T'shuvah: Elul 2020 Source Sheet #2

Composed in Talmudic Israel/Babylon (c.630 - c.1030 CE). Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer (Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer) is an aggadic-midrashic work on the Torah

Before the world was created, the Holy Blessed One and God's Holy Name alone existed. When the thought arose to create the world, God began to trace (the foundations of) the world, but it would not stand. They told a parable, To what is the matter like? To a king who wishes to build a palace for himself. If he had not traced in the earth its foundations, its entrances and its exits, he can't begin to build. Likewise the Blessed Holy One was tracing (the plans of) the world, but it did not remain standing until the Holy Blessed One created ha-teshuvah, repentance.

Mishna is the compilation of Oral Torah written c.190 - c.230 CE. Yoma (The Day) belongs to the second order, Moed (Festivals) and discusses the prescriptions Yom Kippur, especially the ceremony by the Kohen Gadol.

One who says: I shall sin and repent, sin and repent, is not afforded the opportunity to repent [or this is not sufficient for doing teshuvah].

[If one says]: I shall sin and Yom Kippur will atone for me, Yom Kippur does not effect atonement.

For transgressions between a human and God, Yom Kippur effects atonement, but for transgressions between a person and their fellow, Yom Kippur does not effect atonement, until one has pacified their fellow.

Mishneh Torah is a Code of religious Jewish law (Halakhah) composed by Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (RAMBAM) in Middle-Age Egypt (c.1176 - c.1178 CE).

What is complete teshuvah? When a person has the opportunity to commit the same sin, and they possess the ability to do it, but they separate and do not do it because of teshuvah - and not out of fear or lack of strength.

What is an example? A person who had illicit sex with a woman, and after some time he is alone with her, and he still loves her and possesses his physical power and is in the same country where he committed the sin, but he separates and does not sin – that person is a complete ba’al teshuvah, about whom [King] Solomon said, Remember your Creator in the days of your youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

And if a person only does teshuvah in the days of old age, when it is not possible to do what he once did, even though this is not the highest teshuvah, it is effective and that person is a ba’al teshuvah. Even if a person sinned all his days and did teshuvah on the day of his death and died in his teshuvah, all his sins are forgiven, as it says, Before the sun is darkened, and the light of the moon and the stars, and the clouds return after the rain (Ecclesiastes 12:2), which is the day of death. This implies that if one remembers their Creator and does teshuvah before they die, they are forgiven.

What is teshuvah? It is when a person abandons the sin that they sinned and remove it from their thoughts and commit in their heart that they will not do it again, as it says, The wicked should abandon his path etc. (Isaiah 55:7). And also that they regret sinning, as it says, After I returned I regretted (Jeremiah 31:18). And the One Who Knows Hidden Things testifies about him that he will never return to this sin, as it says, And we will no longer call the work of our hands “god” etc. (Hosea 14:4). And he must confess verbally and say these things that he has committed in his heart. Anyone who confesses verbally and does not commit in his heart to abandon [sin], this is like a person who immerses [in a purity pool] while holding an unclean creature in his hand, so that the bath is not effective until he sends away the unclean creature, and so it says, One who admits and abandons is given mercy (Proverbs 28:13). And he must specify the sin, as it says, This nation has sinned a great sin and made a golden god for themselves (Exodus 32:31).

(3) Do not say that no repentance is needed save on sins to which action is attached, for example: prostitution, robbery, or theft. For even as it is necessary for a person to repent from such, so it is necessary for him to search his bad tendencies, to turn in repentance from anger, from hatred, from jealousy, from deceit, from pursuing after wealth, honor, feasting and such like these; from all of these it is necessary to turn in repentance. Indeed these iniquities are more grievous and more difficult for a person to be separated from than those which require action, for on such the prophet Isaiah said: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the person of iniquity his thoughts" (Is. 55.7)

From the Babylonian Talmud, composed in Babylon (c.450 - c.550 CE). The Talmud adds discussion and commentary to the laws in the Mishna.

Reish Lakish said: Great is repentance, as the penitent’s intentional sins are counted for him as unwitting transgressions, as it is stated: “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity” (Hosea 14:2). The Gemara analyzes this: Doesn’t “iniquity” mean an intentional sin? Yet the prophet calls it stumbling, implying that one who repents is considered as though he only stumbled accidentally in his transgression. The Gemara asks: Is that so? Didn’t Reish Lakish himself say: Great is repentance, as one’s intentional sins are counted for him as merits, as it is stated: “And when the wicked turns from his wickedness, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby” (Ezekiel 33:19), and all his deeds, even his transgressions, will become praiseworthy? The Gemara reconciles: This is not difficult: Here, when one repents out of love, his sins become like merits; there, when one repents out of fear, his sins are counted as unwitting transgressions.