The Ohr HaChaim's Secret to Lasting Spiritual Growth: A Daily Soul Accounting

The Torah states in this week's portion: "Know this day and take it to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other." (Deuteronomy 4:39)

On this verse, the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh raises two thought-provoking questions:

1. What is the significance of the phrase "Know this day"? What new knowledge does this particular day offer that other days do not?

2. What is the special truth that a person must "take to heart"?

The Ohr HaChaim explains that the verse is not necessarily referring to the specific day on which Moses addressed the Jewish people. Rather, the word "today" alludes to ten spiritual lessons — ten reflections that awaken the heart and help a person overcome the yetzer hara, the evil inclination.

He writes: "Know this day. One must understand what is unique about this day compared to other days, and what is it that one must bring to heart. Perhaps the verse intends to teach the reflections necessary to subdue the evil inclination that resides in the human heart."

Become a "Master of Self-Accounting"

The Ohr HaChaim explains each of the ten lessons contained within the word "today." Here we will focus on the sixth, which is based on a teaching from the Zohar.

Quoting the Zohar, he explains that every person should engage in daily self-examination. This daily reflection is one of the most effective tools for overcoming the evil inclination and improving one's character.

The Zohar refers to such individuals as masters of spiritual accounting. These are people who examine themselves every night. They review the day's actions, honestly assess where they succeeded and where they failed, and correct their ways whenever they discover mistakes or shortcomings.

As the Ohr HaChaim cites from the Zohar: "Who are the 'masters of self-accounting'? They are those who, every night, examine themselves regarding what they did during that day and correct their ways accordingly." (Zohar III, 178a)

Why Daily Reflection Matters

The Ohr HaChaim explains that when a person consistently performs this daily spiritual accounting, something remarkable begins to happen.

He becomes increasingly aware of his mistakes. He recognizes behaviors that require correction, repents for his unintentional failings, and confesses the sins of the past.

Without this daily habit, however, the opposite occurs.

A person may continue repeating the same mistakes, and over time those mistakes can become even more serious. Furthermore, when he eventually decides to repent, he may no longer remember many of the wrongs he committed and therefore will be unable to fully confess and correct them.

For this reason, Moses commands us: "Know this day."

According to the Ohr HaChaim, the verse teaches that every single day a person should become fully aware of that day's actions. This is the defining practice of those who perform a daily accounting of their lives.

From Awareness to Transformation

When a person lives this way, the second half of the verse naturally follows: "Take it to heart."

Daily reflection enables us to recognize our shortcomings before they become ingrained habits. It prevents us from repeating the same sins and certainly from falling into even more serious ones. Most importantly, it opens the door to genuine repentance and lasting personal growth.

As the Ohr HaChaim concludes: "If a person practices this every single day, he will become aware of his misdeeds, repent for his inadvertent sins, and confess the wrongs of the past. Without such awareness, he will continue committing the same acts, and even greater ones. Even if he later repents, he will not remember all that he has done in order to confess them. Therefore, Moses commanded, 'Know this day' — that each day a person should know the deeds of that day. This is the way of the 'masters of self-accounting.' Through this, 'take it to heart' — he will no longer persist in those sins, let alone add to them."