Adapted from: Steps to the Throne by Rabbi Nosson Muller

A man inspired to do teshuvah, as so many of us are on Erev Rosh Hashanah, aspires to immediate perfection. He sets lofty goals in every area of Jewish life, and promises himself that at this time next year, his slate will be impeccably clean.

The baalei mussar advised us against such an approach. It is impossible to fix everything overnight. Jumping too high and too fast will only lead to failure and frustration. Instead, they recommend a more measured process of teshuvah.

Make smaller resolutions, but make them ironclad. Setting realistically attainable goals gives a person a chance to actually follow through. One concrete step forward will lead to another.
Climbing the ladder rung by rung turns inspiration into reality.

The sefer Sass B’imrasecha illustrates the benefit of a gradual approach to teshuvah with a humorous parable.

Yankel was a simpleton, and to pass the long winter nights, the residents of his town would play a game with his mind.

Everyone took a seat around the table, with Yankel at the head. A row of bills was laid out — hundreds, fifties, twenties, and tens. Alongside the bills, they placed a shiny silver half-dollar coin.

“Choose one, dear Yankel,” the men said with glee. “Whichever you take is yours to keep.”

To everyone’s great amusement, he picked the shiny coin, night after night.

After a few weeks, someone called Yankel over to the side.

“I know you aren’t the world’s brightest fellow,” the man said, “but at this point, even you should realize what’s happening here. Can’t you see that everyone is laughing at you, that the choice you keep making is the wrong one to make?”

“I’m not as big a fool as you think,” Yankel replied with a smile. “Let me ask you a question, my friend. If I choose the hundred dollar bill, will there be a game the next night? Of course not! The men would never play with me again! Let the men have their fun, but every night, I get to add another half-dollar to my growing stash!”

Moving too fast at the outset of teshuvah is like choosing that hundred-dollar bill. Alarm bells sound, and the yetzer hara immediately enters the fray. He will do everything he possibly can to stop the inspired Jew in his tracks.

Go slowly!

It will allow your progress to fly under the radar. Your evil inclination will let you stay in the game, and every day, another half-dollar will be added to your growing pile.

Eventually, your net gains will far outweigh the value of a solitary one-hundred-dollar bill.

But there is a caveat.

A person who is impure is forbidden to enter the Beis HaMikdash. What if such a man sticks his finger into the airspace of the Temple courtyard while his body remains outside? Has he transgressed this commandment?

In Talmudical terms, this is called bi’ah b’miktzas, partial entry, and is the subject of extensive discussion as to whether it is forbidden. To avoid possibly transgressing this prohibition, many have the custom to refrain from placing their hands in the gaps between the stones of the Kosel HaMaaravi.

However, the Rebbe of Lublin, in his sefer Toras Chessed, disagrees with this custom. He writes that although partially entering a doorway is indeed forbidden, that is because a door’s intended use is to allow people to enter the area it opens into. Just standing in the doorway itself is enough to be considered as if they have already arrived.

A small gap, though, leads to nowhere. Merely placing a hand inside the tiny gap in the wall doesn’t reflect entry into the room behind it at all. The man remains entirely outside, and the law of partial entry does not apply.

A powerful message lies in this halachic distinction of the Lubliner Rebbe, says R’ Shaul Alter.

Everyone understands that complete repentance is not achieved overnight. It is a long journey, and begins with small and incremental improvements. However, this reality cannot change the overall goal.

If we are satisfied with just our small initial repairs, without any intention of continuing on as we grow, our spiritual location won’t change. When a partial entry is made without the intention of eventually going inside, we remain standing in the same place we were standing before. It will not be considered an entrance at all!

When a Jew undertakes small steps of teshuvah, he has partially entered the holy place he truly wishes to be. When the steps are taken with the goal of an eventual full entry in mind, it is immediately considered as if he has already arrived.