Rashi cites that the book of Devarim contains Moshe’s words of rebuke to the Jewish People before his death.
The interesting thing is not that he rebuked them but the approach he took. Out of respect for the people, Moshe only hinted at their transgressions by mentioning the places where they happened and not mention them explicitly.
The Ohr Yohail commented on this, that a person who really wants to grow and improve himself only needs a small hint that he has done something wrong to realize he needs to make changes.
On the other hand, a person who doesn’t want to grow and doesn’t want to recognize his faults, will take it as an insult.
Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, who used every opportunity in his life to gain insights and motivate himself to refine himself, was once at the house of a shoemaker late at night and observed the shoemaker working by the light of a candle. “Why are you still working, if your candle is almost going out?” He asked the shoemaker.
To what the shoemaker replied:”as long as the candle is still burning it is still possible to accomplish and mend.”
Rabbi Salanter was very moved by this response and said:”if for our physical needs as long as the candle is burning one keeps mending, all the more so for our souls, as long as the light of the soul is still going we must make every effort to accomplish and mend.”(Tnuas Hamussar,Vol1,pg 315-316)
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