Nesivos Shalom: Discouragement After a Mistake

The Yetzer Hara (Evil inclination) doesn’t care about the sin itself as much as he cares about the depression that follows it.

Attribution printed on the image: Nesivos Shalom, Rabbi Sholom Noach Berezovsky

A reflection on the teaching

After a mistake, we can lose more time to despair than to the mistake itself. The teaching printed here draws attention to that second danger. Teshuvah requires honesty and repair, but hopelessness can make both harder. The word “depression” is preserved from the image; this spiritual saying should not be taken as a clinical explanation of depression. Its useful question is how we respond after falling short. Name what needs correcting, do what is possible now, and allow yourself to return. A failure does not remove the responsibility or the possibility of the next good choice.

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