לְכוּ־נָ֛א וְנִוָּֽכְחָ֖ה יֹאמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה אִם־יִֽהְי֨וּ חֲטָאֵיכֶ֤ם כַּשָּׁנִים֙ כַּשֶּׁ֣לֶג יַלְבִּ֔ינוּ אִם־יַאְדִּ֥ימוּ כַתּוֹלָ֖ע כַּצֶּ֥מֶר יִהְיֽוּ׃
“Halikayo ngayon, at tayo'y magtuos,” sabi ng Walang-Hanggan. “Kahit ang inyong mga kasalanan ay maging kasimpula ng eskarlata, ang mga ito ay magiging kasimputi ng niyebe; kahit ang mga ito ay mamula tulad ng krimson, magiging tulad ng lana ang mga ito.”
Kav HaYashar
Israel is likened to the sand of the sea; just as the sand of the sea is piled up forming bulwark encircling the sea, high as a mountain and dazzlingly white, so too Israel, through repentance and good deeds, whiten their sins and transgressions. Thus it is written in Yeshayahu, “If your sins are like scarlet, they will become white as snow; if they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool” (1:18). This is because the mitzvos and good deeds that Israel perform in this world form a barrier encircling the judgments facing them so that these judgments are delivered into their hand. Moreover, they transform judgment into mercy and the accuser himself into a defender. This is not the case, however, when people speak benevolently with their mouths while in their hearts they are thinking otherwise. Then their deeds have no positive effect and they have no protective barrier against the waves of the sea. Then the “waves” mentioned earlier, the agents of strict judgment, overwhelm Israel. Strict judgment increases, Heaven spare us, and mercies are few. On the contrary, mercy itself is transformed into judgment.