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How can teshuvah work overnight (Rambam (רמב"ם) Hilchos Teshuvah 7) when kapara sometimes requires Yom Kippur, suffering, or even death (Hilchos Teshuvah 1)? The shiur distinguishes two dimensions of teshuvah: bechira (recognizing one's dependence on Hashem (ה׳), which can happen instantly) and devekus (imposing one's chelek Elokai mimaal on the guf and actualizing it, which takes years). Elul addresses the second dimension—requiring Torah (תורה) study to translate spiritual awareness into lived reality.
The shiur opens with the heter of Yefas Toar, questioning how the greatest tzaddikim could have a desire for her, especially when Chazal say "even if she is not attractive." The Torah (תורה)'s allowance for this seems to contradict its usual emphasis on self-control. The Zohar in Ki Seitzei explains that the "war" referenced in the parsha (ki seitzei lamilchama al oyvecha) is the war of the yetzer tov against the yetzer hara, and the only weapon capable of defeating the yetzer hara is divrei Torah. The neshamah is symbolized by the Yefas Toar, and the process of shaving her head and removing her captive's garment represents the tikkun needed after the chet ha'egel. The shiur then pivots to the central question: what is unique about Chodesh Elul? Teshuvah is a mitzvah (מצוה) all year round, so why is Elul singled out as a special time? The Tur explains that Elul corresponds to the forty days Moshe Rabbeinu spent on Har Sinai to obtain forgiveness for the eigel, culminating in the giving of the Yud-Gimel Middos on Yom Kippur. The Zohar teaches that Elul is the time for the tikkun of the chet ha'egel. The remez "Ani LeDodi V'Dodi Li" (the first letters spell Elul) points to a new level of relationship with Hashem (ה׳) that was forged after the eigel.
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Ki Seitzei 21:10-13 (Yefas Toar)
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