Teshuva: Is It Guaranteed?

(5) All of the prophets commanded concerning repentance; Israel will not be redeemed save by repentance. Indeed, the Torah long since assured us that in the end, at the close of the period of exile Israel will turn to repentance and be immediately redeemed, even as it is said: "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee... and thou shalt return unto the Lord thy God... and God will return thee..." (Deut. 30.14).³Yoma, 87b. C. G.

(5) Peradventure, thou wilt ask: "The Holy One, blessed is He, does he not know what it will be before it will come to pass? Did he know whether a certain person will be either just or wicked, or did He not know it? If he knew that he would be just, then it would be impossible for him not to be just? If thou wilt say that He did know that he would be just but that it is possible for him to be wicked, lo, He did not know the matter clearly? Know, that the answer to this question is longer in measure than the earth and broader than the sea, and many great elements and ranking mountains are suspended thereon; but it is essential that you know this fundamental matter which I outline. In the second chapter of the treatise of Fundamentals of the Torah it was already elucidated that the Holy One, blessed is He! does not know of things with a knowledge which exists outside of Himself, like, for instance, the sons of man do, for they and their knowledge are two separate things; but, He, may His Name be exalted! and his knowledge are One, and it is not within the power of the knowledge of man to attain this matter clearly, and even as it is not within the power of man to attain and find the truth of the Creator, even as it is said: "For man shall not see Me and live" (Ex. 33.20), even so it is not within the power of man to attain and find the knowledge of the Creator. This is even what the prophet said: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord" (Is. 55.8). This being so, it is not within our intellectual power to know in what manner the Holy One, blessed is He! knows all the creatures and their actions, but we do know without a doubt that man's behavior is in the hand of man, and that the Holy One, blessed is He! neither draws him nor issues edicts against him to do as he does. And, not solely because of having accepted the religion do we know that there is no predestination, but even by clear evidence of the words of wisdom. Because thereof it is said in prophecy that man is judged for his actions according to his actions, whether they be good or evil, and this is the very foundation upon which all the words of prophecy depend.⁸Shabbat, 63b; Berakot, 33b. G.

(1) This being so etc. This one did not follow the custom of scholars; for no man begins a thing which he knows not how to finish it, whereas he commenced with inquiries and questions and left the matter under question and turned it around to faith. It would have been better for him to leave the matter to the innocence of the innocent, not to awaken their hearts and leave their mind in doubt, lest, during some hour, a suspicion will enter their heart concerning it. Moreover, although there is no convincing reply to this question, it is best to lean himself upon a partial answer like this, saying: If either the righteousness or wickedness of man would have been dependent upon the decree of the Creator, may He be blessed!, we would be saying that His knowledge is His decree, then would the question be to us very difficult, indeed. But now, since the Creator ceded this power from His Hand to the hand of the man himself, His knowledge can not be said to be a decree, but it is similar to the knowledge of the astrologists who know by another power what the conduct of a certain person would be. And, it is common knowledge that from the smallest to the biggest thing which happens to man the Creator transmitted to the power of the planets, only He endowed him with an intelligence to sustain himself, and be delivered from the influence of the planet, and this very same is the power endowed to man to be either good or bad, and only the Creator knows the power of the planet and its movements whether it be within the power of the intelligence of one to be delivered from its influence or not. And, such knowledge is not a decree. But even this is not a comparison.

And the Gemara notes that this statement disagrees with the opinion of Rabbi Abbahu who holds that penitents are superior to the righteous. As Rabbi Abbahu said: In the place where penitents stand, even the full-fledged righteous do not stand, as it is stated: “Peace, peace upon him who is far and him who is near.” Peace and greeting is extended first to him who is far, the penitent, and only thereafter is peace extended to him who is near, the full-fledged righteous.

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.

The most fundamental aspect of free will is the acceptance that we don't understand the paradox of free will versus Hashem's knowledge. When Moshiach comes, we will understand this paradox and we will no longer have free will.

In order for teshuva to be effective in eradicating one's sins, a person must have complete faith that Hashem bestows new life to a person every single moment, and thus Hashem can make the true penitent into a new person at any moment and disregard his transgressions.