"For this commandment that I command you today - it is not hidden from you, and it is not distant. It is not in heaven, for you to say, 'Who can ascend to heaven for us and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it?' Nor is it across the sea, for you to say, 'Who can cross to the other side of the sea for us and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it?' Rather, the matter is very near to you - in your mouth and in your heart - to perform it." (Devarim 30:11-14)
To what mitzvah are the above verses referring? Rashi believes these verses refer to the mitzvah of talmud Torah, and cites the Gemara (Eruvin 55a), stating that were the Torah in heaven, we would be obligated to ascend to heaven in order to study it. The Ramban (v. 11) understands the verses to refer to the mitzvah of teshuva, which the above paragraph clearly addresses.
I'd like to suggest that, in reality, there is no major disagreement between these great commentaries; rather, their comments merge into a common objective: that the study of Torah leads one to teshuva. These two independent mitzvot combine to produce one transformative and uplifting result.
The Zohar (Terumah 161) teaches, "Histakel b'Oraissa u'barah almah," meaning that Hashem looked into the Torah, which served as the blueprint, and subsequently created the world; the Torah was the vehicle for creativity. We are taught, "v'halachta bedrachov" (Devarim 28:9), that we are to emulate His ways. This is understood by our Rabbis (Sotah (14a), to require that we emulate His attributes - just as He is compassionate, gracious, and righteous, so too are we to be. I would like to suggest that just as He studied the Torah and used its energy to create a world, so too is the Jew to study Torah, become energized from it, and create himself. As Hashem created a world, man, who is referred to as a world unto himself (Mishna, Sanhedrin 4:5), is to utilize the same blueprint, namely the Torah, to constantly create and recreate himself.
It is interesting to note that the verse in the opening paragraph of creation (1:5), "And there was evening and there was morning", teaches that this world that Hashem created was not His first creation. Rather, He created prior worlds and destroyed them, and then proceeded to create additional worlds. Rabbi Soloveitchik zt"l understood this to mean not that Hashem was attempting to get it right and needed several tries, but rather to teach us the very important idea that man, too, has the ability to not only create but to recreate. Whether it is due to a significant personal loss or a financial loss, man can pick up the pieces and recreate his environment. Similarly, the mitzvah of teshuva is based on the principle that man can recreate himself. As Hashem utilized the Torah to energize the world, similarly, the study of Torah provides man with the energy and ability to recreate himself.
The idea that Torah is referred to as energy may be seen from an interesting Gemara (Zevachim 16a), which relates that at the time of the giving of the Torah, the entire world understood that an earthshaking event was occurring. They ran to their prophet, Bilam, and inquired about the nature of the event. Our Rabbis understand this to be the meaning of Psalms (29:10-11), where they inquired if Hashem was bringing another flood to the world, to which Bilam answered that "Hashem oz l'amo yitan," meaning Hashem is giving strength to His people; Hashem is giving the Jewish nation the Torah. The psalmist refers to Torah as strength. It is this strength that enables the Jew to constantly strengthen his faith and character.
We are taught (Avos 3:7) that not only when a group engages in Torah study together are they joined by the Shechinah, but even an individual by himself/herself is privileged to have Hashem at his side. The very presence of the Divine that accompanies the study of Torah enables the individual to imbibe holiness, which has a transformative effect upon him, motivating him toward greater personal holiness and teshuva.
The study of Torah not only educates and provides the actual blueprint for our daily living, but is also transformative. We see this from Eicha Rabba (Pesikta 2), where Rav Huna and Rav Yirmiyah teach the meaning of the verse (Yirmiyahu 16:11), wherein Hashem explains the forthcoming destruction of His Temple to be because "Me they forsook, and My Torah they did not observe." The Rabbis understood this verse to mean that Hashem was proclaiming, "Halivei! Were it only that My people forsook Me but studied My Torah! For had they studied My Torah, the ma'or sh'eba - the illumination contained within the Torah - would have returned them to righteous character and the return to teshuva." Rav Huna continues in this passage and teaches the famous dictum that one is to study Torah shelo lishma, even without the proper motivation; the exalted subject matter itself will have the proper transformative effect on one's character and eventually one's studying and indulgence in Torah will lead to proper motivation, bringing the individual closer to G-d.
It is understandable that doing teshuva and changing one's behavior is most difficult. It is attributed to Rav Yisrael Salanter that it is easier to study the entire Talmud than to change one's character. It is, therefore, understandable that in our section of requests in the Amida the first request is to ask Hashem for wisdom and intelligence, and secondly, to assist us in the process of repentance. Note, however, that the blessing begins with the words "Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah," again indicating that the study of Torah is a powerful means toward repentance.
The Midrash Tehilim understands the verse (Tehillim 102:19) "So that the newborn people will praise Hashem," to refer to the forthcoming yom tov of Rosh Hashanah, when the Jewish people are reborn not only by virtue of Hashem judging them favorably for the forthcoming year, but also by virtue of the people using their lofty capacity to recreate themselves on Rosh Hashanah.
I pray that the strong, powerful partnership between Torah study and repentance adds an additional level of excitement and enthusiasm for our renewed commitment to the study of Torah in this forthcoming year, and may our personal resolve add strength to our soldiers on the front lines in Eretz Yisrael. Given the unity and responsibility of one Jew for another, our personal commitment to Torah and subsequently to teshuva will not only enrich our lives but, please G-d, theirs as well.