Parameters of a Cheshbon Hanefesh

Question

I've come across the concept of a Cheshbon Hanefesh (eg. in Garden of Emunah). Is this a universally recognised thing? Is there any halacha about it? Do different opinions consider it to be compulsory/voluntary? Are there different opinions on how to do it? How often should it be done? Does it always need to be done completely or is a partial one sufficient and/or useful? Is it necessarily always a wise thing to do (eg. if someone may find it overwhelming)?

Answer 1

The simple answer is - Yes. It is a very widespread idea and there exists a wealth of material on the subject. The concept being that it is an effective way to improve oneself through doing a spiritual accounting. That being said, if you can't feel that you can manage it - then don't. There is no outright obligation to do so, it is just a prescribed method to help with self-correction.

Famously, the Chovas Halevavos (Duties of the Heart) has a whole chapter on it bringing down all the parameters of a cheshbon hanefesh.

You asked:

Are there different opinions on how to do it?

In Chovas Halevavos it brings no less than 30 ways to do it:

1) Gratitude Owed to Hashem as Your Rescuer and Benefactor

2) Gratitude Owed to Hashem for Your Physical Body

3) Gratitude Owed to Hashem for Your Intellect

4) Gratitude Owed to Hashem for the Torah

5) Your Obligation to Resist being Superficial

6) Your Obligation to Obey Hashem out of a Sense of Gratitude

7) Your Obligation to Serve Hashem out of Gratitude

8) Your Obligation to Serve Hashem with Gratitude and Sincerity

9) Your Responsibility to Perform Mitzvot with Enthusiasm

10) Remembering the Attention Hashem Lavishes on You

11) Regular accounting of one's deeds

12) Redirecting Your Pursuit of the Physical World

13) Your Obligation to Avoid Wasting Time

14) Using Gratitude to Prevent a Spider Web

15) How to Prepare for Your Ultimate Journey

16) Reflections When Remembering Another’s Death

17) The Benefits of Solitude

18) Your Very Greatness as a Human Being Obligates You in Humility

19) Gratitude toward Hashem When Bad Things DON’T Happen

20) Your Obligation to Cultivate a Healthy Attitude toward Money

21) Asking for Hashem’s Help

22) Loving Your Fellow as Yourself

23) Gratitude to Hashem regarding Natural Occurrences

24) Looking at the Torah through “New” Eyes

25) Minimizing the Material while Maximizing the Spiritual

26) Really Feeling Hashem as King

27) Thanking Hashem for What Seems Bad

28) Complete Acceptance of Hashem’s Will

29) The Greatness of Your Soul Over Your Body and Other Attributes

30) Recognition of Your True Position in This World

As far as how frequently to do it?

It is particularly appropriate to do it during Elul / pre-Rosh Hashanah / Yom Kippur to allow for a more wholesale teshuva. That being said, many mussar seforim speak about the advantages of doing it more frequently as a means of perfecting our character.

The Ramchal in Mesillas Yesharim - perek 5 writes:

והנה בכלל זה גם כן קביעות העתים אל חשבון המעשה ותקונו כמו שכתבתי למעלה. ומלבד כל זה מה שישאר לו פנאי מעסקיו, אם חכם הוא ודאי שלא יאבדהו, אלא יאחז בו מיד ולא ירפהו, לעסוק בו בעסק נפשו ותקון עבודתו.

Included in this, is also to fix daily times for the accounting of deeds and their correction as I mentioned earlier. Besides all this, all the free time he has left from his affairs, if he is wise, certainly he should not waste it. But rather to immediately grasp hold of it and not be lax in it, utilizing it to toil in the affairs of his soul and the improvement of his service of G-d.

The Shelah HaKadosh brings down in Asara Hillulim a chapter entitled "Shaar Chesbon HaNefesh" and provides quite an extensive approach to embark on such an undertaking.

ובכל שבוע משבועת החודש ובכל יום מימות השבוע ובכל שעה משעות היום ובכל רגע מרגעי השעות נלך בנערינו ובזקנינו ויחשוב אדם עם נפשו בימים שיצאו וחלפו ועברו שהלך אחר ההבל ועתיד שיתן דין וחשבון לפני קונו משל למלך שנתן צרור כסף לעבדו והזהירו שלא יוציא ממנו לבטלה ואוי לו בבואו לחשבון ולקח אותו ואיננו גם זה לך חשבון עם נפשך בהתבונן ההתבודדות כי רוב העבירות לא יגמרו אלא בשנים זנות רכילות לה"ר שבועת שקר ליצנות גאוה שיחת חולין חניפות שנאת חנם חמדה ותאוה וכיוצא בהם אף גם בהפרידך מבני אדם ואהבת לרעך כמוך להדריכם בדרך ישרה ללמדם תורה ומצות והרחק כל נזק מהם ותדרוש בשלמותם וטובותיהם

And every week from the weeks of the month, and every day from the days of the week, and every hour of the hours of the day, and every moment, we should (lit.) walk in our youth and in our old age, and a person should think with his soul about the days that have come and gone, and a past that followed vanity and a future that will give an account before its Creator. A parable is that of a king who gave a bundle of money to his servant and warned him not to waste it, and woe to him when he came to the reckoning where he took it but didn't do anything with it. This is also an accounting of your soul in solitude and concentration - because the majority of sins will not be completed (i.e. fixed) for many years; immorality, gossip, slander, falsefully swearing, scoffing, arrogance, mundane talk, flattery, baseless hatred, greed, desire and similar. Also in your separation from people, and loving your neighbour like yourself, to go on the straight path, to teach them Torah and mitzvos and to distance from any harm from them and to seek their integrity and good...