בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה:
Blessing for Torah Study
Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh Ha'Olam Asher Kideshanu Bemitzvotav Vetzivanu La'asok Bedivrei Torah
Blessed are you Adonai, our God, Sovereign of Eternity, who has made us holy through Your sacred obligations and obligated us to immerse ourselves in the words of Torah.
(א) וּנְתַנֶּה תֹּקֶף קְדֻשַּׁת הַיּוֹם כִּי הוּא נוֹרָא וְאָיֹם וּבוֹ תִּנָּשֵׂא מַלְכוּתֶךָ וְיִכּוֹן בְּחֶסֶד כִּסְאֶךָ וְתֵשֵׁב עָלָיו בְּאֱמֶת
(ב) אֱמֶת כִּי אַתָּה הוּא דַּיָּן וּמוֹכִיחַ וְיוֹדֵעַ וָעֵד וְכוֹתֵב וְחוֹתֵם וְסוֹפֵר וּמוֹנֶה וְתִזְכֹּר כָּל הַנִּשְׁכָּחוֹת וְתִפְתַּח אֶת סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרוֹנוֹת וּמֵאֵלָיו יִקָּרֵא וְחוֹתָם יַד כָּל אָדָם בּוֹ
(ג) וּבְשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל יִתָּקַע וְקוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה יִשָׁמַע וּמַלְאָכִים יֵחָפֵזוּן וְחִיל וּרְעָדָה יֹאחֵזוּן וְיֹאמְרוּ הִנֵּה יוֹם הַדִּין לִפְקֹד עַל צְבָא מָרוֹם בַּדִּין כִּי לֹא יִזְכּוּ בְּעֵינֶיךָ בַּדִּין וְכָל בָּאֵי עוֹלָם יַעַבְרוּן לְפָנֶיךָ כִּבְנֵי מָרוֹן כְּבַקָּרַת רוֹעֶה עֶדְרוֹ מַעֲבִיר צֹאנוֹ תַּחַת שִׁבְטוֹ כֵּן תַּעֲבִיר וְתִסְפֹּר וְתִמְנֶה וְתִפְקֹד נֶפֶשׁ כָּל חָי וְתַחְתֹּךְ קִצְבָה לְכָל בְּרִיָּה וְתִכְתֹּב אֶת גְּזַר דִּינָם
(ד) בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן, וּבְיוֹם צוֹם כִּפּוּר יֵחָתֵמוּן. כַּמָּה יַעַבְרוּן, וְכַמָּה יִבָּרֵאוּן, מִי יִחְיֶה, וּמִי יָמוּת, מִי בְקִצּוֹ, וּמִי לֹא בְּקִצּוֹ, מִי בַמַּיִם, וּמִי בָאֵשׁ, מִי בַחֶרֶב, וּמִי בַחַיָּה, מִי בָרָעָב, וּמִי בַצָּמָא, מִי בָרַעַשׁ, וּמִי בַמַּגֵּפָה, מִי בַחֲנִיקָה, וּמִי בַסְּקִילָה, מִי יָנוּחַ, וּמִי יָנוּעַ, מִי יִשָּׁקֵט, וּמִי יְטֹּרֵף, מִי יִשָּׁלֵו, וּמִי יִתְיַסָּר, מִי יַעֲנִי, וּמִי יַעֲשִׁיר, מִי יֻשְׁפַּל, וּמִי יָרוּם. וּתְשׁוּבָה וּתְפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה מַעֲבִירִין אֶת רֹעַ הַגְּזֵרָה.
(ה) כִּי כְּשִׁמְךָ כֵּן תְּהִלָּתֶךָ, קָשֶׁה לִכְעוֹס וְנוֹחַ לִרְצוֹת, כִּי לֹא תַחְפֹּץ בְּמוֹת הַמֵּת, כִּי אִם בְּשׁוּבוֹ מִדַּרְכּוֹ וְחָיָה, וְעַד יוֹם מוֹתוֹ תְּחַכֶּה לוֹ, אִם יָשׁוּב מִיַּד תְּקַבְּלוֹ. (אֱמֶת) כִּי אַתָּה הוּא יוֹצְרָם וְיוֹדֵעַ יִצְרָם, כִּי הֵם בָּשָׂר וָדָם.
(ו) אָדָם יְסוֹדוֹ מֵעָפָר וְסוֹפוֹ לֶעָפָר. בְּנַפְשׁוֹ יָבִיא לַחְמוֹ. מָשׁוּל כְּחֶרֶס הַנִּשְׁבָּר, כְּחָצִיר יָבֵשׁ, וּכְצִיץ נוֹבֵל, כְּצֵל עוֹבֵר, וּכְעָנָן כָּלָה, וּכְרוּחַ נוֹשָׁבֶת, וּכְאָבָק פּוֹרֵחַ, וְכַחֲלוֹם יָעוּף. וְאַתָּה הוּא מֶלֶךְ אֵל חַי וְקַיָּם.
(1) We lend power to the holiness of this day. For it is tremendous and awe filled, and on it your kingship will be exalted, your throne will be established in loving-kindness, and you will sit on that throne in truth.
(2) It is true that you are the one who judges, and reproves, who knows all, and bears witness, who inscribes, and seals, who reckons and enumerates. You remember all that is forgotten. You open the book of records, and from it, all shall be read. In it lies each person's insignia.
(3) And with a great shofar it is sounded, and a thin silent voice shall be heard. And the angels shall be alarmed, and dread and fear shall seize them as they proclaim: behold! the Day of Judgment on which the hosts of heaven shall be judged, for they too shall not be judged blameless by you, and all creatures shall parade before you as a herd of sheep. As a shepherd herds his flock, directing his sheep to pass under his staff, so do you shall pass, count, and record the souls of all living, and decree a limit to each persons days, and inscribe their final judgment.
(4) On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed - how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time, and who by an untimely death, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by lapidation, who shall have rest and who wander, who shall be at peace and who pursued, who shall be serene and who tormented, who shall become impoverished and who wealthy, who shall be debased, and who exalted. But repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severity of the decree.
(5) For your praise is just as your name. You are slow to anger and quick to be appeased. For you do not desire the death of the condemned, rather, that they turn from their path and live and you wait for them until the day of their death, and if they repent, you receive them immediately. (It is true -) [For] you are their Creator and You understand their inclination, for they are but flesh and blood.
(6) We come from dust, and return to dust. We labour by our lives for bread, we are like broken shards, like dry grass, and like a withered flower; like a passing shadow and a vanishing cloud, like a breeze that passes, like dust that scatters, like a fleeting dream. But You are the king who lives eternal.
Questions for Discussion: What is this prayer about?
Rabbi Yael Ridberg, adapted
The litany of terrible circumstances that the prayer invokes — who by fire, who by water, who by sword, who by beast — are not beyond the pale of possibility. The text teaches us that indeed, these are the things we can count on seeing in this world. We just do not know when they will occur, or to whom. This moment in the service is a profound opportunity to acknowledge the fragility of existence and the ever encroaching reality that the longer we live, the more likely that we and those we love will be touched by pain, grief, and sadness.
And yet the hymn does not leave us without hope, at the end it will say, teshuvah tefilah and tzedaka mavirin et roa hagzera. Living a life engaged with repentance and return, prayer and reflection, and acts of charity and justice, help make the moments we have more rich, more meaningful, more holy.
Question for Discussion: Why these three — teshuvah, tefilah, and tzedakah — actions/practices? What is significant about them?
Rabbi Lawrence Kushner
T'shuvah is returning to God. This, our tradition tells us, may be effected through apology, remorse, or restitution, but it always requires a diminution of one's ego and its conquests. Every return makes us less. Adin Steinsaltz says that, in t'shuvah, "a person turns himself about, away from the pursuit of what he craves, and confronts his desire to approach God." When it's done, we wind up with less than what we thought we wanted. By confessing our shortcomings, our inadequacies, our arrogance, and our self-righteousness, we take up less space. Our egos are smaller.
With t'fillah, there is a similar self-diminution. In any genuine prayer, we give our selves back to their source in the Holy One. As Abraham Joshua Heschel put it so poetically, "To worship God is to forget the self...In prayer we shift the center of living from self-consciousness to self-surrender." We even give our power of speech over to God: "O God, open my lips..." Or, as Dov Baer, the great Maggid of Mezritch, said, in prayer we are like shofarot: if God's breath does not blow through us, we cannot even make a sound. It's not about what you want; it;'s what God wants that matters.
Tz'dakah, of course, is the easiest. It is the tangible giving away of our money, skill. and time- in a word, our very substance. When you're done "giving" tz'dakah, you are physically diminished. To be sure, you will probably be spiritually increased, but here is also no doubt what you'll be poorer. There will be less of you.
All three share in common denominator of a loss of self- not self-abnegation, self-denial, self-deprecation, or self-renunciation (as in the punch line to the old yontif joke, "Look who thinks he's nothing") - but a voluntary, loving lessening of our selves. T'shuvah, t'fillah, and tz'dakah all require increasingly smaller egos...
Through the selflesness of t'shuvah (I return my self to its source), t'fillah (I pour out my self before God), and tz'daka (I make myself the gift) we too can ma'arivin transcend the horror of our own death. Now, you get a roomful of people to all try to think that way for a day and you've got yourself a dat that is, in the words of the prayer, "holiness . . . full of awe and dread."
On his deathbed, Rabbi Simha Bunam of Przysucha said to his wife, "Why are you crying? My whole life was only that I might learn how to die."
Dr. Reuven Kimelman
Repentance starts with our relationship with the self, prayer addresses our relationship with God, and charity works on our relationship with others. In other words, repentance is inner-directed, prayer is God-directed, and charity is other-directed. The first involves the mind, the second the tongue, and the third the hand advancing from thought to word to deed. Adversity is most disruptive when striking those bereft or religious and social support systems. All the more reason to recite Un'taneh Tokef in community. Putting ourselves in order, repairing our relationship with God, and working on improving our relationship with others help us overcome our isolation. By enhancing our capacity to withstand the vicissitudes of life, we gain the confidence to believe that this too will pass. Repentance means we care enough about ourselves to strive for our ideal self. Prayer means we care enough about God to make ourselves worthy of God's assessment. Charity means we care enough about others to help them in their need. Otherwise, faced with tragedy, we might give up on ourselves, on God, and on others.
Teshuvah
Question for Discussion: What is Teshuvah?
Professor Ehud Luz
The Hebrew word for repentance, teshuvah, has two distinct meanings. The first derives from the verb "to return"; when used in this sense, it signifies going back to one's point of origin, returning to the straight path, coming back home after a period of absence. The second derives from the verb "to reply," and denotes response to a question or call that has come from without. The Jewish idea of teshuvah embraces both these meanings: It is a movement of return to one's source, to the original paradigm of human—or national—life, and also, simultaneously, a response to a divine call. The act of returning to one's original self is thus in and of itself a return to God and God's teaching...
In Judaism, the relationship between God and humanity is seen as a covenant between two partners, each of whom has a role to play in bringing the world to perfection. When someone sins, they violate this covenant and rupture normal relations between themselves and God. Teshuvah is the process by which this break is mended and the covenant renewed.
Rabbi Alan Lew
Tisha B’Av comes exactly seven weeks before Rosh Hashanah, beginning the process that culminates on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Tisha B’Av is the moment of turning, the moment when we turn away from denial and begin to face exile and alienation as they manifest themselves in our own lives—in our alienation and estrangement from God, in our alienation from ourselves and from others. Teshuvah—turning, repentance—is the essential gesture of the High Holiday season. It is the gesture by which we seek to heal this alienation and to find at-one-ment: to connect with God, to reconcile with others, and to anchor ourselves in the ground of our actual circumstances, so that it is this reality that shapes our actions and not just the habitual, unconscious momentum of our lives.
Question for Discussion: How did Teshuvah come about? What are its origin's implications?
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים, שִׁשָּׁה דְבָרִים קָדְמוּ לִבְרִיאַת הָעוֹלָם, יֵשׁ מֵהֶן שֶׁנִּבְרְאוּ, וְיֵשׁ מֵהֶן שֶׁעָלוּ בַּמַּחֲשָׁבָה לְהִבָּרְאוֹת. הַתּוֹרָה וְהַכִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, נִבְרְאוּ.... הָאָבוֹת וְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ, עָלוּ בַּמַּחֲשָׁבָה לְהִבָּרְאוֹת... רַבִּי אַהֲבָה בְּרַבִּי זְעִירָא אָמַר אַף הַתְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים צ, ב): בְּטֶרֶם הָרִים יֻלָּדוּ, וְאוֹתָהּ הַשָּׁעָה תָּשֵׁב אֱנוֹשׁ עַד דַּכָּא וגו',
"In the beginning of God's creating..." - Six things preceded the creation of the world; some of them were created and some of them were decided to be created. The Torah and the Throne of Glory were created. ... The Patriarchs [and Matriarchs,] Israel, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah were decided to be created. Rabbi Ahavah said in the name of Rabbi Ze'ira: Even repentance was, as it says (Psalms 90:2-3): "Before the mountains were birthed... You turned man to contrition "
Professor Ehud Luz
Objective time, the stage on which transpersonal reality is played out, is irreversible. It is always oriented from the present to the future. Teshuvah, however, assumes the possibility of reversing the past. Past, present, and future come together in the unity of human consciousness. Despite reality's flow, within this unity the future may transform the meaning of the past. The sages long ago stated that teshuvah existed before the creation of the world, that is, that it is not subject to the usual order of time; or, as Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav had it, since time does not exist for God, "teshuvah is essentially above time." By returning to God, man rises above time and so becomes able to correct the wrongs of the past and see himself as though he were newly born. When this happens, even his former days are transformed for the positive. To use Soloveitchik's expression, the most essential aspect of teshuvah is that "the future has overcome the past." Man's regret over his past behavior breaks the consequential chain of wicked deeds that brought him to despair; it allows him to conquer that despair and make a fresh start. The healing power of repentance lies in the surgery it performs on his soul, and operation that has both experiential-emotional and conscious-intellectual aspects. It cuts away the damage and disease caused the soul by sin and guilt, and demonstrates the power of choice that lies in our hands: If we but wanted, we could be otherwise. There is thus both suffering and joy to all true repentance: suffering over the flaws of hte past, and joy over the more perfect future in prospect. The person's suffering and struggle presage his approaching salvation.
וַיֵּצֵא קַיִן מִלִּפְנֵי ה'... רַב הוּנָא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בַּר יִצְחָק אָמַר יָצָא שָׂמֵחַ, כְּמָה דְתֵימַר (שמות ד, יד): וְגַם הִנֵּה הוּא יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ וְרָאֲךָ וְשָׂמַח, כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּצָא פָּגַע בּוֹ אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן אָמַר לוֹ מַה נַּעֲשָׂה בְּדִינֶךָ, אָמַר לוֹ עָשִׂיתִי תְּשׁוּבָה וְנִתְפַּשַׁרְתִּי, כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁמַע אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן כָּךְ הִתְחִיל טוֹפֵחַ עַל פָּנָיו, אָמַר לוֹ כָּל כָּךְ הִיא כֹּחָהּ שֶׁל תְּשׁוּבָה וְלֹא הָיִיתִי יוֹדֵעַ.
בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה אָמַר אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן (תהלים צב, א): מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת.
"Cain went out from the presence of Adonai" (Gen. 4:16). R. Huna, citing, R. Hanina bar Isaac, said: Cain went forth with gladness at heart, as is written, "Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you" (Exodus 4:14). As he went out, Adam met him and asked, "What sentence was given you?" Cain replied, "I vowed repentance and was granted clemency." Hearing this, Adam proceeded to strike himself in the face in self-reproach, saying: "So repentance has all this power, and I knew it not!"
Then and there Adam composed "a Psalm, a song for the Sabbath day" (Ps. 92:1), [which says, "It is good to praise (or confess) to the LORD..."]
Question for Discussion: How does Teshuvah work? What does it look like?
כָּל מִצְוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה בֵּין עֲשֵׂה בֵּין לֹא תַּעֲשֶׂה אִם עָבַר אָדָם עַל אַחַת מֵהֶן בֵּין בְּזָדוֹן בֵּין בִּשְׁגָגָה כְּשֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה וְיָשׁוּב מֵחֶטְאוֹ חַיָּב לְהִתְוַדּוֹת לִפְנֵי הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר ה ו) "אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה כִּי יַעֲשׂוּ" וְגוֹ' (במדבר ה ז) "וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת חַטָּאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ" זֶה וִדּוּי דְּבָרִים. וִדּוּי זֶה מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה. כֵּיצַד מִתְוַדִּין. אוֹמֵר אָנָּא הַשֵּׁם חָטָאתִי עָוִיתִי פָּשַׁעְתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ וְעָשִׂיתִי כָּךְ וְכָךְ וַהֲרֵי נִחַמְתִּי וּבֹשְׁתִּי בְּמַעֲשַׂי וּלְעוֹלָם אֵינִי חוֹזֵר לְדָבָר זֶה. וְזֶהוּ עִקָּרוֹ שֶׁל וִדּוּי. וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְהִתְוַדּוֹת וּמַאֲרִיךְ בְּעִנְיָן זֶה הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח.
If a person transgresses any of the mitzvot of the Torah, whether a positive command or a negative command - whether willingly or inadvertently - when he repents, and returns from his sin, he must confess before God, blessed be He, as [Numbers 5:6-7] states: "If a man or a woman commit any of the sins of man... they must confess the sin that they committed."
This refers to a verbal confession. This confession is a positive command.
How does one confess: He states: "I implore You, God, I sinned, I transgressed, I committed iniquity before You by doing the following. Behold, I regret and am embarrassed for my deeds. I promise never to repeat this act again."
These are the essential elements of the confessional prayer. Whoever confesses profusely and elaborates on these matters is worthy of praise.
What constitutes Teshuvah? That a sinner should abandon his sins and remove them from his thoughts, resolving in his heart, never to commit them again as [Isaiah 55:7] states "May the wicked abandon his ways...." Similarly, he must regret the past as [Jeremiah 31:18] states: "After I returned, I regretted."
[He must reach the level where] He who knows the hidden will testify concerning him that he will never return to this sin again as [Hoshea 14:4] states: "We will no longer say to the work of our hands: `You are our gods.'"
He must verbally confess and state these matters which he resolved in his heart.
והנה עיקר התשובה הוא בלב כי על ידי החרטה מעומקא דלבא מעורר עומק אור העליון הזה אך כדי להמשיכו להאיר בעולמות עליונים ותחתונים צריך אתעדל"ת ממש בבחי' מעשה דהיינו מעשה הצדקה וחסד בלי גבול ומדה
The essence of repentance is in the heart, for through remorse from the depths of the heart one arouses the depths of the Supreme Light. But in order to elicit [this light] so that it radiates in the upper and lower worlds, it is essential that there be a tangible "awakening from below" in the form of an active deed, such as charity and kindness, that is without limit and measure.
וְעַצְמוֹ שֶׁל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפֵּר לַשָּׁבִים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא טז ל) "כִּי בַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם":
The essence of Yom Kippur atones for those who repent as [Leviticus 16:30] states: "This day will atone for you."
אֵין הַתְּשׁוּבָה וְלֹא יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפְּרִין אֶלָּא עַל עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם כְּגוֹן מִי שֶׁאָכַל דָּבָר אָסוּר אוֹ בָּעַל בְּעִילָה אֲסוּרָה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן. אֲבָל עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ כְּגוֹן הַחוֹבֵל אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ אוֹ הַמְקַלֵּל חֲבֵרוֹ אוֹ גּוֹזְלוֹ וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן אֵינוֹ נִמְחַל לוֹ לְעוֹלָם עַד שֶׁיִּתֵּן לַחֲבֵרוֹ מַה שֶּׁהוּא חַיָּב לוֹ וִירַצֵּהוּ. אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֶחֱזִיר לוֹ מָמוֹן שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב לוֹ צָרִיךְ לְרַצּוֹתוֹ וְלִשְׁאל מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁיִּמְחל לוֹ. אֲפִלּוּ לֹא הִקְנִיט אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ אֶלָּא בִּדְבָרִים צָרִיךְ לְפַיְּסוֹ וְלִפְגֹּעַ בּוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּמְחל לוֹ. לֹא רָצָה חֲבֵרוֹ לִמְחל לוֹ מֵבִיא לוֹ שׁוּרָה שֶׁל שְׁלֹשָׁה בְּנֵי אָדָם מֵרֵעָיו וּפוֹגְעִין בּוֹ וּמְבַקְּשִׁין מִמֶּנּוּ. לֹא נִתְרַצָּה לָהֶן מֵבִיא לוֹ שְׁנִיָּה וּשְׁלִישִׁית. לֹא רָצָה מְנִיחוֹ וְהוֹלֵךְ לוֹ וְזֶה שֶׁלֹּא מָחַל הוּא הַחוֹטֵא.
Teshuvah and Yom Kippur only atone for sins between man and God; for example, a person who ate a forbidden food or engaged in forbidden sexual relations, and the like. However, sins between man and man; for example, someone who injures a colleague, curses a colleague, steals from him, or the like will never be forgiven until he gives his colleague what he owes him and appeases him.
[It must be emphasized that] even if a person restores the money that he owes [the person he wronged], he must appease him and ask him to forgive him.
Even if a person only upset a colleague by saying [certain] things, he must appease him and approach him [repeatedly] until he forgives him.
If his colleague does not desire to forgive him, he should bring a group of three of his friends and approach him with them and request [forgiveness]. If [the wronged party] is not appeased, he should repeat the process a second and third time. If he [still] does not want [to forgive him], he may let him alone and need not pursue [the matter further]. On the contrary, the person who refuses to grant forgiveness is the one considered as the sinner.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי: טוֹבָה מַרְדּוּת אַחַת בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם יוֹתֵר מִכַּמָּה מַלְקֻיוֹת... וְרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר, יוֹתֵר מִמֵּאָה מַלְקֻיוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״תֵּחַת גְּעָרָה בְמֵבִין מֵהַכּוֹת כְּסִיל מֵאָה״.
And Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: A single regret or pang of guilt in one’s heart is preferable to many lashes... And Reish Lakish said that in the Bible, it seems that such remorse is preferable to one hundred lashes, as it is stated: “A rebuke enters deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred lashes to a fool” (Proverbs 17:10).
מתני׳ האומר אחטא ואשוב אחטא ואשוב אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה אחטא ויוה"כ מכפר אין יוה"כ מכפר עבירות שבין אדם למקום יוה"כ מכפר עבירות שבין אדם לחבירו אין יוה"כ מכפר עד שירצה את חבירו
MISHNA: With regard to one who says: I will sin and then I will repent, I will sin and I will repent, Heaven does not provide him the opportunity to repent. With regard to one who says: I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone for my sins, Yom Kippur does not atone for his sins. Furthermore, for transgressions between a person and God, Yom Kippur atones; however, for transgressions between a person and another, Yom Kippur does not atone until he appeases the other person.
R. Elimelekh of Lizhensk, Noam Elimelekh to Metzora
A most important principle is “To walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). All man’s ways should be modest. Whatever one does publicly and with fanfare, even worshipping God, may easily become self-serving and lead to arrogance. But the good deeds that one performs privately will not become self-serving, for no one sees him.
This principle of acting modestly applies only to one who [who is pious but] wants to improve his service of God. The ba’al teshuvah, however, who wishes to repent transgressions committed publicly, such as slander and other such sins, must of necessity do repentance in a like manner, namely, in public. This accords with [the halakhic rule], “As the absorption occurred, so must the discharge be” . . . It follows, therefore, that for transgressions one committed secretly [Maimonides: ritual transgressions] he should repent privately, while for the open, public sins [Maimonides: ethical transgressions] he must repent openly and publicly.
Question for Discussion: Who is eligible for Teshuvah?
R. Gedaliah of Linitz, Teshuot Chen, Ha'azinu
Even if someone had committed many transgressions, they must not allow the Evil Urge to seduce them into thinking that God will never forgive them, Heaven forbid! This empty prattle is merely [the Evil Urge's] way of pushing one away from God. For there is nothing that stands in the way of repentance.
Moreover, the argument of the yetzer has no basis on account of the [constant] reminder [to repent] coming from God. As mentioned earlier, a heavenly voice (bat kol) goes forth daily, proclaiming, "Turn back rebellious children" (Jeremiah 3:14). If it were true that such sinners are denied repentance, it would make no sense to call upon them to repent.
(איוב לא, לב): בַּחוּץ לֹא יָלִין גֵּר, שֶׁאֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא פּוֹסֵל לִבְרִיָּה אֶלָּא לַכֹּל הוּא מְקַבֵּל, הַשְּׁעָרִים נִפְתָּחִים בְּכָל שָׁעָה וְכָל מִי שֶׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ לִכָּנֵס יִכָּנֵס.
"The stranger need not lodge outside" (Job 31:32). The Holy One declares no creature unfit—[The Holy One] receives all. The gates [of repentance] are always open, and the one who wishes to enter may enter.
רַבִּי חֶלְבּוֹ שָׁאַל אֶת רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן, אָמַר לוֹ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשָּׁמַעְתִּי עָלֶיךָ שֶׁאַתָּה בַּעַל אַגָּדָה מַהוּ דֵּין דִּכְתִיב סַכֹּתָה בֶעָנָן לָךְ מֵעֲבוֹר תְּפִלָּה, אָמַר לוֹ נִמְשְׁלָה תְּפִלָּה כְּמִקְוָה וְנִמְשְׁלָה תְּשׁוּבָה כַּיָּם. מַה מִּקְוָה זוֹ פְּעָמִים פְּתוּחָה פְּעָמִים נְעוּלָה, כָּךְ שַׁעֲרֵי תְּפִלָּה פְּעָמִים נְעוּלִים פְּעָמִים פְּתוּחִין, אֲבָל הַיָּם הַזֶּה לְעוֹלָם פָּתוּחַ, כָּךְ שַׁעֲרֵי תְּשׁוּבָה לְעוֹלָם פְּתוּחִין.
R. Helbo asked R. Samuel bar Nahman: Since I have heard you are the master of Aggadah, what is meant by the verse "You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can pass through" (Lam. 3:44). R. Samuel answered: Prayer is like a mikveh but repentance is like the sea. Just as a mikveh is at times open and at other times locked, so the gates of prayer are at times open and at other times locked. But the sea is always open, even as the gates of repentance are always open.
הַתְּשׁוּבָה מְכַפֶּרֶת עַל כָּל הָעֲבֵרוֹת. אֲפִלּוּ רָשָׁע כָּל יָמָיו וְעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה בָּאַחֲרוֹנָה אֵין מַזְכִּירִין לוֹ שׁוּם דָּבָר מֵרִשְׁעוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל לג יב) "רִשְׁעַת הָרָשָׁע לֹא יִכָּשֶׁל בָּהּ בְּיוֹם שׁוּבוֹ מֵרִשְׁעוֹ".
Teshuvah atones for all sins. Even a person who was wicked his whole life and repented in his final moments will not be reminded of any aspect of his wickedness as [Ezekiel 33:12] states "the wickedness of the evil one will not cause him to stumble on the day he repents his wickedness."
Question for discussion: What are the personal effects of doing Teshuvah?
As Rabbi Abbahu said: In the place where penitents stand, even the full-fledged righteous do not stand, as it is stated: “Peace, peace upon him who is far and him who is near.” Peace and greeting is extended first to him who is far, the penitent, and only thereafter is peace extended to him who is near, the full-fledged righteous.
Rabbi Alan Lew
We live in a culture that conditions us to avoid suffering, and the consequence of this is that we live at some distance from our heart. We are not in the habit of looking at it, but of distracting ourselves from its content. As we begin the process of Teshuvah, we need to make a conscious effort to overcome the momentum of this denial and avoidance. This is an effort well worth making. That pain, that afflictive energy that rests on the surface of our hearts and just below it as well, will be the catalyst for our transformation. The nature of our pain points us to the nature of the transformation we need to make.... This is the great gift of suffering. Intense afflictive states—anger, boredom, fear, guilt, impatience, grief, disappointment, dejection, anxiety, despair—are the great markers of our Teshuvah. By their very intensity, they call us to transformation.
Question for Discussion: When have we completed the work of Teshuvah?
R. Nahman of Bratslav, Likkutei Etzot, Teshuvah 7:6
Even when one is sure that they have repented in a perfect way, they should repent again; repentance for their original repentance, because initially their repentance was relative to their perceptions at that time. After repentance, however, one's knowledge and perception of God surely deepen and, in comparison with their present understanding, the previous one was, as it were, gross and corporeal. Therefore one has to repent for their original repentance which was tantamount to corporeal conception of God's exalted divinity. Happy is the one who is privileged to repent in this way.
Ehud Luz
Through Teshuvah, a person creates themself. A new personality emerges out of their struggle and distress—and this is a work of creation to parallel that of the cosmos. If God in God's goodness, daily renews the work of creation, so also does humanity. This vision of the essential regeneration of humanity is the most profound dimension of humanity's yearning for redemption. The redemption cannot come about without teshuvah. Teshuvah represents the full realization of human freedom, the transformation of blind fate into human destiny. It is not a one-time deed, but a process enveloping all of a human being's life, an unending quest for the ideal upon which, though it can never be reached, the realization of the true nature of humanity depends.