Musar su Geremia 3:78

In explanation of repentance and its principles
Among the good things which God, may He be blessed, has bestowed upon His creations is the path which He prepared for them to ascend from the baseness of their actions, to escape the trap of their inequities, to hold their souls back from destruction and to remove His anger from upon them. Because of His goodness and uprightness, He has taught them and warned them to return to Him when they sin against Him - for He understands their nature, as it is stated (Psalms 25:8), "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He shows sinners the way." [Even] if they greatly sin and rebel and act like treacherous betrayers - He does not close the doors of repentance to them, as it is stated (Isaiah 31:6), "Return, to Him to whom they have been so shamefully false." It is [also] stated (Jeremiah 3:22), "Turn back, O rebellious children, I will heal your afflictions." We are warned about repentance in several places in the Torah. It is explained that repentance is accepted even when the sinner repents because of his many troubles - how much more so [will it be accepted] if he returns because of fear or love of God - as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:30), "When you are in distress because all these things have befallen you and, in the end, return to the Lord your God and obey Him." It is explained in the Torah that God will help those who repent beyond what their natural ability would allow; and that He renews a pure spirit within them, to reach great heights in His love - as it is stated (Deuteronomy 30:2), "And you return to the Lord your God, and you and your children heed His command with all your heart and soul, just as I enjoin upon you this day." Further, it is stated about the body of the matter (Deuteronomy 30:6), "Then the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your offspring," to acquire love for Him. And the Prophets and Writings constantly speak on the subject of repentance, such that the principles of repentance are all explained in their words, as will be explained.

Additionally, repentance is more difficult for one who repeats his sin; for the sin becomes as if it were permitted to him. And his sin is very weighty with regards to this, as it is stated (Jeremiah 3:5), "that is how you spoke; you did wrong, and you were able." The meaning of, "you were able," is that the evil deeds have become like that which is permitted to you, and like something within your ability and your authority - like the usage (in Deuteronomy 12:17), "You are not able to eat in your gates," for which the translation [of Onkelos] is, "you do not have authority." And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86b), "When a person commits a transgression and repeats it, it becomes to him as if it were permitted. [Additionally,] our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said about a man who commits a transgression and repeats it - that from now on, if he thinks about doing that sin but is prevented from doing it by duress, his bad thought is joined with the act (it is counted as if he did it). And about him is it stated (Jeremiah 6:19), "I am going to bring disaster upon this people, the outcome of their own thoughts."

Now, I shall explain to you the qualities of reason and the moral values²³Da’ot has the connotation of moral values or beliefs (cf. Maimonides, Hilchot De’ot. Mishne Torah.) and in what way man’s reason may be known. We will say that a man who hews to the line of righteousness and does not transgress against the golden mean and does not diminish his deeds from attaining the golden mean is the possessor of a fine intellect. An illustration of this is in the matter of speech. If a man adds to his speech more than is proper, he is called a simpleton and is a sinner, as it is said (Proverbs 10:19), “In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression.” And if he speaks fewer words than is proper, he is called a fool, as it is said (ibid., 24:7), “Wisdom is as unattainable to a fool as corals. He openeth not his mouth in the gate.” But if the words of his mouth are as they should be, and if all of his words are delivered in proper measure, he is called an enlightened man, as it is said (ibid., 16:20), “He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good.” And it is said (ibid., 15:23), “A man hath joy in the answer of his mouth; and a word in due season, how good is it.” Concerning this, King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Ecclesiastes 7:16-17), “Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise; why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish; why shouldest thou die before thy time?” He wanted to express both of these ideas in order to let us know the straight path in every deed and in every utterance. Thus must it be in the service of the Creator, blessed be He. From this, you can understand that the deeds and the words, that are in the straight path in every deed and every utterance, are good in the eyes of God, and they are called the proper service of God. This quality cannot be complete without knowledge and wisdom. As the prophet Jeremiah said (Jeremiah 3:15), “And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” In proportion to the knowledge and wisdom that a man possesses, so will be his respect of righteousness, and he will be good with God and with men. As King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 12:8), “A man shall be commended according to his intelligence.” If he has no intelligence, he cannot serve his God as is fitting because of four factors that interfere with the service and destroy it:

Remember that if Adam had not sinned the whole concept of areas that are sanctified and areas that are not would not have existed. The whole earth would have been like גן עדן, and every place on earth would have enjoyed the status of sanctity. A return to such a situation is forecast in Jeremiah 3,16-17 where the prophet says: "In those days -declares the Lord- men shall no longer speak of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, nor shall it come to mind. They shall not mention it nor miss it, or make another." Rashi comments on this that this means that G–d promises that "all your entrances will be holy and I shall dwell therein as though it were the Ark of the Covenant." There similarly would not have been people specially selected to perform the service in the Sanctuary since the whole of mankind would have been a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Neither would certain times have been singled out as especially suitable for festivals or as times for atonement, etc.. Every single day would have enjoyed the same high status of holiness. Every day would have exuded the atmosphere of the Sabbath as promised for the future after the arrival of the messianic age. A סימן for you to remember this by are the words עולם, שנה, נפש, which are mentioned in the Sefer Yetzirah. This means that the holiness of a particular place and the sanctity of a particular time are tied up with the concept "year." The sanctity of a specific person as distinct from people generally is connected to the concept of נפש. Man would not have been required to bring himself close to G–d by means of an animal sacrifice; he himself would have been the sacrifice, much as is described by our sages when they tell of the archangel Michael offering the souls of the departed righteous on the Heavenly Altar (Chagiga 12). For the above-mentioned reasons this book commences with אדם; this is why the Torah writes: אדם כי יקריב, an allusion to אדם הראשון, first man. We can therefore view the whole of this book, תורת כהנים, as the תיקון האדם, the rehabilitation of Adam=mankind.

“Do not degrade your daughter and make her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry and the land be filled with depravity” (Leviticus 19:29). Our Rabbis explained (Sanhedrin 76a) that this verse comes to warn that a man not give over his single daughter for intercourse that is not for the sake of marriage (kiddushin). “Lest the land fall into harlotry” - for if you do this, the land will be untrue and give its fruit elsewhere, and not in your land. And likewise does it state (Jeremiah 3:3), “And when showers were withheld and the late rains did not come, your face had the brazenness of a harlot.”

And the destruction of the groups mentioned is at a time when they have not repented. But if they repented from their evil ways, their souls escape destruction - like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 3:22), “Repent, O rebellious children, I will heal your afflictions!”

Our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86a), “Rabbi Matya ben Charash asked Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah in Rome, ‘Have you heard the four distinctions of atonement that Rabbi Yishmael would expound?’ He said to him, ‘They are three, and repentance is [necessary] with each and every one: [If] one violates a positive commandment and repents, he is forgiven even before he moves, as it is stated (Jeremiah 3:22), “Return, you backsliding children [I will heal your backsliding].” [If] one violates a negative commandment and repents, repentance suspends [his punishment] and Yom Kippur atones, as it is stated (Leviticus 16:30), “For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to purify you of all your sins; [you shall be pure before the Lord].” [If] one transgresses [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court and then repents, repentance and Yom Kippur suspend [his punishment], and afflictions absolve, as it is stated (Psalms 89:33), “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with plagues.” But [regarding] one who has [the iniquity of the] profanation of [God’s] name in his hands - his repentance has no power to suspend, nor does Yom Kippur have power to atone, nor do afflictions have the power to absolve. Rather, all these [together] suspend [punishment], and death absolves - as it is stated (Isaiah 22:14), “this iniquity shall not be atoned for until you die.”’” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 36a; Sifra, Vayikra) [that] a burnt-offering atones - after the repentance - for one who transgressed a positive commandment. For while his iniquity was atoned by the repentance [alone], the burnt-offering adds to his atonement and adds to his being accepted by God, may He be blessed.

The fact that cursing is so common among the masses is a great impediment to their repentance (see the list of things that impede repentance in Chapter 43). For this reason we must admonish those who fear Hashem and are concerned for the honor of His name not to allow a single curse to escape their lips. This will make it easier for them to repent of their sins. For the Holy One Blessed is He issues a call to repentance every day, saying, “Return O straying sons!” (Yirmiyohu 3:14), for His hand is always open to accept the penitent.

This is the general rule: there is no hour in the life of man that if he does complete repentance, it will not be accepted and his prayer answered. The Creator is not like the created who can abandon forever or bear a grudge forever, as it is said (Isaiah 57:16), “For I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth.” And as it is said (Jeremiah 3:12), “For I am merciful, saith the Lord, I will not bear a grudge for ever.” And on this theme, it is said (Isaiah 55:6), “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found,” meaning at those times when He can be found or in other words, as long as a man lives.

We must try and understand why Rabbenu Bachyah was so selective in his comparison of the creation with the construction of the Tabernacle. He could have cited additional parallels. A look at a lengthy Midrash in Shemot Rabbah 33,4 quotes Rabbi Berechyah as presenting a long list of parallels between the Tabernacle and מעשה בראשית. The list includes many items found in the heavens such as ערפל, זבול, עצי שטים, כרובים, אופנים and many others. In each case Rabbi Berechyah demonstrates that the Tabernacle contained something parallel.

פרשת שמות which describes the tortures the Jewish people experienced in Egypt, shows how these experiences led to the repentance by the Jewish people, caused them to appeal to G–d. Afflictions cleansed them of their sins. This will be explained in detail in פרשת וארא, where repentance springing from a sincere heart will be described, i.e. repentance originating in the attribute of truth, אמת. The term עבודה will be explained in פרשת בא, whereas the focus of our commentary on פרשת בשלח will, of course, be פרשת יתרו .תפלה concentrates on תורה, whereas פרשת משפטים focuses on דין. The next פרשה i.e. תרומה, emphasizes generosity of heart, i.e. gifts for the erection of the Tabernacle, part of the צדקה syndrome, whereas פרשת תצוה describing the making of the garments for the High Priest, the איש חסד, the pious man, concentrates on the גמילות חסדים aspect of our duties in this world. The first letters of these eight portions suggest four duties that we have to perform, namely תשובה-תפלה-צדקה-תורה. The "word" שובבים, hints at תשובה, as in שובו בנים שובבים, "turn back, rebellious children" (Jeremiah 3,14). How is this to be accomplished? By ת"ת, i.e. through תשובה and תפלה. At the same time, the letters ת"ת are also an acronym for the words תלמוד תורה. The same acronym with the vowel segal under the first letter, i.e. tet "giving," also suggests charity, i.e. צדקה.

It was a great kindness that the Holy One, Blessed be He, did for mankind when he established a way for wrong-doers and sinners to flee from darkness to light, and did not close the doors of repentance to them, even if they had sinned greatly, as it is said, "Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings" (Jer. 3:22). And repentance is accepted by God even if the sinner repents because of his great misfortunes; all the more so if he repents because of reverence and love of God. As it is said, "In thy distress, when all these things are come upon thee, in the end of days thou will return to the Lord thy God; and hearken unto His voice" (Deut. 4:30). And the Holy One, Blessed be He, helps penitents to repent even in matters which the strength of a man cannot attain, and he renews within them a pure spirit so that they may achieve the elements of repentance. As it is said, "And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul" (Deut. 30:2). And further, at the end of that passage, "And the Lord will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" (Deut. 30:6). What this means is that in that thing which is not within your power to attain, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will circumcise your heart and give you the strength to do it.

Let us analyse the eight possible sources of pride which we refer to in the prayer cited above. The words מה אנחנו refer to the ability to hear, or the loss of one's hearing. When someone has caused someone else an injury resulting in his becoming deaf, he has to compensate him with all five categories of compensation the Talmud provides for (Baba Kama 85b). The words מה חיינו refer to food and drink without which life cannot be sustained. The words מה חסדנו are a reference to the eyes, and the words מה צדקותינו refer to the forehead. We are told by Rabbi Ami in Taanit 8a that rain is granted to earth only on account of בעלי אמנה, people who keep promises made in business life. He supports this with the quotation from Psalms 85,12: "Justice looks down from Heaven." The supply of rain is considered an act of צדקה. On the previous folio Rav Shilo, quoting Rav Hamnuna said that rain is withheld only on account of עזי פנים, insolent people, people with a brazen forehead. The connection between the forehead and insolence is supported by several verses from the Bible. The words מה ישועתינו refer to one's face, as we know from Psalms 80,20: האר פניך ונושעה, "Show us Your countenance that we may be delivered." G–d's "face" is indispensable to our survival. The words מה כחינו, are, of course, a reference to strength and power, and we know that the true hero is the one who can control his rages, his temper. The words מה גבורתינו are a reference to courage, something centered in the heart. It also describes an arrogant attitude. The words מה נאמר לפניך is clearly a reference to the tongue which can and will boast. The word מה in מה ה' אלוקיך שואל מעמך וגו' is an allusion to the suppression of the eight areas in which the ego asserts itself and which we vow not to assert in our morning prayer. We go so far as to state that we consider our advantage over the animals in this respect to be nil. The word ועתה in the same verse may be divided into ועת ה', that there will be a time – namely in the World to Come – when we will no longer comport ourselves as humbly as we do in this world. At that time, G–d will שואל מעמך, will be in the position of a "borrower," (שואל). A borrower is legally liable for any damage sustained by the animal or tool he has borrowed. Allegorically speaking, G–d will have to pay us the reward for all the suffering we experience in this world. This is why our Rabbis (Berachot 6a) said that if a person intends to perform a commandment and is prevented from doing so by forces beyond his control, he is nevertheless entitled to the reward for the commandment in question. ולאהבה אותו בכל לבבך, בכל נפשך – Continuing G–d's expectations from the Jewish people in 10,12 the Torah describes love of G–d to be expressed both by the heart and by the soul. These correspond to the two kinds of perfections to be attained by Israel as ישראל and as ישרון. Such love for G–d refers to the Celestial Spheres i.e. when we are in the World to Come. There is also an allusion to perfection of the way we relate to money, i.e. to life on this earth, when verse 13 continues לשמור את מצות ה' ואת חקותיו, "To observe G–d's commandments and statutes," something that cannot be done in the Hereafter. The words לטוב לך indicate the purpose of these commandments, i.e. for our own good.