Why does Divine forgiveness matter?
The Lord descended in a cloud, “stood with him there” and proclaimed both God's name (Ex 34:5) and the “attributes”. Right there, on the spot, Moses challenges God “to deliver,” to act in accordance with the mercy and forgiveness He has attributed to Himself.
שלש עשרי מידות
יי ׀ יי אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀ נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֹן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙...וְסָלַחְתָּ֛ לַעֲוֹנֵ֥נוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵ֖נוּ וּנְחַלְתָּֽנוּ׃
The Thirteen Attributes of God in the Machzor:
YHVH, YHVH, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, bearing iniquity, transgression and sin, and acquitting.... Pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your own!
Why do you think the authors of the machzor truncated the citation from the Torah?
- YHVH - I am God before people sin
- YHVH - I am God after people sin if they repent
- El - (All-powerful) God
- Rahum - Compassionate
- VeHanun - Gracious
- Erekh Apayim - Slow to anger
- Verav Hesed - Abounding in lovingkindness
- Ve’emet - And in truth
- Notzer hesed La’alafim - Maintaining lovingkindness for 1,000 generations
- Nosei avon - Forgiving premeditated sins
- Va’fesha - sins committed in rebellion
- Va’hata’ah - sins made by mistake
- Venakeh - acquitting the penitent.
(19) Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to Your great kindness, as You have forgiven this people ever since Egypt.” (20) And the LORD said, “I pardon, as you have asked.
(ח) חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֣וּם יְהוָ֑ה אֶ֥רֶךְ אַ֝פַּ֗יִם וּגְדָל־חָֽסֶד׃
(Ashrei)
(8) The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
יאמרו לפני כסדר הזה לא נאמר אלא יעשו לפני, שלא באמירה בלבד תלוי הדבר אלא בעשייה, אם עושה אדם מידותיו כמידויו של הקב"ה, עוונותיו נמחלין לו.
...It does not say, "They shall say in accordance to this order before me." Rather [it says], "They shall do (ya'asu) [in accordance with this order] before me." For this matter does not depend solely on saying, but on doing (assiyah). If a person does (or makes) his midot (inner attributes/character/virtues) like the midot of the Holy One, the person's sins are forgiven. -- Alshich in Itturei Torah, pg. 268
...והא תניא שבעה דברים נבראו קודם שנברא העולם ואלו הן תורה ותשובה וגן עדן וגיהנם וכסא הכבוד ובית המקדש ושמו של משיח ...תשובה דכתיב בטרם הרים ילדו וכתיב תשב אנוש עד דכא ותאמר שובו בני אדם
Seven phenomena were created before the world was created, and they are: Torah, and repentance, and the Garden of Eden, and Gehennom (purgatory), and the Throne of Glory, nd the Temple, and the name of Messiah...Repentance was created before the world was created, as it is written: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God,” and it is written immediately afterward: “You return man to dust; You decreed, 'Return you mortals!'” (Psalms 90:2–3).
- What does it mean that 7 phenomena were created "before the world was created"?
- Why is teshuva (repentance) on that list, and what does that teach us about the human condition?
We cannot actually picture goodness. It is not a being; it is a force, like electricity. Nobody ever actually saw electricity, but we can see and feel what electricity does. If we have an electric heater and connect it, we get heat. We get to know what electricity is by what it does. In the same way, we get to know what God is by what God makes us do: when people are, so to speak, connected with God, they do good things. We call those people godly people, and their acts, godly acts. Whenever this force is active, we say that God has exercised influence and power.