We end Megilas Eichah with the following: השיבנו ה' אליך ינשובה, חדש ימינו כקדם.
Hashem, return us to you and we shall return; renew our days as they used to be.
Hashem, return us to you and we shall return; renew our days as they used to be.
We are asking Hashem to give us the inner strength to end this bitter Galus. What does that have to do with renewing our days? What does "חדש ימינו כקדם" mean?
The Kedushas Levi explains as follows:
Moshe Rabbeinu says to the people. "?ועתה ישראל, מה ה' אלוקך שואל ממך כי אם ליראה" And now, Yidden, what does Hashem ask from you other than to fear Him?" While this Pasuk requires quite a bit of explanation, let's focus on one Drashah that Chazal make. "ואין עתה אלא תשובה" - The word ועתה, "and now", is a direct call to Teshuva.
Why is Teshuva synonymous with "ועתה"?
The final Pasuk in Tehilim says "כל הנשמה תהלל י"ה" - Every soul shall praise Hashem. Chazal explain this Pasuk to mean על כל נשימה ונשימה תהלל י"ה, to praise Hashem for every breath. Every moment Hashem is giving me new life. Every time I exhale is yet another opportunity for my life to end. Hashem, in His Kindness lets me breathe again. HaKadosh Baaruch Hu is constantly reviving me, providing me with new life.
My life of this moment is totally new. And if that's true I'm not bound to the shortcomings of my past. This is why ועתה is Teshuvah. I am totally fresh, and therefore completely free to begin again, and this is the meaning of השיבנו ה' אליך ינשובה, חדש ימינו כקדם. We want to Hashem to bring us closer to Him. We want Him to inspire Teshuvah in our hearts השיבנו ה' אליך ינשובה. How is this done? חדש ימינו כקדם. By helping us feel that every moment is completely new.
As we begin our departure from the Aveilus we look towards a brighter future. A future that starts right now.
חדש ימינו כקדם.
חדש ימינו כקדם.
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