פרשת האזינו תשכ"ז - הפטרה לשבת שובה

"Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God"

Rabbi Levi said: Great is repentance, as it reaches the heavenly throne, as it is stated: “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God” (Hosea 14:2). This implies that repentance literally reaches to God.

§ Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Great is repentance, as it overrides even a negative commandment of the Torah. How so? As it is stated that God said: “…Saying: If a man sends away his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s, may he return to her again? Will not that land be greatly polluted? But you have committed adultery with many lovers; and would you yet return to Me, said the Lord” (Jeremiah 3:1). Indeed, the Torah states: “Her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after she has been made impure” (Deuteronomy 24:4). The relationship between the Jewish people and the Holy One, Blessed be He, is compared to that between a husband and wife. Just as it is prohibited for an adulterous wife to return to her husband, it should be prohibited for the Jewish people to return to God from their sins, yet repentance overrides this prohibition.

Rabbi Yudan the Prince in the name of Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon: The custom of the world is that when a man shoots an arrow, how far does it travel? A <i>beit kor</i> or two. How great is the power of repentance, as it reaches to the (God's) throne of glory! As it is stated (Hosea 14:2), "Return o Israel, to the Lord, your God." Rabbi Eliezer said, "It is customary that [if] a man disparages his fellow in public - and after a time, he seeks to appease him - [the other] will say to him, 'You disparage me in public and appease me between you and me (privately)?! Go and bring those people in front of which you disparaged me, and I will be appeased towards you.' But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like this. Rather a man stands and curses and blasphemes in the marketplace, and the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him, 'Repent between you and Me, and I will accept you'" - (Hosea 14:2), "Return o Israel, to the Lord, your God....

"Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good"

§ Rabbi Yitzḥak said: They say in the West, Eretz Yisrael, in the name of Rabba bar Mari: Come and see that the attribute of flesh and blood is unlike the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He. With flesh and blood people, if one insults his friend with words, it is uncertain whether the victim will be appeased by him or will not be appeased by him. And if you say he will be appeased, it is still uncertain whether he will be appeased by words alone or will not be appeased by words alone, and one must try to appease him in other ways. But with regard to the Holy One, Blessed be He, if a person commits a transgression in private, God is appeased by words, as it is stated: “Take with you words and return to God” (Hosea 14:3). And not only that, but God considers it as though he has done a favor for God by repenting, as it is stated: “Accept that which is good” (Hosea 14:3). And not only that, but the verse ascribes him credit as though he had sacrificed bulls, as it is stated: “So we will render for bulls the offering of our lips” (Hosea 14:3). Lest you say he is considered only like one who offers obligatory bulls, therefore the verse states: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely” (Hosea 14:5). Repentance is considered as though it were the sacrifice of a free-will offering.

[When] a man goes to honor the rulers, he goes full and returns empty. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like this. Rather we go to him empty and we return full, as it is stated, "Forgive all iniquity, and accept that which is good"

"And accept what is good"

Rabbi Natan and Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Simon, "The gematria (numerical value) of 'accept what is good,' is accept the soul. Israel said, 'Behold our fat, our blood and our souls. May it be Your will that it be atonement for us.'" ..