Daily Learning of Shaarei Teshuva Begins on Shiva Asar B’Tammuz
“In our generation it is impossible to maintain and sustain one’s spiritual achievements with Torah learning alone. One needs to combine Torah learning with mussar learning… Rabbeinu Yonah contains many foundational mussar lessons that strengthen a person in his avodas hammusar.”
These words of the distinguished Rosh Yeshiva of Chevron, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, stressed the concept that as important as limud haTorah is, it is not possible to truly achieve shleimus in avodas Hashem without also learning mussar. One of the foundational mussar sefarim that has sustained Klal Yisrael throughout the generations is the sefer Shaarei Teshuva written by Rabbeinu Yonah, one of the Rishonim. Since it was written centuries ago, Shaarei Teshuva has become the “handbook” used by Yidden the world over to prepare for the days of Elul and the Yamim Noraim. The powerful words of Rabbeinu Yonah enter every person’s essence through his teachings in how to do teshuva and how to refrain from aveiros.
It is therefore with tremendous simcha in the Torah world that Kinyan Chochma, Dirshu’s daily mussar program, will be embarking on the sefer Shaarei Teshuva this coming Shiva Assar b’Tammuz.
It is quite providential that Kinyan Chochma will begin learning Shaarei Teshuva on Shiva Assar b’Tammuz, a day that the poskim teach is one of teshuva and introspection. In addition, the sefarim teach that this month is one when me must begin our preparations for the Yamim Noraim as hinted to by the letters which comprise the word Tammuz, - Tammuz is the acronym of the words, “zemani teshuva mimashmeshim u’baim – the times of teshuva are soon coming.”
During the daily learning of Shaarei Teshuva lomdei Dirshu will enter the world of teshuva and tikkun hamiddos in what is the most appropriate preparation for the Yamim Noraim that are almost around the corner.
An Easy Way to Incorporate Daily Mussar Learning
Kinyan Chochma is a highly successful program that was established at Dirshu’s International Convention celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Dirshu’s founding. It was established at the behest of the leading Gedolim who felt that chizuk was needed in daily mussar learning.
Kinyan Chochma is a daily mussar program wherein, a short piece of one of the mussar classics, is learned daily. The sefarim learned are the classics, Mesilas Yesharim, Chovos Halevavos, Shaarei Teshuva, Orchos Tzaddikim, and others.
The program was instituted to encourage learning mussar every day among all members of Klal Yisrael. The Gedolei Yisrael from both Eretz Yisrael and chutz la’aretz have enthusiastically called on Yidden the world over to join the program and incorporate daily learning of mussar into their lives together with their other learning sedarim. Lomdei Dirshu participating in the Kinyan Torah program have the added advantage of being able to take monthly tests on the mussar learned and receive stipends for excellent results.
The venerated mashgiach of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and Rav of Beis Medash Emunas Yisroel, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Wolfson, zt”l, was an enthusiastic supporter of the Kinyan Chochma program when it was first established in 2017. He said, “The importance that our earlier sages attached to learning works of yiras shomayim and mussar is well known. Nevertheless, the yetzer hara tries to get us to neglect learning mussar, to the extent that even bnei Torah overlook it. We must therefore feel indebted to Dirshu for encouraging Yidden the world over to strengthen themselves in this…”
Two Talmidei Chachomim in One Beis Medrash, But Miles Apart!
Indeed, recently when the Mashgiach, Rav Don Segal was asked to give chizuk to the Kinyan Chochma program as they embarked on a new limud he emphasized with great passion and emotion that mussar is not just amassing knowledge. “We don’t learn mussar sefarim just to understand in a detached way the path to success in the service of Hashem. Mussar must be learned in a way that talks not only to one’s brain but primarily to the heart. Mussar is a tool for chinuch, it teaches us and guides us! Simply put it infuses us with life!”
“The great Mashgiach, Rav Chatzkel Levenstein, zt”l, once told us that there can be two bachurim or two avreichim sitting next to one another in the beis medrash, both learning with great diligence. Both daven in the same beis medrash every day. Yet, they are miles apart. How? One learns and davens in a way that he LIVES the davening and the learning. It is part of his very essence. The other davens and learns but is detached. It is without the chiyus. It is not part of his essence. The way to truly become attached to Hashem through tefillah, through learning Torah, is only by learning mussar.
“I remember Rav Shach, zt”l, once wrote a letter wherein he said, ‘I have spent my entire life in yeshivos. I have aged and become old, but I have never seen a true talmid chacham without yiras shomayim. A person can learn, but if his learning is not accompanied by mussar and yiras shomayim the learning remains superficial.”
One could see the unshed tears sparkling in Rav Don’s eyes as he brought up a painful topic. “We see in our times,” he said, “that many of our bachurim, many of our most cherished young people are falling. Some fall very badly and very far. Certainly, the fact that they don’t have the chiyus, the feelings in their hearts, not just the knowledge in their minds, is a contributing factor to this terrible reality.
“If we strengthen the learning of mussar and begin to realize how dear and precious it is for us and our future, Hashem will certainly endow us with much siyatta d’Shmaya in our own avodah and in seeing nachas from our children.”
The Yetzer Hara Fights Pivotal Learning of Mussar!
Perhaps it is for this reason why the Lakewood Mashgiach Rav Mattisyohu Salomon, zt”l, despite being ill at the time of Kinyan Chochma’s establishment pushed himself to give the program his enthusiastic haskama saying “The obligation to learn mussar daily is well known, as Rav Yisrael Salanter explains at length in his sefer Ohr Yisrael, in the name of the poskim. It does not require a haskama. Nevertheless, because of its great benefit, the yetzer hara tries to find all kinds of excuses to deter a person from learning mussar.
“That is why we are so glad that the Dirshu Organization has included mussar learning as one of their daily learning programs. This will encourage people and make it easy for lomdim to learn mussar daily, to know mussar and then to absorb the lessons into their lives…”
Dirshu has made participation in the program very user friendly by providing a calendar with the daily amount of mussar clearly delineated. The fact that participants can take tests and be rewarded for excellent results is a further incentive.
Now is the time to bring limud hamussar into your life. Now is the time to inject more meaning and more shleimus into your avodas Hashem by beginning the learning of the sefer Shaarei Teshuva of Rabbeinu Yonah, this Shiva Assar b’Tammuz. Is there any better way to prepare for the upcoming Yamim Noraim?!
Join now!
For information on how to join Kinyan Chochma and to receive a copy of the day’s limud, please call Dirshu at 1-888-5Dirshu or email info@kolleldirshu.org
