By Rabbi Naftoly Bier
The גמרה יומה פ”ו, Talmud Tractate Yuma 68b with regard to תשובה, repentance asks: What are the circumstances that demonstrate that one had completely and honestly repented? רב יהודה taught, if one has the opportunity to sin with the same woman (who he had sinned with previously) at the same time and same place (everything was perfectly aligned as it was the first time) and one overcomes their inclination, it proves his repentance is complete and real.
One can ask: Is it possible to ever have complete תשובה; after all, we can’t expect that every circumstance in the past where one violated the Torah will be repeated? If so, can we ever possibly fully repent?
The רמב”ם in הלכות תשובה ב’: א’ does teach us, that even if one only repents when one is older, and it’s impossible to do what he did when he was young, nevertheless his repentance (and regret) is accepted (it is satisfactory) and one is designated as a repentant. Even on one’s deathbed, one’s sins are forgiven if one sincerely regrets (but is not termed a בעל תשובה). He differentiates, in that one who is involved in the same circumstance is doing תשובה not from יראה, from ‘awe’ of Hashem, but performing the real exercise of תשובה. Rather than fully regretting one’s sin and being truly contrite. One is creating a dynamic that ‘erases’ his previous action. As it not being considered anymore one’s action due to his complete rejection of the previous action as something ‘foreign’ to him.
רבינו יונה in שערי תשובה- שער ראשון י”ט, has a different wording in the previously quoted Gemara. His version states: “What are type of תשובה, repentance, is מגיע לכסה הכבוד, rises and reaches The (Hashem’s) Throne of Glory?” In other words, the highest level of repentance is one that has sinned with a woman in a definitive place and time, and despite the circumstances being replicated, the person control himself.
The Rambam is teaching us that there are two categories of תשובה, while Rabbeinu Yonah is of the opinion that there is one category with different levels of ‘accomplishment’.
The Sforno in this week’s פרשה, Deuteronomy Chapter 30, verses 1, 2, 6… explains תשובה in the following manner: the initial step is to contemplate the motivation of one’s actions, what is honest and the opposite, thereby recognizing how far one has distanced himself from Hashem, conducting oneself with actions and philosophical ideas contrary to His Torah. (Verse 1)
Once one undergoes this process with integrity, it is natural and logical that one will embark on a life journey solely dedicated to accomplishing the will of Hashem. “This is the rubric of repentance that חז”ל termed the ‘type that soars to the Throne of Glory.’ (Verse 2)
When one strives to eliminate all confusion that hinders one’s perception of what is truly flawless, Hashem will facilitate its actualization due to one recognizing His providential care, will come to love Him. (Verse 6)
“This מצוה of תשובה is one that is endemic, intuitive to you, it’s in your heart, it’s part of your natural behavior”- to recognize one’s mistakes, and that its Hashem that you’ve sinned against; in turn to regret it and to articulate your feeling to him. (Verse 14)
The Sforno is teaching that the challenge if repentance is to sincerely define if ones lives on their self-centered universe or on the contrary, are part of Hashem’s design; He being center stage at all times.
The Torah continues, “Observe that I have placed in front of you today, life and ‘good’, or death and ‘bad’. (Verse 15) The Sforno explains that we have a choice of focusing on eternal lie or living for the moment, of eternal death or temporary hardship and pain.
In verse 19, 20, the Torah admonishes us to chose ‘life’, not because you are seeking to be rewarded but rather due to your love of Hashem sure to your recognizing His infinite benefactions.
The whole section is being elucidated by the Sforno, as to the simple but profound essence of תשובה, repentance.
One can propose that if one clearly, without ambiguity, conducts themselves without fail that one appreciates constantly Hashem’s myriad gifts and in turn attaches oneself to Him with endearing love, then one has transcended the world of physical, material desires, the world of fame and glory, and relentlessly desired to live the life of Torah. This ‘frame of mind’ and actions that reflect it, can be what the Rambam would also define as true unequivocal repentance.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz זצ”ל, in דעת תורה: דברים דף קס”ג-קסו, explains that the whole purpose of creation was for אדם הראשון, Adam and all of humanity to completely eradicate all evil form ‘One’s World’. Once a person sins, one has created in oneself a tendency towards repeating that action or to mistakenly allow oneself to act in a manner contrary to what Hashem demands.
To expunge this natural acquired tendency, it’s not enough to be contrite, for the essence of ‘evil’ is part of one’s being. Rather one has to completely eradicate any tendency that is now part of one’s character.
HaRav Yisrael Salanter זצ”ל asked, how is it possible if one didn’t have the possibility to repeat one’s mistake? He profoundly answered that there is no manner other than on Yom Kippur, one has to in their mind reconstruct in its fullest, all the sins that one did. One then has to honestly ask “How would I react in that same situation?”
The reason for this is that the primary objective of Hashem’s creation of us is the extricate all evil from the world, אדם הראשון, Adam, though he has the ‘inner drive’ to sin, to disobey Hashem, to be dishonest regarding his responsibilities, nevertheless, had a mission to reject, disallow any negative actions or thoughts as being a liable alternative. Once humankind started to actually sin; it’s incumbent on everyone to disallow oneself from repeating their negative action.
An analogy is, someone who has a ravenous appetite for delicious pastries and is instructed by his doctor to desist from eating them for health reasons. Is it possible to overcome their passion? Yes. If one intellectually from here on visualizes pastries not as food, but rather a piece of art, removing it from one’s desires.
Either according to Sforno or to Rav Yisrael Salanter, תשובה, repentance is creating a new perspective, a transcendence form what was.
