Sfas Emes: Getting Up Again After a Spiritual Fall

The main work is to get up immediately.

Attribution printed on the image: Sfas Emes

A reflection on the teaching

After a setback, the next few minutes can become a second struggle. We replay what happened, condemn ourselves, and delay returning to what matters. The Sfas Emes teaching printed here directs attention to getting up. We still need to learn from a mistake and repair harm where necessary. But dwelling on the fall can become another way of remaining there. Returning may begin with something quite ordinary: opening the sefer again, keeping the next commitment, or making an apology. What would getting up look like now, before I have finished arguing with myself?

Source note: The attribution above is transcribed from the image. The exact source and English wording have not been independently verified.