Moshe tells them:
כִּי הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם--
לֹא-נִפְלֵאת הִוא מִמְּךָ, וְלֹא רְחֹקָה הִוא
For this commandment which I command you this day, is not concealed from you, nor is it far away. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
What is “this Mitzvah” that Moshe is speaking about that is not far away from us but is very close? The Ramban explains that this verse is connected to the previous speech of Moshe. A few pasukim earlier, we find Moshe teaching about the Mitzvah of Teshuva
כִּי תָשׁוּב אֶל-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשֶׁךָ.
“and you will return to the Lord, your G-d, with all your heart and with all your soul". (Deuteronomy 30:10). The mitzva Moshe is referring to is the commandment of teshuva, or repentance. This is the commandment that is not far from us, it is actually very close to us. Rabbinu Yonah in his classic work Sha'arei Teshuvah asks the question, “ How could it be that doing Tehsuva is so close to us and easy?
He explains that when people decide to do stop doing something bad and does the right thing, at that moment we exit darkness and enter great light. It is that close and that simple. When we decide to do the right thing and turn to it, we are on the right path immediately. So Teshuva is really close.
For example, If we were having indoor recess and someone asks to play a game with us. We turn them away and refuse. The other person feels bad. If we recognize it and just turn our body slightly and say I will play, we have made that turn toward doing the right thing. That is what Rabbnu Yona is saying will immediately put you in a good light. It might take us a long time to do the right thing more often but we are going in the right direction. I hope that we are all able to turn the wheel slightly and reach out to that Mitvah of Teshuva that is literally right around the corner.
(This Dvar Torah was based on a article in the Jerusalem Post)
