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Nothing in the world that stands in the way of G-d accepting repentance; everyone who returns to G-d, even the wicked, is received in good favor by Him and is summoned to the Path of Life.

A penitent goes out to war against his evil inclination and against the limbs of his body which had become accustomed to sin. Repeated sinful acts weave a crude and vulgar "garment" for the soul. The penitent, as part of his repentance, must remove these filthy garments, as well.

Our Sages set aside the Month of Elul prior to the Day of Judgment, Rosh Hashanah, for penitence and self-flagellation to eradicate our sins. This assists the soul to assist us to remain on the correct path. Eventually, this soul will once more perform the task assigned to it.

There are two ways in which we can have contact with G‑dliness: one is to experience divine illumination as it descends from above; the other is to reach G‑dliness from where we are.

The month of Elul is a time of preparation when we examine ourselves, regret our misdeeds and resolve to improve in order to reach a level so that, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, G‑dly revelation can descend to us.

When a kingdom's subjects view their king, they are overcome with awe of the intense splendor. Similarly, between Rosh Hashanah h and Yom Kippur, G-dliness is exposed to every Jew. However,our divine service is a precondition to experience the awe of this divine consciousness.

The Shelah comments that when the "lion" of the High Holy Days arrives, people feel the urge to change their behavior for the better in preparation of the Day of Judgment.