Q:
You said that we’re supposed to put into our minds the best thoughts that we can. But we learn from Dovid Hamelech who said, “My sin is before me always” that if we remember our sins then Hashem will forget them and if we forget them then Hashem will remember them.
A:
This gentleman is asking, how can we think all these noble thoughts we’re talking about tonight, like thanking Hashem for the gift of food, if we also have to think about our sins. Right?
Q:
In other words by keeping in mind our sins we won’t repeat them. But if we only have good thoughts in our mind, where do we have room for that?
A:
Yes. The question he’s asking is how can we have our thoughts concentrated on these noble ideas that you’re hearing here tonight? We have to think about our sins!
And the answer is think about the sin now of eating without appreciating the food. That’s one of the very big sins. What you think is a sin is minor compared to that. Think about appreciating your food. That’s a very big kapparah for your sins.
And if you want to think about the sin that once you forgot to say mashiv haruach, or you forgot ya’alah veyavo, so you’ll find time to think about that too. You have plenty of time to think about your sins.
And so as you’re hanging on the strap in the subway, if you’d like, think about your sins if you want. But when you’re sitting down at the seudah think about these obligations: להודיע – to make known, גבורתיו – the greatness of Hashem.
(December 1988)
