When a human being makes a mistake, a natural reaction is to feel guilty. To feel remorse or regret. We as people grow up learning and thinking that if we do not feel guilty towards our mistakes, that we are being childish. That if we do not feel sorry for ourselves, we are being inconsiderate human beings. Today on Yarchei Kallah, I learned that feeling guilty is simply an excuse to accomplish nothing.
What should one do instead of feeling guilty when he makes a mistake? Use their mistake to grow. My father once told me that the only way not to make mistakes, is to make mistakes. If one sits and pouts about their mistake, they are not going to accomplish anything. If one wants to be a better person and wants to truly grow as a person, they have to recognize that it is perfectly fine to make a mistake. Once a person recognizes that feeling guilty is a pointless action, they can start to grow as a person and think of different ways to fix and learn from their mistakes.
David (right) chills with two of his friends after a full day of Torah learning.
On Yarchei Kallah, I have been learning and thinking about very simple questions. Such as feeling guilty or being a happy person. Questions that are usually overlooked and thought of as too simple or unintelligent. I am learning that those simple questions are actually the most important questions to ask and to think about.
David Slain, Junior at Beachwood High School