Mitzvas Vidui U’Teshuvah (Part 2)

On this basis, we can understand the interpretation of the blessing:1 “Forgive us, our Father, because we have sinned.”

On the surface, the use of the term “because” is not understandable.

It appears that the reason we are asking G‑d to forgive us is

because we have sinned.

This is amazing.

Instead, seemingly, the blessing should read: “…for that which we have sinned.”

The concept can be explained based on the previous blessing, which states:

“Bring us back to You in whole-hearted repentance.”

Only afterwards, does one request atonement and pardon, saying: “Forgive us.”

For this reflects a renewal of G‑d’s will that was withdrawn because of sin.

To explain: The mitzvos represent the Sublime Will.

When a person sins, the Sublime Will withdraws from him.

This is referred to as “grievances”;

the meaning here is the withdrawal of G‑d’s will

– that the person is no longer desirable in G‑d’s eyes,

although G‑d does not do anything to that person;

He merely withdraws His will.

Forgiveness implies the renewal of the will.

Nevertheless, the will that is renewed is not the same will that existed previously.

For since the original will was withdrawn,

why should it be drawn down again?

Instead, the renewed will is from “the will of wills,”

the source for all will,

from which the will is drawn down anew.

Accordingly, it is on a higher plane than the will that was withdrawn.

This is the mystic secret associated with the request: “Forgive us, our Father….”

The intent of our request for pardon is that G‑d reveal His will for us anew,

from the level of “the will of wills,”

which is called the Superior Will.

It is given that name for there is a will below it,

i.e., the will for the mitzvos.

Why is this superior will drawn down?

“Because we have sinned”

and the will that was drawn down through the mitzvos is withdrawn.

As a result of our turning to G‑d in teshuvah,

as the preceding blessing states: “Bring us back to You in whole-hearted repentance,”

it is necessary that the superior will be revealed to us.

This is the mystic secret of forgiveness.

This also reflects the mystic secret of our Sages’ statement (Yoma 86b) that a baal teshuvah’s intentional sins become transformed into merits.

It follows that, after teshuvah,

any person who has committed more intentional sins

will have more merits,

since for each intentional sin,

the superior will must be drawn down

for there to be forgiveness.

This produces another type of merits,

different from and superior to the merits of the righteous

whose merits involve merely drawing down the Divine will enclothed in the mitzvos.

Therefore “in the place where baalei teshuvah stand, perfectly righteous men are not capable of standing” (Berachos 34b).

And therefore the verse:3 “Peace to those who are distant and those who are close” mentions “those who are distant,”

interpreted by Berachos, loc. cit., as referring to “those who were far, but came close,” i.e., baalei teshuvah,

first,

and afterwards, “those who are close, i.e., the perfectly righteous who always remain close to G‑d”.

All the above can be explained based on the teachings of the Kabbalah,

for the intentional sins have their source in elevated mystic levels, the Sefiros from the realm of Tohu4

that fell from the level of “the kings that ruled”5

to the lowest levels.

From these Sefiros came into being the impure kelipos

(that cannot be refined through the mitzvos of the Torah.

Therefore the Torah distances them,

commanding us not to partake of fat,6 blood,7 or the like.)

Hence, when these sparks are elevated through teshuvah,

they reach a lofty level, higher than that reached through the performance of mitzvos by the righteous

(which involve the refinement of kelipas nogah.

The rationale is that every entity that has fallen to a lower level

has a source on a higher rung).

Therefore, our Sages commented on the verse (Hoshea 14:5): “I will heal their waywardness,”

that teshuvah brings healing to the world (Yoma 86a).

With regard to healing, one drop of a drug has immense power to strengthen the body,

far more than greater quantities of wine and oil, for example.

The body would not be able to receive and tolerate such a large quantity of such foods within it.

One drop of a drug, by contrast, has such a powerful effect.

This is the mystic secret implied by the verse (Tehillim 107:20): “He sends His word and heals them.”

“His word” refers to the forms of the letters and the word of G‑d8 that were sent to the drugs

sarsa farilla9 and the like,

to bring them into being.10

When a person receives vitality from them,

he is healed by this word of G‑d that is invested in them,

which is more powerfulthan His word that is invested in food.

A similar concept applies to teshuvah,

which transforms the intentional sins of a baal teshuvah to a higher level

than the observance of mitzvos by the righteous.

The fact that before teshuvah, the sins are on a lower level

is an indication that their source in Tohu is much higher.

As such, their transformation into good through teshuvah brings about a revelation of the superior will,

the “will of wills.”

As a result, all the blemishes are healed

through the higher dimension of light that is drawn down.

(This relates to the concept explained in sec. II with regard to the verse “I, yes I, am He who wipes away your sins” –

that influence is drawn down from Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin.

That in turn comes as a result of influence that is drawn down to these levels from the level of Adam Kadmon,

which functions like the level of Kesser with regard to the spiritual cosmos as a whole,

i.e., the level of “will of wills.”

This reflects man’s spiritual source,

as explained in another source11 based on the verse {Bamidbar 33:2}: “And Moshe wrote down their excursions for their journeys.”)

After thoroughly explaining the concept of teshuvah and its wondrous quality,

we can better understand why teshuvah is effective only in this world.

Our Sages teach (Kiddushin 49b) that when a man consecrates a woman on the condition that he is a perfectly righteous man,

the consecration is effective even if it is discovered that he is a wicked man,

for perhaps he had thoughts of teshuvah in his heart at the time of the consecration.

In that vein, there is a well-known statement in the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 17a): “There are those who acquire their share in the World to Come in one moment.”12

In the World to Come, by contrast,

when a person dies, he becomes “free from the mitzvos” (Shabbos 30a) and cannot change his spiritual standing.

The Zohar (Vol. III, Parshas Korach, p. 178a) comments

on the verse (Koheles 9:10): “There is no deed, reckoning, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave”:

A person should not say: “When I come to that world, the World to Come,

then I will ask mercy from the King and repent before Him,

for “there is no action… in the grave.”

Instead, he should strive in this world….

For afterwards, when he departs from this world, he is judged with severe judgment,

the judgment of Gehinnom.

In that realm, there is no counsel, wisdom, or understanding to save him from judgment.

The intent is that after one’s passing,

in the World to Come,

teshuvah does not help at all for one who was wicked during his lifetime.

Instead, he will have to receive his judgment in the appropriate sequence,

first kaf hakela and chibut hakever,

and then Gehinnom,

according to the judgment appropriate for him

until he merits Gan Eden.

In this world, by contrast,

with one thought of proper teshuvah in his heart, a person can

free himself from all punishments

and acquire his share in the sublime world,

where he can derive pleasure from G‑d, in an abundance of good.

The rationale for the above is explained in the maamar beginning with the verse (Bamidbar 28:2): “Command the children of Israel…. My sacrifice, the food for My fire,” and its two explanations delivered by the Alter Rebbe in the year 5565.13

Consult that source.

In brief, however, we will explain the concept here:

With regard to our world, it is written:14 “The world is built through kindness (Chessed).”

The sublime worlds, by contrast, stem from the quality of might (Gevurah),

as it is written (Tehillim 145:12): “To make known to mankind His acts of Gevurah and the glory of His splendrous Kingship.”

The quality of kindness is concealed in those realms, as alluded to by the verse (ibid., 31:20): “How abundant is Your goodness which You have hidden away for those who fear You,”

as indicated by Tanya, Iggeres HaTeshuvah, ch. 12.

To explain:

In the World to Come, the souls luxuriate in the overt revelation of the radiance of the Divine Presence,

allowing for some measure of comprehension on the part of the created beings.

This would be impossible were it not for the attributes of Gevurah and the tzimtzumim

that contract the Divine light so that it can be perceived by limited beings.

Thus “the glory of His splendrous Kingship”

is revealed to mortals specifically through “His acts of Gevurah,” the attribute that brings about tzimtzumim.

As such, the light revealed in the World to Come represents the level of memale kol almin,

Therefore, it is referred to as “an internal light” in the terminology used by the Kabbalah.

In our material world, by contrast, G‑dliness is concealed.

Nevertheless, this very fact indicates

that the source of this concealment is a higher level of light,

the level that is sovev kol almin,

This is an or makif, an encompassing light, that does not stem from the attributes of Gevurah and contraction,

but instead from the attributes of Chessed, which is associated with boundless Divine generosity.

To explain on a deeper level:

With regard to the World to Come, it is said (Pesachim 50a): “You saw a pure world,”

for it represents existence as it has already been refined. In Lashon HaKodesh, the words barur, meaning “clear,” and birur, meaning “refinement,” share the same root.

Every entity comes to its appropriate place.

To use the division of the limbs in the human body as an analogy:

the head, the hands, the feet, even the hairs and the nails are all discrete entities.

One cannot make a hand into a foot or into a head.

Our material world, by contrast, has not yet been refined.

For the entire spiritual task of our world is the mission of refinement.

This is the purpose of the 6000 years of the world’s existence:

to refine the sparks of G‑dliness that fell from the seven primeval kings of Tohu,15

through man’s deeds.

The sparks of G‑dliness that fell are the ultimate of goodness.

They are, however, intermingled with the evil into which they fell.

The variable spiritual quality of this physical world can be understood by drawing a parallel from the drop of semen that contains all of the limbs of the child conceived from it,

his head, feet, hair, and nails, as one.

At this level, his entire makeup can be transformed and the foot can be elevated to the level of the head.

The reason it is possible to refine the sparks that have fallen so low

is that their refinement comes about through the influence of the agent of refinement,

the name Havayah with the milui Mah.

It refines the sparks stemming from the milui of Ban which fell.

The potential for the name Mah to accomplish this

stems from the fact that G‑d’s infinite light rests within the Sefirah of Chochmah that is associated with this name,

as implied by the phrase (Mishlei 3:19): “Havayah in Chochmah….”

As explained in sec. II, the level of Mah of Atik Yomin refers to the encompassing light within it,

which is discrete and separate from the Spiritual Cosmos.

The name Ban, by contrast, is the source of the Spiritual Cosmos, as explained above.

Similarly, in all the worlds until the very highest levels, the name Mah refers to the encompassing light.

And because it refers to the encompassing light, its light is great and truly immense,

an aspect of the Ein Sof.

Now, the Ein Sof is all-powerful,

for there is no limit or end to His power to bring about refinement

and elevate the good from the bad.

Accordingly, the Ein Sof can also bring about fundamental change, transforming a foot into a head and the like.

For before Him, darkness is as light

and darkness does not obscure,16

for He will transform it into light,

making the evil good.

This is the mystic secret implied by the teaching (Taanis 25a): “Let He Who said that oil shall burn say that vinegar shall burn.”

And this is alluded to by the phrase (Tehillim 114:8): “He Who transforms the stone into a pond of water.”

To refer back to the analogy of the child who comes into being from a drop of semen:

While the semen is still a drop in the womb,

G‑d has granted it the power to cause the drop to be divided into 248 limbs and 365 sinews

in the form of a body with a head and feet.

Just as He granted it the potential to be divided in one way,

it has the potential to be divided in another way, making the foot a head.

A similar potential exists with regard to the power of growth invested in the earth

that stems from the permutations of the Divine utterance:17 “Let the earth sprout forth vegetation.”

These letters are continually present within the earth at all times, giving it the potential to produce vegetation,

(as stated in Tanya, Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah, ch. 1, in the name of the Baal Shem Tov).

Within this growth potential is vested the power to set apart from the seed sowed within it

the potential for an attractive fruit.

It was, similarly, granted the potential for the opposite,

And thus desirable and beneficial fruit may grow from a bad seed, as is well known.

This is implied by the statement: “Let He Who said that oil shall burn say that vinegar shall burn.” He Who spoke and thus drew down the pattern of the letters that gave oil the tendency to burn,

can “say,”

i.e., draw down the pattern of the letters,

that will give vinegar the power to burn, i.e., reveal a different pattern of existence.

All of this is possible

because this material world is yet to be refined,

and the infinite and all-powerful light that is sovev kol almin that brings about refinement rests within it, as explained above.

The World to Come, by contrast, is already refined.

In the analogy, it can be compared to a child after he has grown,

or an apple after it has matured into a fruit,

which now contains only a limited amount of Divine energy to maintain its existence.

The Divine energy that shaped its form, however, has already departed from it.

Afterwards, a foot can no longer be transformed into a head.

Similarly, in the analogue, the World to Come stems from the level of memale kol almin

which has already been refined.

Therefore, it is called “a pure world,”

for it has already been corrected through the medium of the name Mah.

And since it has already been corrected,

a revelation of G‑dliness is manifest within it.

Nevertheless, the revelation is merely a ray and a radiance

that is conveyed through the attributes of Gevurah and contraction.

The essence of the name Mah does not shine within it.

Therefore, teshuvah is not effective in that realm,

because there it is impossible to change from one level to another.

This is the mystic secret implied by the conclusion of the passage from the Zohar cited above:

“In that realm, there is no counsel, wisdom, or understanding to save him from judgment.”

Rather, if one departed from this world with soiled garments,

i.e., idle thoughts and words that encompass him from head to foot,

he can no longer correct the matter through teshuvah.

Instead, he is subjected to kaf hakela.

And afterwards, he is subjected to Gehinnom

to the degree that it is necessary to purge the infirmity from his soul.

Similar concepts apply with regard to all other sins.

But the light that is sovev kol almin rests in this world

to enable the task of refinement,

because the world is yet unrefined.

Through teshuvah, this light is aroused

and it corrects one’s situation entirely

according to the nature of his teshuvah,

as explained in secs. I and II above.

May G‑d cause us to return to Him in complete teshuvah,

for He desires teshuvah.