Bereshit and עשרת ימי תשובה

As everyone already knows, we can learn a lot from Parshat Bereshit during the עשרת ימי תשובה. The main theme in the beginning of Parshat Bereshit is sin and punishment, eventually followed by repentance. At the beginning of the Perek, Adam and Chava ate from the tree of life, thus defying Hashem's direct commandment. After they sinned, they realized that they were naked. In response, Hashem totally changed the nature of man (by making him work hard for food and by making childbirth painful) and exiled them from the garden. Cain later killed Hevel and was punished (he became a nomad for the rest pf his life). Cain's descendants did not recognize Hashem. They made advancements in technology, but they never declared themselves as loyal to Hashem. It was the third son of Adam and Chava, Shet, who, along with his descendants, recognized Hashem as the one true G-d.

We can learn a lot about the nature of sin, punishment, and repentance. Since these ten days are mainly for recognizing our sins and for repenting for them, we should "learn from the past and apply it to the future". The first main point is not defy a direct command by G-d. If you do that, then you will be punished. The second point is that the first steps in repenting are recognizing your sin and feeling remorse for what you have done. The third is that in the future, you should always recognize and follow Hashem in the ideal Torah lifestyle. With these steps, we should be able to achieve forgiveness and be sealed in the book of life.