What comes first in teshuva: fixing the past, or moving toward the future?

Many people never begin because they feel they first need to repair everything broken inside them. But Rav Tzadok opens a different path. In this shiur on Tzidkas HaTzaddik, os beis, we explore the two stages of teshuva: teshuva lehaba, turning toward Hashem through Torah, clarity, and new direction, and tikkun leshe’avar, returning afterward to repair the past through kaparah.

Using the Torah’s model of mikvah, herev shemesh, truma, and kodshim, this piece shows that a person can begin again even before everything is fixed. The first step is not pretending the past does not matter. It is entering the reality of Torah so deeply that a new identity begins to emerge.

From there, the past can be repaired, not from paralysis or shame, but from the strength of a person already moving forward.

What if your darkness wasn’t a detour — but the design?

In this shiur on Tzidkas HaTzaddik 11, we uncover Rav Tzadok’s foundational principle: choshech (darkness) doesn’t just come before or (light) — it makes the light possible. From the opening lines of creation to the inner cycles of your own avodah, the Torah reveals a pattern: absence before presence, void before revelation, klipah before pri.

Rav Tzadok reframes how we encounter difficulty, delay, or silence — not as breakdowns, but as the exact conditions that allow something higher to emerge. We explore:

• Why the Torah begins with night
• How your own setbacks might be the first step of giluy
• And why Torah and Kodshim are the rare places where light comes first

A shiur about beginnings, but even more — about how to begin again.

This powerful shiur clarifies the essence of Torah study—not as intellectual pursuit, but as divine connection. We explore how true limud haTorah must be in the context of tzivui (command) of Hashem. Torah isn’t just a body of knowledge, but the means through which Hashem’s ratzon (will) expresses itself the world.

We examine the dual role of Torah sheb’ksav as divine command and Torah sheba’al peh as the fleshing out of that will in the world of action and relationship. If one studies Torah without remaining conscious of its origin in Hashem’s instruction, Rav Tzadok warns that one risks turning it into mere academic exercise—leaving Hashem behind on the page.

This shiur challenges us to ensure that our learning is always animated by the awareness that we are responding to Hashem’s voice—learning in order to live it. With insights from Likutei Torah we reframe Torah study as avodah and covenant.

We explore Rav Tzadok’s striking assertion that failure to engage in mitzvos at the right time—when one is capable—is not neutral but an actual aveira. We delve into the deep connection between identity, purpose, and obligation, reframing chiyuv not as religious pressure but as existential design.

Rav Tzadok draws on the statement of Chazal relating to one who does notwear tefillin—not merely as passive neglect, but as a redefinition of one’s values.

At the heart of this shiur is a powerful insight: not showing up when called is not merely a missed opportunity—it’s a distortion of who you are meant to be.

What does it mean to prepare ourselves to accept Hashem’s kingship—and why is that preparation different by day and by night?

In this penetrating shiur we explore Rav Tzadok’s teaching that kabbalas ol malchus Shamayim must be preceded by appriate hachanah. We learn that nighttime is not just a technical zman—it represents a stage of confusion and emotional obscurity, demanding a longer 'runway'for authentic avodah and how this applies to the avodah of emuna. By contrast, the clarity of day shortens the process but may conceal the inner work of hisbatlus.

We also uncover why tefillas arvis was originally a reshus, how emunah balaylah differs fundamentally from emunah bayom, and how the halacha reflects on the timing of Shema and Shemoneh Esrei.

We reflect on the powerful message: not all avodah is created equal. Further sometimes, moving forward means accepting that we can’t always go back.... and that is an aspect of avodah too!

In this deeply structured shiur on Tzidkas HaTzaddik, Os Zayin, we explore the four categories of zman Kriyas Shema—oni, bnei adam,, erev Shabbos (preparers), and kohanim—as stages of Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim. Rav Tzadok reveals how each archetype models a different mode of identity formation and submission to Hashem’s will.

“The most rational thing to do, when I know I don’t have the capability to understand, is to trust the one who does.”

“Different types of avodah are appropriate for different people—or even for the same person at different times.”

"We can convince ourselves we’re ready—but if we’re not holding there, it’s not the avodah that will help us grow.”

“Kabbalas Ohl is what defines our attachment to life.”

In this powerful shiur on Tzidkas HaTzaddik Piece 6, we unpack the Gemara’s five-part sequence toward Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim with completeness: cleansing the self, washing the hands- it’s a ladder of transformation.

We begin by removing external distractions and internal desires, but the journey continues as we immerse in Torah as reality — not as information, but as the very blueprint of existence. Tefillin becomes a declaration of total loyalty. Krias Shema reframes our identity. And tefillah emerges not just as request, but as a direct encounter with the Divine.

By the end, we don’t just serve a king — we stand before One. This shiur builds the inner world that makes “Baruch Atah” real.

Rav Tzadok teaches that Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim is not simply a ritual or commitment — it is a recognition of ontological truth. Torah is not a set of optional ideals; it is the structure of reality, and our job is to align our consciousness with it as the default.

This shiur explores why Shema by day is part of a structured, process-driven world — where orientation once enables ongoing action — while Shema by night reflects a world of fragmentation and ambiguity, where orientation must be repeated moment by moment. From here, Rav Tzadok reveals a deep insight: true avodah is born not in clarity, but in darkness — and our greatness lies in choosing Torah as the lens even when reality feels disjointed.

This shiur explores why the structure of avodah begins not from clarity but from darkness. Rav Tzadok explains that the first mitzvah upon reaching obligation (bar mitzvah) is Krias Shema at night — accepting Hashem’s sovereignty (Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim) before understanding, before clarity, before action.

This reflects a foundational truth: true avodah begins when we commit even without full comprehension. First comes surrender in a world of hester (concealment), and only then comes clarity, understanding, and action.

Through deep exploration of emunah and emes, creation’s design, and personal development, we learn why embracing the "night" — our confusion and limitation — is not a flaw in creation, but the perfect environment for growth toward Hashem.

• Krias Shema at Night: Avodah begins with acceptance during darkness, not understanding during light.
• Emunah Built on Emes: Faith bridges the gap where understanding ends — it is rational and essential.
• Growth as Perfection: Hashem created not static perfection, but a world designed for dynamic ascent.
• Avoiding the Backward Trap: Regretting the starting point (darkness, struggle) misunderstands the purpose — we are meant to rise from it.
• Avodah Mirrors Creation: Just as vayehi erev vayehi voker (evening then morning) defines creation, so too our own framework for spiritual ascent follows the same pattern.

In this powerful third installment on Tzidkas HaTzaddik, we explore how Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim — the foundational act of accepting Hashem’s kingship — is not a one-time commitment, but a dynamic avodah that must be renewed across two distinct phases of life: day and night.

Building on the themes of radical commitment (chipazon) and perspective-shaping daas from the previous shiurim, this piece delves into the dual structure of the human experience. Day represents productivity, accountability, and structure. Night exposes the self — our subconscious, our unstructured moments, our inner vulnerability.

---Let me know how you like these summaries and how accurately they represent the material...

🪜 Core ideas include:

• Why Krias Shema requires twice-daily kabbalas ol
• Day as a time of action and mission — where beginnings define the arc of avodah
• Night as a window into where we’re really holding when we’re not “on the clock” and subject to the accountability of being actively mission driven
• How nighttime reveals thought patterns, subconscious pulls, and spiritual default states
• The dual model of Day and Night as relates to avoda

💡 Takeaway:

True avodah requires mastery not only of structured doing, but of unstructured being. We’re not just accountable for our actions — we’re shaped by how we fill the empty spaces, how we return to ourselves, and how we meet Hashem in the quiet.

🔍 Keywords: Rav Tzadok, Kabbalas Ol, day vs night avodah, daas, krias shema, Jewish mindfulness, spiritual structure