Purim + Teshuvah

(20) And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, both near and far, (21) to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, (22) the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned for them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. (23) And the Jews took upon them to do as they had begun, and as Mordechai had written unto them; (24) because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast pur, that is, the lot, to distress them, and to destroy them.

(16) One is obligated to give to poor people on the day of Purim. One should give no less than two poor people one gift each of money or types of cooked dishes or types of food, as it says (Esther 9:22) "gifts to the poor": two gifts to poor people. And one should not be particular about Purim money, rather give to every person who puts out his hand. And one should not change Purim money for another charity.

(15) What is the nature of our obligation for this holiday?

A person should eat meat and prepare as attractive a feast as his means permit. And similarly a a person is obligated to send two portions of meat or two types of cooked food or two types of food to his friend, as it says (Esther 9:22) "and send portions one man to another" two portions to one man. And all that increase to send to others is praiseworthy. And if he has no [money] he should exchange with his friend: this one sends to this his meal and this one sends to this his meal in order to fulfill (Esther 9:22) "and send portions one man to another".

Where is Esther indicated in the Torah? [In the verse,] And I will surely hide [asthir] my face. Where is Mordecai indicated in the Torah? In the verse: Flowing myrrh,20 which the Targum renders mira dakia

(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.

(1) What is complete teshuvah? When a person has the opportunity to commit the same sin, and he possess the ability to do it, but he separates and does 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 he remembers his Creator and does teshuvah before he dies, he is forgiven.

(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.

(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.