Taking Responsibility
„One of the foundations of repentance in a person's thought is the recognition of a person's responsibility for his deeds... that a person acknowledges that there is no single factor to blame for the sin and its consequences except himself.”From Orot HaTeshuvah 16:1
How does one succeed in repenting? By taking personal responsibility! We are the sole guilty parties in our sins. And we are the ones who can pave anew our path to success. When responsibility rests on us and we do not cast it upon the other, we can truly bring about repair in the world. A person who takes responsibility for his deeds is capable of repair. A leadership that takes responsibility for its mistakes is capable of governing. True, at times the other is also responsible for the failures. But taking personal responsibility is the way by which we can advance and progress. And if we influence the world, others will influence it too, and the world will be repaired.
From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.