Living Torah Archives

In his work, Iggeres Hateshuvah, the Alter Rebbe explains that there are two levels of repentance. While the first brings about a change in the person’s conduct, it is the second, higher level, which revolutionizes his entire inner world.

The Torah is replete with the stories of our forefathers and foremothers. Highlighting their righteous and saintly behavior, it’s supposed to inspire us to emulate their ways. But are such lofty heights really achievable for any of us? And what if we’ve already messed up in the past?

“Seek G-d when he is found, call Him when He is near.” Our sages teach that this verse refers to the Ten Days Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, when our repentance is especially effective and accepted immediately by G-d.

The Alter Rebbe assures us in Tanya that the efforts of those who follow in his ways, inspiring their fellow Jews to return to G-d, will have an “eternal” effect.

A Talmudic passage about marriage helps us gain a deeper understanding of the journey of teshuva, repentance.

Maimonides teaches that “genuine” repentance is when the “Knower of Secrets,” G-d himself, can attest that a person will never commit the same sin again. Yet practically, Jewish law judges a person only by his current, observable deeds and not by what he has in his heart, or what the future may hold.

“To renounce Judaism for another religion is the worst sin. The fact that you think you’re happy now only reveals how unhealthy your situation is... May G-d bless you to become healthy – and the main thing: to become a Jew openly, and proclaim to all the people around you that G-d has so much mercy that He forgives even the biggest sin that can be done.”

The Midrash relates that when Moses foresaw that the Holy Temple would be destroyed and Jews would be unable to offer sacrifices in atonement, he asked G-d: “What will we do then?” G-d replied: “Jews should gather as one group to recite Selichos, and I will pardon them.”

Our Sages extol the virtue of “Teshuva and good deeds.” But why do they praise the path of repentance before the path of purity? Shouldn’t repentance for misdeeds be enumerated after we speak of doing good deeds?

Teshuva requires that a person make an honest assessment of his spiritual standing. To do this, it would seem ideal to isolate oneself from all distractions, to focus on one’s past deeds. Why do we see, that on Yom Kippur – the main day for Teshuvah of the whole year – we spend the entire day in a public place, in synagogue, together with so many others?