Teshuvah "The Path of No Return"

ByChani Richmond

שיר השירים ו׳:ג׳

(ג) אֲנִ֤י לְדוֹדִי֙ וְדוֹדִ֣י לִ֔י הָרֹעֶ֖ה בַּשׁוֹשַׁנִּֽים׃ (ס)

Song of Songs 6:3

(3) I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine, That feedeth among the lilies.’

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Bamidbar

במדבר ה׳:ז׳

(ז) וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת חַטָּאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ וְהֵשִׁיב אֶת אֲשָׁמוֹ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ וַחֲמִישִׁתוֹ יֹסֵף עָלָיו וְנָתַן לַאֲשֶׁר אָשַׁם לוֹ.

Numbers 5:7

(7) Then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in respect of whom he hath been guilty.

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1. Describe the Mitzvah mentioned in the above Passuk:

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2. What questions do you have on this Passuk in relation to the topic of Teshuvah?

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VIDEO: How Can There Be Rules for Teshuvah? (4:35)

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משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה א׳:א׳

(א) א,א כָּל הַמִּצְווֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, בֵּין עֲשֵׂה בֵּין לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה--אִם עָבַר אָדָם עַל אַחַת מֵהֶן, בֵּין בְּזָדוֹן בֵּין בִּשְׁגָגָה--כְּשֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה וְיָשׁוּב מֵחֶטְאוֹ, חַיָּב לְהִתְוַדּוֹת לִפְנֵי הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא: שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "אִישׁ אוֹ-אִשָּׁה כִּי יַעֲשׂוּ מִכָּל-חַטֹּאת הָאָדָם . . . וְהִתְוַדּוּ, אֶת-חַטָּאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ" (במדבר ה,ו-ז), זֶה וִדּוּי דְּבָרִים. וּוִדּוּי זֶה מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה.

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 1:1

(1) All of the commandments in the Torah: whether they be the positive commandments, or the negative commandments; if a person transgressed any of them, whether he did so intentionally, whether he did so unintentionally, when he repents and returns from sinning - he is obligated to confess before God, as it says, (Numbers 5:6-7) "When a man or a women does any of the sins of man...and he shall confess his sin that he committed..." - this refers to a verbal confession. And confession, that is a positive commandment.

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VIDEO: How Can There Be Rules for Teshuvah? (Part II)

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משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה ב׳:ג׳

(ג) ב,ג [ב] וּמַה הִיא הַתְּשׁוּבָה--הוּא ¹שֶׁיַּעֲזֹב הַחוֹטֶא חֶטְאוֹ, וִיסִירֶנּוּ מִמַּחְשַׁבְתּוֹ ²וְיִגְמֹר בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֵׂהוּ עוֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "יַעֲזֹב רָשָׁע דַּרְכּוֹ, וְאִישׁ אָוֶן מַחְשְׁבֹתָיו" (ישעיהו נה,ז). וְכֵן ³יִתְנַחַם עַל שֶׁעָבַר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "כִּי-אַחֲרֵי שׁוּבִי, נִחַמְתִּי, וְאַחֲרֵי הִוָּדְעִי, סָפַקְתִּי עַל-יָרֵךְ" (ירמיהו לא,יח); וְיָעִיד עָלָיו יוֹדֵעַ תַּעֲלוּמוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יָשׁוּב לְזֶה הַחֵטְא לְעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "וְלֹא-נֹאמַר עוֹד אֱלֹקֵינוּ, לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ--אֲשֶׁר-בְּךָ, יְרֻחַם יָתוֹם" (הושע יד,ד). וְצָרִיךְ ⁴לְהִתְוַדּוֹת בִּשְׂפָתָיו, וְלוֹמַר עִנְיָנוֹת אֵלּוּ שֶׁגָּמַר בְּלִבּוֹ.

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 2:3

(3) What is teshuvah? It is when a person ¹abandons the sin that he sinned and removes it from his thoughts ²and commits in his heart that he will not do it again, as it says, The wicked should abandon his path etc. (Isaiah 55:7). And also ³that he regrets 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). ⁴And he must confess verbally and say these things that he has committed in his heart.

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List the Four Steps of the Teshuvah Process according to the Rambam. (In Hebrew and explain in English.)

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שבת קנג. 22-27

תנן התם רבי אליעזר אומר "שוב יום אחד לפני מיתתך" שאלו תלמידיו את ר"א "וכי אדם יודע איזהו יום ימות?!" אמר להן "וכל שכן ישוב היום! שמא ימות למחר ונמצא כל ימיו בתשובה!"

Shabbat 153a:5

When R. Eliezer said, "Repent, even if only one day before your death," his disciples asked him, "Does any
man know what day he will die?" R. Eliezer: "Then all the more reason that he repent today. For should he
die tomorrow, his entire life will have been spent in repentance."

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VIDEO: Omeleto: Regrets

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יומא פו: 10-11

והאמר ריש לקיש גדולה תשובה שזדונות נעשות לו כזכיות שנאמר (יחזקאל לג, יט) ובשוב רשע מרשעתו ועשה משפט וצדקה עליהם (חיה) יחיה

Yoma 86b:3

And Reish Lakish Said: "How great is Teshuvah for it turns his sins into merits" As it says in (Yechezkel 33:19) And when the wicked turns back from his wickedness and practices justice and charity, he shall live because of them"

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משנה תורה, הלכות תשובה ב׳:י״א

(יא) ב,יא [ט] אֵין הַתְּשׁוּבָה וְלֹא יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפְּרִין אֵלָא עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם, כְּגוֹן מִי שֶׁאָכַל דָּבָר אָסוּר אוֹ בָּעַל בְּעִילָה אֲסוּרָה וְכַיּוֹצֶא בָּהֶן. אֲבָל עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, כְּגוֹן חוֹבֵל חֲבֵרוֹ אוֹ הַמְּקַלֵּל אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ אוֹ גּוֹזְלוֹ וְכַיּוֹצֶא בָּהֶן--אֵינוּ נִמְחָל לוֹ לְעוֹלָם, עַד שֶׁיִּתֵּן לַחֲבֵרוֹ מַה שְׁהוּא חַיָּב לוֹ, וִירַצֵּהוּ.

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 2:11

(11) Teshuva and Yom Kippur only atone for transgression between man and God, such as one who eats a forbidden food, or has a forbidden sexual relationship, etc. But transgressions between man and his fellow, such as hurting his fellow, or cursing his fellow, or stealing from him, etc, those are never forgiven until he gives his fellow what he owes him, and [his fellow] is appeased.

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