Parashot Nitzavim and Vayelech
Faith in God and our relationship with Him has always been about the heart, from the very beginning.
Though He knows the inclination of the heart of man is bent toward sin, His desire is for man to overcome the evil inclination and to choose life!
He calls us to circumcise our hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16 and Jeremiah 4:4), which means removing the spiritual barriers that keep us from being able to overcome the evil inclination.
Ultimately, God will circumcise our hearts and give us a heart of flesh with His Torah written on it. But that does not remove our responsibility to partner with Him in the process – to choose Him, to circumcise our hearts and to observe His commandments.
And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Deuteronomy 30:6