Divine vs Human Mercy

Rosh Hashanah thirty minutes away at the time of the writing of this sheet. With Yom Hadin coming up, it's important to remember that Hashem doesn't judge like humans do. Let's have a look.

איוב ל״ג:כ״ג-כ״ד

(כג) אִם יֵשׁ עָלָיו מַלְאָךְ מֵלִיץ אֶחָד מִנִּי אָלֶף לְהַגִּיד לְאָדָם יָשְׁרוֹ. (כד) וַיְחֻנֶּנּוּ וַיֹּאמֶר פְּדָעֵהוּ מֵרֶדֶת שָׁחַת מָצָאתִי כֹפֶר.

Job 33:23-24

(23) If there be for him an angel, An intercessor, one among a thousand, To vouch for a man’s uprightness; (24) Then He is gracious unto him, and saith: ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.’

One good deed does not erase a lifetime of sin
-Commodore Norrington, Pirates of the Carribbean

דברי הימים ב ל״ג:א׳-י״ג

(א) בֶּן שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה מְנַשֶּׁה בְמָלְכוֹ וַחֲמִשִּׁים וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנָה מָלַךְ בִּירוּשָׁלָ‍ִם. (יב) וּכְהָצֵר לוֹ חִלָּה אֶת פְּנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו וַיִּכָּנַע מְאֹד מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָיו. (יג) וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֵלָיו וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ וַיִּשְׁמַע תְּחִנָּתוֹ וַיְשִׁיבֵהוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם לְמַלְכוּתוֹ וַיֵּדַע מְנַשֶּׁה כִּי יְהוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים.

II Chronicles 33:1-13

(1) Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. (12) And when he was in distress, he besought the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. (13) And he prayed unto Him; and He was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD He was God.

דברי הימים ב כ״ד:כ׳-כ״א

(כ) וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים לָבְשָׁה אֶת זְכַרְיָה בֶּן יְהוֹיָדָע הַכֹּהֵן וַיַּעֲמֹד מֵעַל לָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם כֹּה אָמַר הָאֱלֹהִים לָמָה אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים אֶת מִצְו‍ֹת יְהוָה וְלֹא תַצְלִיחוּ כִּי עֲזַבְתֶּם אֶת יְהוָה וַיַּעֲזֹב אֶתְכֶם. (כא) וַיִּקְשְׁרוּ עָלָיו וַיִּרְגְּמֻהוּ אֶבֶן בְּמִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ בַּחֲצַר בֵּית יְהוָה.

II Chronicles 24:20-21

(20) And the spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto them: ‘Thus saith God: Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, He hath also forsaken you.’ (21) And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.

G-d clearly has a very merciful system, which can be compared to restorative justice. In fact, the Talmud says:

תענית ל: 34

לא היו ימים טובים לישראל כחמשה עשר באב וכיוה"כ:

Taanit 30b:8

There were never days as good for Israel as Tu B'av and Yom Kippur.

While the ominous title The Day of Judgment makes the yamim nora'im sound scary, but in fact, they are very happy days. Why? Because we know that Hashem is:

שמות ל״ד:ו׳-ז׳

(ו) וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת. (ז) נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָו‍ֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה...

Exodus 34:6-7

(6) And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; (7) keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin;