Musar zu Tehillim 69:14

The reason that repentance is such a powerful tool is that it ranks higher than all the accusers [in the Celestial Spheres], and those who address themselves to that "power" need not be afraid of any evil forces in the world. We know this from such verses as Isaiah 14,27: כי ה' צבאות יעץ ומי יפר, וידו הנטויה ומי ישיבנה. "For the Lord of Hosts has planned it, who could possibly foil it? We also read in Nachum 1,6:לפני זעמו מי יעמוד! "Who can stand up to His wrath!" The word Mee in both these verses refers to the institution of repentance. We know this from Isaiah 40,26: "שאו מרום עיניכם וראו מי ברא אלה" as well as from Isaiah 40,14: "את מי נועץ ויבינהו?" "Raise your eyes heavenwards and behold, who has created all these?" Or, "With whom did He consult, and who taught Him?". We have the verse מי א-ל בשמים ובארץ, which means that the Lord of Heaven and earth is called מי, "Who", seeing no one can comprehend His Essence. This is the mystical dimension of the word מי. When the prophet Isaiah 41,4 says: מי פעל ועשה, "Who has labored and brought to fruition," he reveals a deep secret. Heavenly decrees are reconsidered in the upper emanation of בינה or in the lower emanations of נצח and הוד respectively. The latter regions are known as G–d's צבאות. A righteous person who wants to annul someone else's vow concentrates on the region in which G–d annuls such decrees. Eicha Rabbah 3, explains the verse in Lamentations 3,44, סכותה בענן לך מעבור תפלה, "You have screened Yourself off with a cloud, so that no prayer may pass through." Our sages refer to the story involving Rabbi Chanina bar Papa. This rabbi approached Rabbi Samuel who had a reputation of being an expert in homiletics, asking him to explain this verse to him. The latter explained that the verse means that there are times when the gates of prayer are locked, and other times when they are open. He quoted Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta who had said that there are times when it is propitious to offer prayer, based on the verse in Psalms 69,14: "As for me, may my prayer come to You My Lord, at a favorable moment." The gates of repentance however, are never locked, since repentance is compared to the ocean which is never sealed, and accepts waters from the rivers at all times.

The merchant explained that there are times that are under the influence of the realm of holiness and there are times that are under the influence of the Sitra Achara. A time that is under holy influence is called a “time of favor,” as it is written, “And as for me, let my prayer to You, Hashem, be at a time of favor” (Tehillim 69:14). This time is illuminated by the name A-d-n-y [“My Lord”]. A time that is under the influence of the Sitra Achara is called a “time of afflictions.” These afflictions emanate from the wicked Lilis and the primordial snake. For this reason Israel has been warned to stay far from the entrance to her house and to avoid her and all the workers of evil that are dependent upon her. Instead they must draw as near as possible and cling as closely as possible to the “time of favor,” which is associated with the Shechinah. For the Shechinah encompasses all the souls of Israel, for which reason it is called Knesses Yisroel — “the Congregation of Israel,” as is known to the Kabbalists. Regarding this the Torah warns (Koheles 3:8), “There is a time to love” — that is, one must love the Shechinah — and a time to hate — that is, one must hate the Sitra Achara, which is connected with Lilis. A proof to this can be drawn from the Torah’s warning to the Kohein Gadol regarding his entry into the Holy of Holies to arouse mercy for Israel, “And let him not come at all times into the Holy Precinct” (Vayikra 16:2). In other words, the Torah adjures him to enter only with thoughts of holiness, especially on Yom Kippur, which is a time of favor. For this was the day that Israel received atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf, for which reason it was established as a day of forgiveness and atonement for all generations. Therefore it is forbidden for the Kohein Gadol to enter the Holy of Holies with alien thoughts emanating from the Sitra Achara, Heaven forbid.