Musar untuk Yehezkiel 16:63

And the highest level in this is that one would be humiliated by all of his iniquities in front of God, may He be blessed. And the content of humiliation is the feeling of shame and change in the radiance of his face, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 59:8), "shame covers my face." And you will see that in every place, humiliation is mentioned after shame - as it is more than shame: "Be ashamed and humiliated" (Ezekiel 36:32); "I am ashamed and humiliated"(Jeremiah 31:19). And when the sinner sees that God, may He be blessed, passes over his transgression, is patient with him, does not pay him back, does not do to him according to His sins and does not pay him back according to his iniquities, he has greater shame in his heart. For does not one who sinned against a king of flesh and blood and was treacherous to him, yet is forgiven by him, feel shame towards him? Accordingly is it written (Ezekiel 16:63), "Thus you shall remember and feel shame, [...] when I have forgiven you for all that you did." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Berakhot 12b) that someone who does something and is ashamed by it has all of his iniquities forgiven. And so do we find with Saul, who said (I Samuel 28:15), "and He no longer answers me, either by prophets or in dreams," but did not mention the Urim and Thumim. For he was ashamed to mention them, since he killed [the inhabitants of] Nov, the city of priests. So Samuel said to him (I Samuel 28:19), "Tomorrow your sons and you will be with me" - with me in my section [of the world to come]." And one acquires the level of shame by meditating to think about the greatness of God, and how evil is the one who rebels against His words; and in always remembering that God sees his deeds, examines his [feelings] and looks into his thoughts.

Moreover, the examination of the enormity of the iniquity will help to ‘cover the mortification of his face’ during his request for forgiveness, like the matter that is stated, (Ezra 9:6), “O my God, I am too ashamed and mortified to lift my face to You, O my God”; to wrap his soul in shame before God, may He be blessed, after the assurance of His forgiveness, like the matter that is stated, (Ezekiel 16:63), “In order that you shall remember and feel shame, and you shall be too abashed to open your mouth again when I have forgiven you for all that you did”; and that the greatness of the kindness of the atonement be in front of his eyes, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 26:3), “For Your kindness is in front of my eyes.” And the parable for this is that if a slave sinned to his master and [then] comes to humble himself in front of him, [the master’s] soul would not pay attention to him until after [the slave] knew of the weightiness of his sin. But if it appears to [the slave] like the sin is light, [the master’s] rage against him would [only] grow. Therefore the sinner is obligated to recognize the enormity of his sin and its punishment, like the matter that is stated (I Samuel 26:21), “behold I have been a fool, and I have erred so very much.” Therefore we need to teach the Children of Judah - for instruction and message - the weightiness of the punishments of each iniquity and of each sin. Hence [the need] for all these words of introduction. And another sublime, great and trenchant purpose is that I have surely seen most of the people thinking about several weighty transgressions that they are light; and about [sins that carry] the death penalty or excision, that concern about them is [just] greater refinement or a measure of piety. So they stumble without paying attention; and there is no rebuke, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 48:8), “even from yore, your ears were not opened.” Therefore we need to warn them and to have their ears revealed about the weightiness of many sins, and that there are [also] many ways and angles to the light commandments that [lead] to decreed destruction and loss of the soul. And many of the evildoers would leave their paths if they will know the loss and damage that [comes] with it, when they hear about the greatness of the sin and the [punishment] which is decreed about it. [This is] so those that stumble will gird their power to conquer their desire. For how could they see the destruction of their souls [and not react]?

My children, come and see how great the virtue of shame is before the Omnipresent. Even if a person has committed many transgressions, if he feels ashamed of them and does not repeat them, the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives him for all his sins, as it is said: “Thus you shall remember and feel shame, and you shall be too abashed to open your mouth again, when I have forgiven you for all that you did, declares the Sovereign GOD.” (Yechezkel 16:63). We also find this with King Shaul. When Shmuel was brought up through the woman with the familiar spirit, he said to Saul: “Why have you disturbed me to bring me up?” Shaul replied: “I am greatly distressed; the Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me and no longer answers me, neither through the prophets nor through dreams, so I have called you to tell me what I should do.” However, Shaul was ashamed to mention the Urim and Tumim because he had killed the priests of Nov, and the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave him, as it is said: “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me,” meaning with me in my portion. Our Sages said that anyone who commits a sin and then regrets it is forgiven immediately, as it is written: “And I will draw near to you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the adulterers, the sorcerers, those who swear falsely, those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow, the orphan, and those who turn aside the stranger and do not fear Me,” implying that if they do fear Me they are forgiven. And so it says: “He who confesses and abandons his sins will obtain mercy.” One wise man said: Be careful with the trait of shame, for shame is visible upon the face of a noble person. Another said: He whom the Creator clothes with the cloak of shame, his faults will be hidden from people.