TESHUVAH

The Greatest Reflection of Hashem’s Kindness

—Rabbi Mendy Feder—

In the first chapter of Hilchos Teshuvah, the Rambam enumerates many of the fundamental laws governing the process of Teshuvah. The Rambam delineates the process of Teshuvah and demands that a person confess his sins. The confession is really the positive action of Teshuvah. It requires that a person have actual regret and be humiliated by his past actions. This manifests that the person, when he does Teshuvah, has to be a different person. He is no longer related to the sin that he committed, and his energies are now directed to the world of reality. The instinctual drives and emotions which caused him to sin are no longer compelling.

The fourth halachah in the first chapter of Hilchos Teshuvah is very difficult. The Rambam explains that even though Teshuvah forgives every sin, the very essence of the day of Yom Kippur, is also עצמו של יום הכיפורים — required for forgiveness.

The Rambam goes on to explain that there are different types of sins. Some sins are forgiven immediately, while other sins are forgiven only after a period of time. The Rambam sets forth examples. If a person violates a positive commandment which is not subject to kareis or the death penalty and he does Teshuvah, his atonement is immediate.

However, the Rambam continues that if a person violates a negative commandment which is not subject to kareis or the death penalty of Beis Din and he does Teshuvah, then the Teshuvah will only suspend any punishment. Yom Kippur is required for a full pardon; complete forgiveness does not occur until after Yom Kippur.

The Rambam further states that if one violates a prohibition which is subject to kareis or the death penalty and then does Teshuvah, the Teshuvah and Yom Kippur will only suspend his punishment. He will not receive complete forgiveness until he undergoes afflictions, certain tribulations whereby a person will suffer.

The Rambam gives a caveat and states that if a person, when he violates a prohibition, desecrates the name of Hashem—he was מחלל את השם—then even when he does Teshuvah, observes Yom Kippur, and sustains afflictions, he will not have complete atonement until he dies.

This Rambam demands explanation. Once a person does Teshuvah, his relationship with God seems to be reinstated. The sin which he committed is no longer compelling. He has channeled his energies to the world of reality, and the coercive forces of his instincts or emotions are no longer overwhelming. He will not commit the sin again. This is the classic example of complete Teshuvah.

The obvious question is: Once he does Teshuvah and his relationship with God is reinstated, why is forgiveness, in many instances, not complete? The Rambam states that Teshuvah removes the punishment, and complete atonement is granted immediately only for the violation of a positive commandment which does not carry any severe punishment. However, for the violation of a negative commandment, complete atonement is not granted until Yom Kippur.

The question is, if he did Teshuvah, why is Yom Kippur necessary? Furthermore, how does Yom Kippur work? How does his observance of Yom Kippur now grant him full forgiveness? He has already changed himself. He is no longer drawn to the source of the sin. What does Yom Kippur accomplish? What dimension does Yom Kippur bring that will grant man complete forgiveness?

Furthermore, why is it that if the prohibition was subject to the death penalty or kareis, complete forgiveness does not occur until he sustains afflictions? Is it necessary for a person to suffer in order to achieve complete forgiveness? Is Hashem trying to punish him and cause him pain? What is the purpose and objective of afflictions?

We must also explain, why is it that when one desecrates the name of Hashem, when he is מחלל את השם, forgiveness is not complete until his death? How does dying achieve forgiveness?

It would seem that there are two dimensions when one does Teshuvah. Firstly, he must repair his relationship with Hashem. Every time one sins, he is governed by the physical part of man and is not functioning in line with the world of the soul. As such, his relationship with God is impaired and must be corrected. Teshuvah is the process of correcting the impairment of his relationship with God. After Teshuvah, assuming it is the proper Teshuvah, his relationship with God is reinstated.

However, there is another significant dimension to the institution of Teshuvah. When one sins, he is breaching the command of Hashem. Hashem is his Melech—King, and we are His avadim—servants. We are servants bound to follow the commandments of Hashem. As servants, we subordinate our own desires to the desires of our Creator. Essentially, following the will of Hashem is the best existence for man because he is not enslaved by his passions.

However, when one breaches the commandment of his Creator, it is an act of rebelliousness. As a created being, he is bound to follow the dictates of his Creator. Every time one sins and violates a precept of the Torah, he is breaching the will of his Creator. As such, this demands Teshuvah. Even when one changes his personality, the forces of the instinctual are no longer overwhelming, and he has done Teshuvah and will not again repeat the sin, he still needs forgiveness for breaching the words of his Creator.The Teshuva for violating the will of Hashem represents a different illness of the soul. If God's existence was absolutely real to a person and he realizes that he is merely a created being, a dependent existence, he would never breach the commandments of his creator. It is also symptomatic of the human condition that man needs to be in control. He does not want to be subordinate to the wishes of someone else. Witness the breakdown of so many marriages and the proliferation of divorces.Thus when man violates a commandment and breaches the will of his creator, it reflects both flawed aspects of the human personality. However with respect to Hashem man fails to realize that being an servant of Hashem is liberating. He is no longer enslaved to his instincts and passions.Thus Hashem's great kindness is evident through the different methods of procuring כפרה. Specifically, the sanctity of the day of Yom Kippur is to accept the will of our creator. When one observes the קדושת היום he is improving the maladies of the soul and is now worthy of complete atonement. Therefore Yom Kippur is mandated even when one violates a simple positive commandment. Hashem forgives him for the specific violation when he does Teshuva. He is a changed person and now will always fulfill the positive commandment. However, he still needs Yom Kippur for failing to appreciate the reality of God's existence and his words.

Thus the second dimension of sin is not cured simply by doing Teshuvah and changing his personality. He still must attain forgiveness for breaching the words and commandments of his Creator.

The severity of the infraction committed determines when Hashem grants him atonement. When one violates a positive commandment which is not subject to severe penalties, he is atoned for his violation the moment he does Teshuvah. He is no longer under the influence of the irrational part of his personality and will always fulfill the positive commandment, following the will of his Creator.

The Rambam explains that when one violates a negative commandment, his atonement is not granted when he does Teshuvah, but is suspended until Yom Kippur. When he observes the קדושת היום of Yom Kippur, his atonement will be complete.

As stated and as fully explained by my Rebbe and Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yisrael Chait, the sanctity of the day of Yom Kippur is accepting the will of God, קבלת רצון המקום. This explains why we have all the inuyim—afflictions on Yom Kippur. They are contrary to man’s natural desires, but he subordinates his instinctual desires to follow the will of his Creator. He is demonstrating that he truly desires to live life based upon man’s tzelem Elokim, his rational faculty. By observing Yom Kippur, he is fulfilling the will of his Creator. He now recognizes by fulfilling the will of his creator he will be able to live a liberating existence governing his life by his rational faculty.

As such, when one violates a negative prohibition, it is more severe than simply not fulfilling a positive commandment. When God tells you not to do something and you do it, that is an overt act of rebellion. His sin encompassed more than just an instinctual desire to perform the prohibited conduct. Therefore God’s great kindness gives man the opportunity to obtain atonement for his act of rebelliousness. By fulfilling the sanctity of Yom Kippur and following the imperatives of the day, he is manifesting that he is now an individual for whom accepting the will of his Creator is of paramount importance.

The sanctity of the day atones for his rebelliousness. Previously, the words of his Creator did not impede him from violating God’s commandment. However, now, after fulfilling the קדושת היום of Yom Kippur, he has manifested that he is an individual who is accepting רצון המקום and is a changed person and is thus deserving of atonement.

However, if the negative commandment that he violated was more severe, meaning that it was subject to the punishment of either kareis or the death penalty, Yom Kippur will not complete his atonement. His atonement will not be completed until he accepts afflictions, tribulations that God will impose upon him.

At first glance, the necessity for afflictions appears difficult to understand. If the individual has already done Teshuvah and observed Yom Kippur, why must he now suffer? The answer reveals the profound kindness inherent in the institution of Teshuvah. The afflictions are not imposed simply to pain the individual. That would be an act of cruelty. Rather, Hashem gives the individual the very experience necessary to complete his transformation and thereby attain complete atonement.

Since this individual violated the will of his Creator to such a great extent, to the point where he did not care that the violation was subject to kareis or the death penalty, his act of rebellion is of much greater significance. His attachment to the physical was so powerful that it clouded his rational faculty, and he violated prohibitions that God viewed as severe. These prohibitions were subject to the death penalty or kareis, reflecting their great significance to the Creator, yet he chose to ignore them.

Hashem therefore gives him the opportunity for atonement through afflictions. These afflictions are not an end in themselves; their objective is not pain. Rather, they cause the individual to reflect upon his attachment to the world of the physical. He will recognize that the magnitude of the energies he directs toward the physical world is overstated. The afflictions cause him to reevaluate that attachment and channel his energies toward the world of the soul.

Thus, the very afflictions that initially appear to be punishment are, in fact, an expression of Hashem’s kindness. Hashem does not merely punish the sinner for his past rebellion. He provides him with the means to correct the defect that produced that rebellion. The afflictions help transform the individual so that he will no longer be one who simply violates the will of his Creator without consideration of the repercussions. Hashem’s kindness is therefore manifest in the very process through which the individual attains his complete atonement and ameliorates his state of existence.

When one suffers afflictions, the hedonistic pleasures of the physical will no longer be attractive. His energies will be frustrated, and he will be able to channel his energies to the world of the soul. Thus, God’s gift of afflictions helps the individual to live a more rational and happier existence.

In the event that an individual desecrates the name of Hashem through his violation, atonement is not granted even when he suffers afflictions. Rather, full atonement is granted only upon his death.

God’s objective in creating man is that man should live the best and happiest existence. This means that the objective of God’s creation is that man lives his life and sanctifies the name of Hashem, מקדש שם. He must be That reflects the highest level of human existence. He functions in .שמים line with his rational faculty and always acts based upon truth, justice, and kindness.

When one desecrates the name of Hashem, it is the greatest rejection of the objective of God’s creation. He frustrates God’s objective by desecrating God’s name and manifesting that God’s will in creating man was not significant. The very core of his existence was distorted. God created man to live a life based upon truth and justice and to be מקדש שם. However, he chose to distort the very purpose of human existence .שמים and desecrated God’s name, frustrating the objective of His creation. He followed his instinctual desires and totally disregarded his rational faculty. He was a slave to his passions and distorted the very objective of human existence.

As such, he can only be fully atoned for his act of Chilul Hashem when he dies. Upon his death, his existence in the world of the physical is terminated, and thus his frustration of God’s objective of creation no longer registers. He rejected God’s objective of human existence, and as such, he is only forgiven when his existence is terminated.

Upon his death, his attachment to the physical is terminated. As such, he will now be able to participate in the world of the soul, and his act of Chilul Hashem is forgiven and will not impede his progression and enjoyment in the World to Come.

In the World to Come, the only part of man that exists is the world of the soul. The physical is limited and now has come to an end. The world of the soul is eternal, and when man dies and enters the World to Come, he can now participate in a relationship with his Creator without the impediments of a physical existence. Thus, God’s kindness is manifest at the time of his death because his act of Chilul Hashem will no longer impede his participation in the World to Come.

It is thus apparent that God’s great kindness is manifest in allowing a person to do Teshuvah. Every apparently harsher stage of atonement—Yom Kippur, afflictions, and even death—is itself structured for man’s benefit. The progression that initially appears increasingly punitive is, in reality, an increasingly profound expression of kindness Hashem.

Thus, when a person desecrates God’s name and he dies, that is also a manifestation of God’s kindness. He is now able to participate in the World to Come without the blemish of having rejected the will of his Creator because of his attachment to the physical. The physical no longer has any influence on the soul when it is liberated to the World to Come.

When an individual is נהנה מזיו השכינה in the World to Come, he exists purely as a non-physical being. The soul is non-physical, and thus any attachment to his previous physical existence would impede his ability to be נהנה מזיו השכינה. As such, his death concludes his attachment to the world of the physical, and his energies are liberated to participate strictly in   and exclusively in the world of the soul.

God is non-physical, and when man departs from this world, he exists solely in the world of the soul. His attachment to the physical no longer impedes his ability to have a relationship with his Creator.

Thus, the process of Teshuvah ameliorated the human condition. A physical human being’s attachment to the world of the physical, guided by his instinctual desires, has been mitigated. Upon his entering into Olam Haba, his participation and enjoyment in Olam Haba will be greatly improved. Since he only exists as a soul, the physical no longer plays a role in his existence, and as such, he can be נהנה מזיו השכינה at the highest levels.

Therefore, when the Teshuvah process is completed and atonement has been granted, both aspects of Teshuvah have been achieved. His relationship with God has been reinstated. He is no longer overwhelmed by his instinctual passions and is able to direct his energies to the world of the soul. Furthermore, when atonement has been delayed, it is only for man’s benefit. The final atonement, when granted, seeks only to help a person perfect himself in the world of the soul and ultimately achieve the greatest participation in Olam Haba.