Our Battle is for "Hearts & Minds"

Recently I posted from the latest message given by Binyamin Golden:

"...we do not do what the Torah asks of us. We’re learning and guarding the mitzvot, supposedly, but we are lacking much in the mitzvot that we do. We’re lacking; therefore, Am Yisrael receives a warning. Our Torah, the Torah that we supposedly are learning, and the mitzvot that we are trying to do, are not good enough. Missing from our deeds are the heart and the connection to Hashem. Therefore, we must return in teshuva."

This reminded me of the bracha from the Shmoneh Esreh which we pray three times a day:

השיבנו אבינו לתורתך, וקרבנו מלכנו לעבודתך, והחזירנו בתשובה שלמה לפנך. ברוך אתה ה', הרוצה בתשובה.

"Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah, and bring us near, our King, to Your service, and influence us to return in complete repentance before You. Blessed are you, Hashem, Who desires repentance."

Our teshuvah is in two parts: 1) To bring the mind back to its Torah base, and 2) To bring the heart back into our avodat Hashem.

Our job is to work on ourselves and to assist fellow Jews, as much as we are able, to 1) rid our minds of the warped values and perverted morals of Western Civilization that we were infected with in the exile and to no longer confuse them with Torah-truth, and 2) to make a real and heartfelt connection to Hashem the goal of our prayers. We should not be seeking to "get" from our prayers as much as we should be seeking to "give" to our Creator. Our goal is to emulate Him and He is the ultimate Giver. If you go into your avodat Hashem wishing to give Him all the honor and praise that is due Him, you will find that the connection to Hashem that you seek is a natural outgrowth of that act of giving.

This is very important to remember, your receiving from Hashem comes as a result of your striving to "give", not to "get."

To return our minds to the true path of Torah (with a willingness to be completely submitted to and obedient to its demands upon us) and to renew in our hearts a right relationship with our Father and King; this encapsulates the whole of our repentance.

I wish all of us much success in our efforts to do a complete teshuvah and merit the geulah shleimah ... finally!

CHODESH TOV~~ SHANAH TOVAH UMETUKAH~~