldn't have done...
We don't really... have a culture of taking ownership of our actions anymore.
And so we have a really bad habit of blaming everyone else for our mistakes.
So with that said, I'd like to encourage you to open up your scriptures to Deuteronomy chapter 32, beginning with verse 1.
This is the very beginning of of our Parsha today.
And it says, Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak.
Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
May my teaching trickle like rain, my speech distill like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
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