Said Rabbi Levi, "Great is repentance for it reaches to the very Throne of Glory," as it is said (Hos. 14:2) "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Yoma 86a). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "When Moses went up to the first firmament he found groups of angels. They opened before him the Book of the Torah and read of God's work on the first day of Creation. And then they paused and began to tell the praises of the Torah. Then Moses ascended to the second firmament and he found bands of angels who were reading of the work of the second day of creation and then they paused and began to tell the praises of the Torah and of Israel. He then ascended to the third firmament and he found troops of angels reading of the work of the third day of Creation, and they paused and began to speak in praise of Jerusalem. He ascended to the fourth firmament where he found angels reading of the work of the fourth day of Creation and they paused and they began to tell the praises of the Messiah. Then he went up to the fifth firmament and he found companies and companies of angels reading of the work of the fifth day of Creation. And they paused and began to tell of the sadness and sorrow of Gehenna. Then he ascended to the sixth firmament and found there angels, and they were reading of the work of the sixth day of Creation and they paused and began to tell about Paradise, and they beseeched the Holy One, Blessed be He, to make Paradise the portion of Israel. Then he went up to the seventh firmament and found there heavenly creatures called Ofanim, Seraphim, and Galgalim, and angels of mercy, and angels of kindness and justice, and angels of fear and trembling. At once Moses took hold of the Throne of Glory. They began to read of the work of the seventh day, the portion beginning, "And the heaven and the earth were finished" (Gen. 2:1). And they paused and they began to tell the praise of repentance, to teach you that repentance reaches to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. 14:2).
Rabbi Akiba said, "Seven things were created before the Universe and they are these : Torah, Repentance, Paradise, Gehennah, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah" (Pesahim 54a). And why these seven? Know this, that the principal reason for the creation of the world is man, for there is no need for the lower world except for man, and he rules over all the lower world : over the cattle, the beasts, the fowl, the fish and the swarming things. And inasmuch as the principal reason for creation is man it was necessary first to create the Torah, which is the very existence of the world. As it is written, "If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth" (Jer. 33:25).
And since He created the Torah first, it was logically necessary to create Repentance, for inasmuch as the Torah contains positive and negative commandments and punishments which are explained in the Torah, it was necessary to anticipate the creation of man by creating repentance, so that if a man should sin there would be time for him to repent; otherwise the world could not exist for even one generation. "For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not" ((Eccl. 7:20), and immediately upon sinning this generation would deserve to be completely destroyed. It is for this reason that the story of Sodom was written in the Torah, to let the sinners know that they deserve to be destroyed — they and all that belongs to them. And that the earth too deserved to be overturned, as in the case of Sodom, but the Holy One, Blessed be He, created Repentance early and waits patiently generation after generation for man to repent.
But inasmuch as God had created the Torah and Repentance earlier than man, it was also necessary for him to create Paradise and Gehennah and the Throne of Glory before creating man, for they are the places where each man is rewarded according to his deeds.
And inasmuch as He had created all of these, it was necessary to create the Temple and the name of the Messiah before creating man. For in the days of the Messiah, the earth will be filled with knowledge and there will be no evil desire among men. And all people, great and small, will know the name of God, may He be exalted, with a great knowledge and then they will know, all of them, that the principal reason for the creation of the world was service to the Creator, may He be exalted. Therefore, He first created all of these seven before He created the world. "And saviours shall come up on mount Zion (Obad. 1:21) and "a redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob" (Is. 59:20). Amen. And thus may it be His will.
For seven reasons should a man repent early while still in his youth when his power is strong. The first is that the labor needed to acquire Torah and reverence for God and all qualities that a man must possess is exceedingly great. And concerning this it is said, "The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea" (Job 11:9). And, "The day is short" (Aboth 2:20). For this world is a very short day. "Like a shadow are our days upon the earth" (I Chron. 29:15). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Not like the shadow of a wall and not like the shadow of a tree, but like the shadow of a bird in flight" (Gen. Rabbah 96:2). And as to the expression, "And the workers are lazy" (Aboth 2:20), this refers to a man who has within him the quality of laziness.
And now consider the case of a man who must walk a distance during the day of ten parasangs ** Ancient Persian measure of length about 3-1/4 miles. and more, and his path is filled with stumbling blocks, mud and stones, and there are plunderers and murderers along that way and he must go in spite of all of this, for so has the king commanded him and he is not able to avoid it, how must this man first prepare in the morning and gird his loins with alertness and walk speedily? Therefore, how important it is to rise early and to begin early the service of the Creator, may He be exalted. And even though he does all that is in his power, he will attain only a little of the needed qualities. As our Sages expounded (Aboth de R. Nathan, chap. 16) on the verse, "For he knoweth our frame" (Ps. 103:14). They told a parable of a king who gave a field to his servants and he told them to till it and guard it and to extract from it thirty kur (of produce) every year, and they busied themselves in this matter and tilled it well, but they brought before the king only five kur. He said to them, "What is this that you have done?" They said to him, "Our lord, the king, the field you gave to us has poor soil, and though we worked it with all our might it did not produce more than this amount. Thus, man, even though he works with all his strength, his accomplishment is little and if he says, "I will wait until I have time or until I earn enough for my needs," know that the troubles and responsibilities of this world never cease. As our Sages said, "And say not, 'When I have leisure I will study'; perhaps you will never have leisure" (Aboth 2:5).
The second thing to remember is that if he delays his repentance until he accumulates wealth then he will covet and long for more wealth, as our Sages said, "No man leaves this world with even half of his desires fulfilled" (Eccl. Rabbah 1:13). If he has one hundred coins in his hand, he wants to make it two hundred. If his hand has attained two hundred, he longs to make them four hundred. And so it is written, "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver" (Eccl. 5:9).
The third reason that a man should hasten to repent while still in his youth is that the time is so little and the work is so much — the work of studying the Torah, and the improvement of the soul, the attainment of good qualities such as love, reverence, and cleaving to God. As our Sages said, "The day is short, and the work is great" (Aboth 2:15).
The fourth reason is that if he delays improving his soul then his evil inclination will keep growing stronger and his heart will grow harder and he will get accustomed to sinning, and he will permit himself all of the sins, and then he will not be able to purify himself.
The fifth reason is that he who does not want to repent early will perhaps not have a long life and will die before he repents. Therefore, he warns, "Let thy garments be always white" (Eccl. 9:8).
The sixth reason is that if he delays in repenting, his sins will become old and he will forget the anguish they caused him and he will not worry about them as he did at first.
The seventh reason is that when he gets old, and the strength of the evil inclination weakens, he will not receive as great a reward for repentance as if he had repented in the days of his youth when he was in his full powers. And because of these things a man ought very early to reform his soul before the King, Most High.
And after a man has set his mind to do penitence, he cannot achieve complete repentance if he does not take these seven things to heart : The first is that he should be aware of his deeds and know them all. There are people who think that a man cannot be called a ba'al teshuva (a penitent) — i.e., that repentance does not apply — unless he was guilty of a mortal sin like having intercourse with a married woman or with a Gentile woman, or becoming completely corrupt, or similar cardinal sin. But as far as other sins are concerned, no one knows just how to repent for them. This is not so, because anything that our Sages warned us against is more severe than the words of the Torah itself, for anyone who transgresses the words of our Sages is liable to the penalty of death (Berakoth 4b). And anyone who transgresses either the words of the Torah or the words of the Sages must repent.
And now listen, my son, for most people do not take care to refrain from frivolous things, and from staring at women, and from speaking with them when it is not necessary. Nor do we take care to pray with sincere intent, and to refrain from speaking in the synagogue and from mockery and from disrespect. Neither in the matter of charity do we take care to give it to him who is worthy of it, and not to harden our hearts and close our hands to deeds of generosity, and not to speak harsh words to the poor. Nor have we guarded ourselves from vain oaths or from cursing our companions or ourselves with the name of God, or from mentioning the Name of God needlessly or in a unclean place or with unclean hands, or from neglect of the study of the Torah, the latter being weighed against all other commandments.
Neither have we guarded ourselves against jealousy and hatred and gossip and arrogance, and anger and all of the undesirable qualities mentioned in this book. Nor have we taken care to observe the commandments that depend upon deeds, such as the washing of the hands, and to refrain from causing injury to our fellow man, and to keep the Sabbath according to the Law.
And many people stumble in this, for it is very easy for one who is not expert in the commandments to stumble in many places. And a man commits such sins as these all of his days without being aware of it. Therefore a man who would repent must know the sins that he has committed. And how can he know this? He must study the commandments and understand where he has fallen short in the observance of each commandment, and in what way he has transgressed. For if he does not know in what way he has transgressed, how can he have remorse? He must know his transgression and sincerely regret it, as the Scripture says, "For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me" (Ps. 51:5).
The second thing a man must keep in mind if he wants to repent is that even though he knows the sins that he committed, he cannot fully regret them if he does not know clearly the evil of these transgressions. For if he thinks, "So what if I got a little pleasure from this world without a blessing!" or "So what if I took time away from Torah; that is not such a terrible thing." Anyone who thinks thus will not have any regrets, and will not repent with a complete heart. But one should think: There is nothing so bad in all the world as one who does not care about the commandments of the King who is Most Exalted. We can learn the importance of this from a king of flesh and blood. Anyone who transgresses his commands — how bad it is for him!
Thirdly, the sinner must know and believe from the depth of his heart that severe punishment awaits him for the sins that he committed, for if he does not know this, he will be in no haste to repent. But after the punishment he may expect is clear to him, he can repent and have true remorse, and he can ask forgiveness of God, as it is said, "My flesh shuddereth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments" (Ps. 119:120).
The fourth thing that the sinner should know is that all the transgressions that he committed all of his days, the great sins and the small, and all the evil thoughts, and all of the idle things, and all his affairs from small to large — all is written in a book and there is no forgetfulness with God, may He be Exalted, as it is written, "Is not this laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries?" (Deut. 32:34). And further, "He sealeth up the hand of every man" (Job 37:7). For if a man should think that there is forgetfulness concerning his sins, he will not have remorse and he will not ask God for forgiveness for them. For many think that because the Holy One, Blessed be He, delays in demanding retribution for sins, that these have been forgotten and that they will not come to judgment for them, as it is said, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11).
Fifthly, he must know truly that repentance is a complete healing for transgressions. For the patient who does not believe that the medicine the doctors have prepared for him will really heal him will not be quick to take it. But if he knows that the drug or the potion will surely help him, he will want to bear the bitterness of the medicine. Thus, if he is certain of the worth of repentance, he will desire to reach the high level of repentance.
Sixthly, he must think in his heart of all the good things that the Creator, Blessed be He, has done for him from the time of his birth until this day. And he must understand that he should have thanked God for these good things, but that he has not done this, but has transgressed God's commandments. And he should weigh the punishment for the sin against its sweetness and the reward for the good deed against the pain in this world (and in the world to come). As our Sages said, "Reckon the loss incurred by the fulfillment of a precept against the reward secured by its observance, and the profit of sin against its loss" (Aboth 2:1).
Finally, he should know how to strengthen himself exceedingly and to bear the great burden of restraining himself from that evil which he is accustomed to do. For this is obvious that a sin that he has been accustomed to do all his life he will regard as permissible (Yoma 86b), and it is very difficult for him to give it up. Therefore, a man needs great will power and high fences to give up what he has been accustomed to. And it requires a great accord in all his heart and soul to hold himself back from committing that sin, and he must remove this habit from his heart as though he had not been accustomed to do this. And he must become accustomed to reject in his heart all the evil things, as it is said, "And rend your heart and not your garments" (Joel 2:13). And when the sinner establishes these seven considerations firmly in his heart, he is very near to the path of repentance.
Now there are many steps in the upward path of repentance, and according to these steps a man draws nearer to God, Blessed be He. Never can a soul reach perfect purity so that the sins will be as though they had never been, except after a man has purified his heart. It is like a soiled garment — if he launders it a little, the dirt may disappear but a stain remains, and only after much laundering it becomes completely white. And thus it is written, "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity" (Ps. 51:4). Therefore, you must wash away the sin from your heart, as it is said, "O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness" (Jer. 4:14).
The first is that one should grasp the quality of remorse, and put it into his heart that there is great punishment for him who has transgressed the commandment of the Great King. As the Scriptures say, "Give glory to the Lord your God, before it grow dark" (Jer. 13:16). And when a man thinks about the dark days which will reach the one who has sinned against the God of Jacob, then he will be exceedingly afraid and he will have remorse for his deeds. And he will say in his heart, "What have I done? How is it that the fear of God was not always before my eyes? And how is it that I did not fear punishment for my wrongdoing? And how is it that I could not rule over my evil inclination when tempted by the pleasure of one moment? And how have I sullied my pure soul, the soul which was breathed into me from the Source of Holiness? And how have I changed the Great World that stands and endures forever and ever for this transitory little world? And how is it that I did not remember the day of death which will leave my soul nothing but my corpse and a bit of earth?" And he should multiply in his heart thoughts concerning this matter. And this is the subject of which Jeremiah spoke, "No man repenteth of his wickedness saying, 'What have I done' " (Jer. 8:6).
The second thing is the abandonment of sin; the sinner should leave his evil ways and determine with all his heart that he will never more walk that path. And this is the beginning of repentance : to leave his evil ways and thoughts, to agree in his heart and to undertake that he will not continue to sin, and that he will repent of his evil thought and that he will utterly put away his evil deeds.
The third principle of repentance is grief: he should sigh in the bitterness of his heart. For if a man lost one dinar, it would be difficult to bear, and if he lost all his wealth he would mourn and his heart would be bitter within him. Similarly, if he met with other misfortunes he would be in great anguish. All the more so should he be in anguish who has rebelled against the Great Lord, and has corrupted his path, though God has done him so much kindness; therefore should such a man feel pain at every moment. Know that the steps that lead to repentance and its ascents are achieved according to the degree of the bitterness and the pain which a person feels over the sins he has done. For the pain comes from the purity of the lofty soul. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, has mercy upon a man when his soul is steeped in pain. An illustration of this is the fact that a king will have greater mercy on those who were born in his household, those who are near to him, those that are of the nobles of the land and the most honored, than he will have on villagers. Therefore, when the soul, which had its abode above and was separated from the Holy Place, is in anguish, the Creator of all receives it quickly.
The fourth principle in repentance is the sorrow and the pain caused by the actual doing of the deeds of repentance. Thus far we have spoken about the pain and sorrow of the heart, but this concerns the pain and the sorrow of the repentant act itself, as it is said, "Yet even now, saith the Lord, turn ye unto Me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping, and with lamentation" (Joel 2:12). And a man must show the signs of pain and sorrow in his garments, for example, to put on sackcloth, as it is said, "For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail" (Jer. 4:8). And as it is said, "But let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast" (Jonah 3:8). And he must remove his lovely garments from him and he must reduce his pleasures, in the kinds of food he eats and in his drink and in strolling about. And our Sages said, "The heart and the eyes are the two agents of sin" (T.P. Berakoth 1:8). And thus is it written, "And that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes" (Num. 15:39). Therefore only in this way can the sin brought about by these agents be atoned for : the sin of the agent of the heart, by bitterness and pain, and the wrong of the agent of the eyes, by tears. As it is said, "Mine eyes run down with rivers of water, because they observe not Thy law" (Ps. 119:136). It is not said, "because I observe not," but "because they observe not." The plural form refers to the eyes, that spied out to explore sin, therefore have I caused rivers of water to descend from my eyes. When he weeps over his sins, he should say, "May my tears quench the wrath of your anger and may my repentant deeds turn away your anger from me, and let my table, which I have not set because of my sorrow, be considered as an altar arranged for sacrifice, and the pot which I did not place upon the coals, as fire burning upon Thy altar. And may the lack of my blood, the diminution resulting from fasting, atone as the blood which is offered on the corners of the altar. And may the lessening of my fat be as the fat which is offered from the sacrifices, and the sound of my weeping as the psalms of the poets, and the aroma of my soul's hunger as the aroma of the incense, and the weakness of my limbs as the cutting of portions for the sacrifice, and may my broken heart tear the books in which my sins are recorded. And may the change of my good garments for garments of mourning be as acceptable to you as are the garments of the priesthood, and my restraint from washing (because of my sorow)as though I had sanctified my hands and feet, and may my repentance restore me to Thee, for I am truly remorseful for the evil of my deeds that I did and I shall not return to do evil before Thee.
The fifth principle of repentance is worry. One should worry about the punishment of his sins, for there are sins where repentance holds the atonement in suspense and only afflictions cleanse away the wrong (Yoma 86a), as it is said, "For I do declare mine iniquity; I am full of care because of my sin" (Ps. 38:19). And what is the difference between sorrow and worry? Sorrow is for what has already taken place, while worry concerns the future. And a person who has sinned should always worry whether he has fallen short in the matter of repentance and has not completed the full measure of repentance. And he should worry lest his evil inclination overpower him. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death" (Aboth 2:4).
The sixth principle of repentance is shame, as it is said, "I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth" (Jer. 31:18). Now one who sins would be very ashamed to commit a transgression before people. Then how shall he not be ashamed before the Holy One, Blessed be He? But we have already explained the matter of shame in the chapter on that subject.
The seventh principle is submission with all one's heart and with humility. For he who knows his Creator knows how much anyone who transgresses against His words lowers himself, and he will therefore be humble, as it is written, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:19). A "broken spirit" means "a lowly spirit," and humility is one of the principles of repentance; through humility will a man draw near to God, Blessed be He. As it is said, "But on this man will I look, even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit" (Is. 66:2). The highest step in humility which is obligatory in the path of repentance is that he should magnify and glorify the service of the Creator and should not claim any merit for himself, but everything should be small in his eyes as compared to what he must do in the service of God, Blessed be He. Therefore, he should be humble and should serve with modesty, and he should not covet honor for his good deeds.
The eighth principle is humility in deeds of repentance; he should conduct himself in a gentle manner. If a man has reviled him because of his previous deeds, let him be silent, or he should say, "I know that I have sinned." And he should not make lovely garments, and wear jewelry. As it is said, "Therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee" (Ex. 33:5). And his eyes should always be lowered, as it is said, "For the humble person He saveth" (Job 22:29). And the signs of humility are : a soft answer, a low voice and eyes bent downward. These are the things which make the heart humble.
The ninth principle is the destruction of lust. He must lay it to his heart that lust ruins all deeds. And he should abstain from luxuries, even from things which are permitted to him. And he should conduct himself in the paths of abstinence, eating only to satisfy his hunger and to preserve his body. And the same is true in his relationship to woman. For whenever a man follows after lust he is drawn after the functions of the body and separates himself from the ways of the cultured soul. Then his evil inclination overpowers him, as it is written, "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked" (Deut, 31:15). And it is written, "Lest I be full, and deny, and say : 'Who is the Lord?' " (Prov. 30:9). Now the lust that is given into the heart of a man is the root of all deeds. Therefore he must hurry to correct that lust, and on this subject we have dwelt above. And there is a great benefit in the breaking of lust, for in this way a man reveals that his heart is good and upright, and that he rejects the character which sin has caused him to have. And one who abstains even from what is permitted erects a great fence which will keep him from touching what is forbidden. It is as if he says, "Even in that which is permitted I do not satisfy my craving; how then shall I stretch forth my hands to that which is forbidden?"
The tenth principle of repentance is to reverse one's deeds. How does one do that? If he has been guilty of looking at indecent things, then let him conduct himself with lowered eyes. If he has been guilty of gossip, let him occupy himself with Torah (Arakin 15b). And with any limb with which he has sinned let him try to fulfill commandments (see Yalkut Judges, 42). And thus did our Sages say, "The righteous men in the very thing with which they had sinned appease God" (see Yalkut Hosca, 529). And more did our Sages say, "If you have committed bundles of transgressions, do in opposition to them bundles of good deeds. Feet which ran hastily to sin must now quickly run to do a good deed. A mouth which once spoke disobedience and rebellion now let his palate speak the truth and let him open his mouth with wisdom. Hands that spilled innocent blood, let him open his hand to the poor. Eyes that were haughty, let him be contrite and walk with lowered eyes. A heart that plotted wrongdoing, let him store up in his heart the words of the Torah" (Lev. Rabbah 21:5).
The eleventh principle of repentance is to search out one's ways, as it is said, "Let us search and try our ways, and return to the Lord" (Lam. 3:40). And searching out one's ways means that one should examine oneself with respect to all the transgressions one has done in his life. There are three advantages to this. First, he will remember all the things in which he has sinned and he will confess all of them, for confession is one of the basic elements of atonement. Secondly, he will know the amount of his transgressions and sins, and this will increase his humility. Thirdly, even though he has resolved to abandon all sin, he must know the things in which he has sinned in order to erect a fence, to guard himself against those things over which he stumbled, for a man needs more protection from those sins to which he is accustomed and which are light in his eyes when he commits them, and over which the evil inclination rules. He is like a sick person who is beginning to recover. Such a person has to be careful of a number of things, so that they will not cause him to be ill again. So it is with one who is ill by reason of his sins; when he begins to repent he must be very careful.
The twelfth principle of repentance is that one should search out and know the greatness of the punishment for each of one's sins : for which there is lashing, for which death by sentence of the court, and for which excommunication. And when he knows the magnitude of his sin, he will certainly cause his heart to feel bitterness in confession and will increase his humility.
The thirteenth principle of repentance is to take seriously the transgressions which one has treated lightly. For example, looking at women or speaking over-much with them, or conversing about idle things, or doing nothing, or mentioning the name of God in vain. All these and many more like them are considered trivial by many people and even by great men of the day — they must be regarded as very serious matters. And there are four reasons for this : First, one should never look at the smallness of the sin but at the greatness of Him who warned against it. A parable will illustrate this. A king commanded his two servants, the one to bring him something to drink for he was very thirsty, and the other to do something that he really did not need very much; and he warned each one, on pain of death. Certainly, if either one of them disobeyed his command he would be liable to death, for they hang a man who has stolen one dinar just as they hang one who has stolen a thousand, for each one has transgressed the command of the king. In the same way the Lord has warned us concerning all of the Torah, "Keep all the commandment which I command you this day" (Deut. 27:1). And it is written, "Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them" (Deut. 27:26). The second reason is that when one transgresses a little matter many times, it becames a very severe matter, because the punishments for each individual transgression are combined. Thirdly, when one is accustomed to commit sins, he comes to regard them as permissible and does not guard himself against them, and he is reckoned among those who cast off the yoke of the Torah and who are "apostates with respect to one matter." Fourthly, it is the way of the evil inclination that after he conquers in some small matter, he goes on to conquer in a serious one. Therefore our Sages said, "Be heedful of a light precept as of a grave one" (Aboth 2:1). And they said further, "For one good deed draws another in its train, and one sin, another sin" (Aboth 4:2).
The fourteenth principle of repentance is the confession, as it is said, "That he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned" (Lev. 5:5). And a person is obliged to remember his sins, and the sins of his fathers. Now why should he confess the sins of his fathers? Because of the fact that he is considered guilty if he clings to the evil deeds of his fathers. And thus it is written, "And they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers" (Lev. 26:40). And he should be very careful at the time of the confession to resolve in his heart to abandon his evil ways, for if he returns to them and does not abandon them he is like one who immerses himself but grasps an unclean creature (Ta'anith 16a). For confession is like immersion and the sin is like the unclean worm, and it is clear that immersion is of no use when the person who immerses himself holds on to the source of his defilement.
The fifteenth principle of repentance is prayer. The sinner should pray to the Lord, Blessed be He, and beseech Him to help him in his repentance and open the gates of purity to him.
The sixteenth principle in repentance is the correction of the wrong committed; for example, if he has robbed a man, he should return that which he has taken, and he should do this before the confession in order that his confession may be well received. And if he has robbed a man but has no money with which to pay, then let him pray that God give him the means that will enable him to pay.
The seventeenth principle of repentance is to pursue deeds of kindness and truth, as it is said, "By mercy and truth iniquity is expiated" (Prov. 16:6). But if the sinner does not return to the Lord, Blessed be He, then his sin will not be atoned for by kindly deeds alone, as it is said, "Who regardeth not persons, nor taketh rewards" (Deut. 10:17). And the Sages interpreted this to mean that God will not take the bribe of a good deed in order to forgive the wrongs (see Yalkut Shimoni on Proverbs, item 947). And this verse, "In mercy and truth, iniquity is expiated," applies to those who are truly repentant. For there are transgressions which repentance and the Day of Atonement hold in suspense and which are cleansed by affliction. And behold in such a case the kindness of the sinner will protect him and guard him from troubles and will also save him from death. As it is said, "But righteousness delivereth from death" (Prov. 10:2). And then there is the sin of profaning the Name of God, and in this, repentance and the Day of Atonement and even affliction hold everything in suspense, and only death cleanses a person, as it is said, "Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die" (Is. 22:14). And when a man tries to hold the truth in his hand and strengthens the hands of men of truth and lifts their heads and degrades the men of falsehood and causes them to reach the dust — these are ways of sanctifying the Name of God. And if a man is aroused to possess the quality of truth, then his sin of profanation will be forgiven him at the time of repentance.
The eighteenth principle of repentance is that one's sins should be before one constantly and one should not forget them, as it is said, "For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me" (Ps. 51:5).
The nineteenth principle of repentance is the abandonment of the sin when the sin comes again to his hands, and he is in the grip of his desire. And our Sages said, "Who is the truly repentant person whose repentance reaches the very Throne of Glory? He who is tested and emerges innocent in the same circumstance, and in the same place and with the same woman" (Yoma 86b). And the meaning of this statement is: If the temptation to do the sin should come once again to him, and he is in the grip of the evil desire and yet he conquers it because of reverence for the Lord, Blessed be He, this constitutes repentance. And if this temptation did not come to him again in this matter then let him each day add within his soul reverence of the Lord, Blessed be He. And thus should he do all his days, and this is even a higher step than repentance.
The twentieth principle of repentance is to cause multitudes to turn away from sin, as much as he is able, as it is said, "Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions" (Ezek. 18:30). We learn from this that this is one of the principles of true repentance. And it is said, "Thou shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people" (Lev. 19:17). We have learned from this that if he does not rebuke him then he is guilty for the other's sin, and thus said David, "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall return to thee" (Ps. 51:15).
Twenty-four things impede repentance (see Maimonides, Laws of Repentance, chap. 4, and R. Isaac Alfasi's commentary on Yoma, chap. 8). Four of these are great wrongs and he who does any one of them, the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not provide him the means to do repentance according to the magnitude of his sin. And these are they : He who causes the many to sin, and this includes he who restrains the many from doing a good deed. And he who turns his companion from a good way to an evil way, for example, one who seduces and incites people to abandon the faith of Israel. And he who sees his son falling into bad ways and does not protest, for if he had protested, he would have given up these evil ways; consequently, the father has caused him to sin. Included in this sin is anyone who was in a position to protest to others about their conduct, whether it be to an individual or to many people, and yet he does not protest but leaves them to their stumbling. And he who says, "I will sin and then I will repent." Also in this category is he who says, "I will sin and the Day of Atonement will atone for my sin." For everyone who makes such a calculation will find it very difficult to repent, for he will constantly sin, since he thinks that he will repent, and then the sin becomes light in his eyes.
Of these twenty-four things that impede repentance there are five that lock the paths of repentance before those who do them. And these are : He who separates himself from the congregation when they are doing repentance, saying, "My soul is at peace within me," and he does not share the anguish of the congregation. Therefore he has no share in the merit which they are acquiring. And he who takes issue with the words of the Sages, for this controversy causes him to separate himself from his fellows and consequently he does not know the paths of repentance. And he mocks at the precepts. For inasmuch as they are despised in his eyes, he will not pursue the commandments to perform them, and if he does not perform the commandments, in what way will he gain merit? And he who despises his teachers, for this confuses and drives a man away from the world — as it did to "that man." And at a time when he is so troubled and confused he will not find a teacher who will teach him the true way. And he who hates reproof, for this leaves him no path to repentance inasmuch as reproof causes repentance, for when people let a man know his sins and shame him — he will repent. As it is written, "Remember, forget thou not, how thou didst make the Lord thy God wroth in the wilderness… Ye have been rebellious against thy Lord" (Deut. 9:7); "But the Lord hath not given you a heart to know" (Deut. 29:3); "O foolish people and unwise" (Deut. 32:6). And thus did the Prophet Isaiah rebuke Israel. And similarly did all the Prophets rebuke Israel, until they turned to repentance. Therefore every congregation ought to appoint one of its wise men — an older man, one who has revered God from his youth and is beloved by the people — to rebuke the multitude and cause them to repent. He who hates rebukes will not come to the reprover and will not hear his words and therefore he will remain with his sins for they will appear good in his eyes.
And of the twenty-four things that impede repentance there are five that make it impossible for him who does them to repent completely, because they are wrongs between man and his fellow man in which the one who was wronged does not know that the sinner has sinned against him and must therefore seek forgiveness of him. And these are the cases : he who curses the many and has not cursed one particular man from whom he can seek forgiveness. And he who divides up booty with a thief, telling himself that this is not theft, because "I didn't steal." And even if this man should wish to repent and restore the stolen goods, to whom would he restore them? For he does not know from whom the thief has stolen. Moreover, he strengthens the hands of the thief and causes him to sin further. And he who finds a lost article and does not proclaim the fact in order to return it to its master. And should the finder want to do repentance he does know to whom the object belongs. And he who eats the ox (שור) of the poor and the food of orphans and widows. Such people are unfortunate; they are not well-known and they wander from city to city. And when a person eats what belongs to them he does not know whose food he has taken so that he can return it to him. And there are those who say that instead of (שור) the word should be read (שוד) meaning "robbery" or "oppression." This would then refer to one who presses the poor for the debt they owe him until they decide to turn over to him their land, or their personal property for less than their value, and this man does not sense that there is a great sin in this, for he says, "I am only taking what belongs to me!" And he who accepts a bribe to prevent justice, and he does not know to what extent he has perverted justice and how much influence he exerted so that he should be able to restore the matter to the state where it was before he perverted justice. Moreover, he reinforces the hands of the one for whose sake he perverted justice so as to cause him to sin in this matter.
And of these twenty-four things which impede repentance, five have to do with one who has no inclination to repent, because they are things that are unimportant in the eyes of most people. Consequently, the person sins but it appears to him as though he had not sinned. And these are the things : He who eats of a meal that does not suffice for its owners. For example, a man enters the house of a poor man, and the poor man prepares very much food for his guest, not out of the willingness of his heart but because he is ashamed to invite his guest to partake of little. And the visitor does not think that he has sinned in this, because he thinks that he is eating with the permission of the master of the house, and not against his real will. And he who uses an object which has been given to him in pledge by a poor man, even if it is only an axe or a plow, and he says in his heart, "I did not take anything away from them; I did not rob." And he who looks upon indecent acts, for the one who gazes thinks in his heart that there is nothing evil in this, saying "Did I participate in this act, or did I draw near to it?" And he does not know that even looking at lewness with the eye is a great sin, for it leads a person to violate the laws of chastity, as it is said, "That ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes" (Num. 15:39). And he who obtains honor through the shame of his companion. He says in his heart that he has not sinned because his companion is not in his presence, and therefore the shameful deed really did not effect his companion and that he did not in fact shame him, but that he has merely evaluated his own good deeds, his wisdom, and his keenness higher than the deeds, the wisdom and the keenness of his companion. But in the eyes of the one who hears his words, he will be the honored one, and his companion the shamed one. And he who suspects the innocent. He says in his heart that that is no sin, for he says, "What did I do to him? I did not do anything to him; it was just a mere suspicion." He does not know that this is a great sin, to picture an innocent person in his own mind as though he were a sinful man.
And of these twenty-four things that impede repentance, five of them are such that he who does them is constantly drawn after them and finds it very difficult to separate himself from them. Therefore, a man must be very careful of these, lest he cleave to them, and they are all very evil states of mind. And these are : tale-bearing, gossip, wrath, evil thoughts, and associating with a wicked man, for he will surely learn from his deeds. For when one is always with the wicked and sees these deeds they become impressed in his heart, as Solomon said, "But the companion of fools shall smart for it" (Prov. 12:20).
All these things and similar ones, impede repentance, but they do not preclude it altogether, and if a man has truly repented of these things, then he is a penitent and has a share in the world to come.
Sins are of two kinds. There are those that are between man and God alone, Blessed be He, such as Tefillin, Fringes, the Sukkah and similar commandments. And there are sins between one man and another. As to the sins between man and God, Blessed be He, a man should do repentance in that very same matter in which he has transgressed. For example, if he has not fulfilled a particular positive precept, he should try to fulfill it. And if he has not been in the habit of giving charity, he should make a point from the time of his repentance and thereafter to give charity. And if he has transgressed the prohibitive commandments, then he should set his heart not to transgress any further.
The general rule is that he who wants to be a truly repentant person must wage a great war in his heart, and the matter is not like what most people think, that a person is not a penitent unless he has committed certain serious sins. For example, one who has had intercourse with a gentile woman, or who has committed adultery, or who has stolen, or the like. But this is not so. For there are many robbers who do not know that they are robbers. For example, if a man files suit against another, although he knows that he does not owe him anything, but he wants to provoke him and distress him and cause him loss by making him waste money in his defense. Now, the man who files this suit does not realize that this is robbery. Or there is the man who causes another to take an oath, even though he does so by right, there is guilt in this. Yet people do things like this every day, every hour — heaps of sins like this. How is that? A man is obligated to pray with firm intent and say all the benedictions with firm intent, but there are very few in this world who do pray with all their heart. And the same is true with regard to all the commandments: there are points that even the great ones of our generation do not observe scrupulously, because they do not put their minds to it, and because they do not study the commandments and the good qualities. Therefore, he who has offered his heart in his desire to do true repentance should accustom himself to meditate in this book of the "Paths of the Righteous," and in it he will see his error and in just what manner he has erred all of his days. And he should consider every single thing that he reads and ask himself whether he has fulfilled it or not. And if he sees that he has not fulfilled it, he should strive with all his might to fulfill it. And he should also accustom himself to study the Book of the Commandments, to meditate in it and to understand every commandment properly. And he should set his heart on every precept, to fulfill it as it is explained. And this is the important highway of all the paths of repentance: to do repentance for each individual matter independently.
There are sins between a man and his fellow man that are very difficult to correct and to do repentance for, e.g., a man who has been accustomed to rob all of his days and he does not know from whom he has robbed or where his victim lives, or perhaps his victim has gone to some distant country, or perhaps the money that he should return has been lost. And there is the type of person that is so used to sins all of his life that it has become a habit with him and he is very thoroughly versed in wrongdoing, as Jeremiah said, "They have taught their tongue to speak lies, they weary themselves to commit iniquity" (Jer. 9:4).
And there is the case of a man who had intercourse with a woman who is prohibited to him and begot a son by her — this shame cannot be removed. And there is one who is accustomed to lie and to speak ill of people. And there is the one who has seduced people and misled them into doing a forbidden thing. And there is the man who sees people walking in an evil path, they having strayed from the righteous path, and he is afraid to rebuke them, or he was ashamed of them and refrained from teaching them the proper path. Of him the Scripture says, "The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand" (Ezek. 3:18).
In all of these things and in similar cases, repentance is very difficult, but there is a great remedy which can correct everything. At first the sinner must repent in all the ways of repentance, and he must see and understand all aspects of repentance, and he must devote his soul to do this, and he must do all of this for the sake of Heaven with all his strength and with all his heart, privately and in public. And then the Holy One, Blessed be He, will make easier for him the methods of repentance and will guide him along the righteous path to repentance. For example, if he begot a son by a woman prohibited to him, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will give no perpetuity to this seed and the matter will be forgotten as though it had not been.
And if he has robbed money, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will see to it that he gets money with which to repay his victim, and the victim will accept restitution and forgive him. And if he has done evil to another man, either to his person or to his property, the Creator, Blessed be He, will cause to enter into the heart of the victim a desire and love (so that he will forgive him). As Solomon said, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7). And if the person he has robbed is far from him, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will bring him near to him until he is placated and forgives the robber. And if the sinner does not know how much money he has stolen and does not know whom he has robbed, then the Holy One, Blessed be He, will enable him to perform some public service, for example, building a bridge, or fixing wells, or building synagogues, or other things that the people need. And thus there will be benefit from his act to everyone; to the one whom he robbed, and also to others. And if the victim of the robbery should die, the robber must return the money to the heirs. If he has injured him physically, or slandered him, he must go to his grave in the company of ten men and ask forgiveness from God, Blessed be He, and from the dead man, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will forgive him.
And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that repentance is not denied to the sinner unless his heart remains evil. But as for him who wants to draw nearer to God, God does not close the gates of repentance before him, but he opens the gates of repentance for him and teaches him the righteous path, as it is said, "Good and upright is the Lord, therefore doth He instruct sinners in the way" (Ps. 25:8). And further, "But from thence ye will seek the Lord thy God; and thou shalt find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul" (Deut. 4:29). And further, "But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it" (Deut. 30:14). And further, "The Lord is nigh unto all those that call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth" (Ps. 145:18).
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.
The first is when a man repents because he has come to recognize his God. And he is like a servant who flees from his master, but when he thinks of the good which his master has done to him, he returns to him of his own free will to seek forgiveness from him, and of such as him the Scripture says, "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, yea return unto Me" (Jer. 4:1). And further, "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you" (Malachi 3:7).
The second motivation is when a man repents because people rebuke and shame him until he repents. And he is like a servant who has fled from his master, and a faithful servant of his master meets him and rebukes him and puts him to shame for having fled, and advises him to return, and assures him that his master will forgive him. And then the man returns and is submissive.
The third motivation is when a man sees the punishments that the Creator, Blessed be He, inflicts upon him who departs from His ways. Then he repents and returns to the Lord out of fear of his punishment. And he is like a servant who flees from his master and when he hears about the severe punishments that his master meted out to one who had run away he returns to him.
The fourth motivation is when punishment and afflictions come upon him and he repents. And he is like a servant who has fled, and bandits came upon him and captured him, and inflicted pain upon him because of his escape, and then he returns.
The first : when afflictions come upon a man he considers this in his heart and says that this has happened because of his sins and his evil ways. And then he will return to God, and He will have mercy upon him, as it is said, "And many evils and troubles shall come upon them, so that they will say in that day: 'Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' " (Deut. 31:17). Now this type of repentance, is received by God but not by human beings. For when a man sins against another man, in time of trouble he has remorse and is submissive to him because he needs his help, this remorse is considered worthless in the eyes of the person offended. As Jephthah said, "And why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?" (Judges 11:7). But it is one of the great kindnesses of God that He accepts repentance even though it comes from trouble, and He is placated, as it is said, "Return O Israel, unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity" (Hos. 14:2). And it is written, "For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth" (Prov. 3:12).
And if a man does not repent in the time of his trouble, his punishment will be doubled. It is just as in the case of a king of flesh and blood : if a man has sinned against him, and the king punishes him, and the man does not want to receive his punishment, the king will continue to punish him and will increase the weight of his yoke. And such is the character of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is written, "And if, for all that, you do not obey Me, I will go on to discipline you" (Lev. 26:18). And if he does not understand that the evils which come upon him are because of his sins, but he says, "It was chance that happened to us" (see I Samuel 6:9), there will be great wrath against this man, for he does not believe that because of his sins the troubles came upon him. Therefore you must know, and you must intelligently consider, that when God punishes a man, it is for the man's good, to favor him with two benefits : one, to atone for his sins, as it is said, "See mine affliction and my travail; and forgive all my sins" (Ps. 25:18); and the second, to rebuke him, and to cause him to return from his evil ways, as it is said, "Surely thou wilt fear Me, thou wilt receive correction" (Zeph. 3:7). And if a man does not repent because of his troubles, then woe to him who has borne troubles and has not yet atoned for his sins! And even then, his punishment will be doubled, because he does not believe that it is because of his sins that he was punished.
It is important for one who has trust in the Lord, Blessed be He, to know that the afflictions are for his own good, and in the end it will be well with him. As it is said, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I am fallen, I shall arise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light unto me" (Micah 7:8). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "If I had not fallen, I would not have arisen! And, if I had not sat in the darkness, I would not have seen the light!" (Shohar Tov 22:7). Therefore, any man who has troubles in his body, or with his money, or with his children, should set his heart to fast in addition to doing repentance, just as the community is obligated to fast in the time of their trouble, and as our Sages have decreed (Ta'anith 10a, 12b). Therefore, in time of trouble, a man should examine his deeds. If he has searched and has found no transgression, he should know that his afflictions have been prompted by God's love (Berakhoth 5a).
The second thing that can stir the heart to repentance is when old age comes upon a person and he sees the weakening of his strength, then he understands what must ultimately be his fate, and he will remember his end, and he will return to God, and He will have mercy upon him. And he who does not return in repentance at the time of old age, his punishment will be double, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "There are four kinds of men that the mind of man cannot bear, and these are they: A poor man who is arrogant, a rich man who deceives, an old man who is lecherous, and a community leader who lords it over the congregation without reason" (Pesahim 113b). And when a man sees that his days are passing, and that his constitution is growing weaker, and that this is the beginning of the journey that he is taking to his Eternal Home, and that he is travelling day and night, it would be a matter of great astonishment if such person did not set his heart upon preparing provisions for his great and distant path. This only happens if he has little faith.
And there are people who never see the light of repentance because they are innocent and pure in their own eyes, and they sin exceedingly to God, Blessed be He. And they are like a sick person who does not feel his illness and because he does not feel his illness he does not think about a remedy; so is the man who does not feel his sins, and does not consider his end, and therefore he does not hasten to correct his affairs. And there are people whose every desire, and every thought and every deed is centered upon matters concerning their bodies, and they occupy themselves all day with the vanities of the world, and they do not devote even a portion of their day to Torah, and to reverence of the Lord, Blessed be He. How have they sunk to the very lowest state! Therefore, he who in his youth has walked in the hardness of his heart should in his old age set his heart to driving out from within him the affairs of this world, and he should arrange to be alone and to mediate on the reverence of the Lord, and he should seek to study the Torah and to perform good deeds.
The third thing that can stir the heart to repentance is when he hears the chastisement of the wise and of those who reprove him, and this arouses his heart to repent, and he receives upon himself all the words of these rebukes. From the time that he accepts them, this man earns great merit, and in a short space of time he has gone forth from darkness to light, and he has gained reward and merit for all of the commandments and all of the chastisements, inasmuch as he has resolved to receive them upon himself. And happy is he who receives this upon himself, for he has won merit in a brief moment. And thus did our Sages, of blessed memory, say "And the children of Israel went and did." Now had they already done this (i.e., prepared the Passover)? Surely, they did not do so until the fourteenth day of the month! But when they took it upon themselves to do it, Scripture ascribes it to them as though they had already done it" (Mechilta on Exodus 12:28). And thus did our Sages say, "All whose deeds are greater than his wisdom, his wisdom will endure" (Aboth 3:12). As it is said, "We will do and we will hear!" (Ex. 24:7).
The meaning of the matter is that a man who has taken upon himself, with a faithful heart, to keep and do all the words of the Torah and to do as the Sages will tell him, and then, after having undertaken this obligation to fulfill everything, he seeks and searches and asks the Sages what to do, then he receives a reward even for those commandments and instructions that he does not know, inasmuch as he has received them upon himself and resolved in his heart to do them, just as Israel said at Mount Sinai, "We will do and we will hear!" They put the "doing" before the word "hearing" (Shabbath 88a). Not always, however, is it true that a man's deeds should be greater than his wisdom. But (returning to this matter) it is said about Daniel, that greatly beloved man, "Then said he unto me : 'Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand and to humble thyself before thy God thy words were heard' " (Dan. 10:12). Consequently, when a man sets his heart upon doing good, then his resolve is at once willingly received by God, Blessed be He. But he who does not arouse himself to repent after he is rebuked will find his punishment doubled.
The fourth means to stir up repentance is when a man meditates on the commandments of God, and he reads the Prophets and the Scriptures, and the words of the Sages of the Talmud, and he sees the warnings and the punishments, and he understands the pleasant chastisement, then he arouses himself in his heart and he thinks, "How can I read the contents of the Torah as though they were merely a parable? No. I will instead set my heart on the words of the Torah, to keep them and to do them, in every particular as I read them," as it is written concerning Josiah, "And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, that he rent his clothes" (II Kings 22:11). And concerning Ezra it is said, "For all thy people wept, when they heard the words of the Law" (Neh. 8:9). And the man who does not set his heart on the words of God, Blessed be He, this too will be added to his wrongs. As it is said, "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments" (Jer. 36:24). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "He who studies but does not fulfill (the commandments), it would have been better for him to have died at birth (T.P. Berakoth 1:5). And it is said, "Though I write for him ever so many things of My Law, they are accounted as a stranger's" (Hos. 8:12). And it is said, "How do ye say: 'We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is with us?' Lo, certainly in vain hath wrought the vain pen of the scribes" (Jer. 8:8).
The fifth way in which repentance can be aroused is when the Ten Days of Repentance draw near, then every man should arouse his heart and tremble as he goes to meet the Day of Judgment, for he should ponder that all of his deeds are written in a book, and that at this time God will bring to judgment every deed and every hidden thing, whether it be good or bad. For a man is judged on Rosh Hashanah, and his decree is sealed on the Day of Atonement (Rosh Hashana 16a). Now, if a man were to be brought for judgment before a king of flesh and blood would he not tremble with a great trembling, and would he not take counsel with his soul? And it would not occur to him to do any other thing, than to find some merit that might save him from that judgment. Therefore, how foolish and stupid are those who do not know what their judgment will be, and yet they occupy themselves with idle things other than the repentance that would find favor before the Great Judge!
Therefore, it is proper that everyone who reveres God should lessen his usual occupations and let his thoughts be calm, and let him fix hours, during the day and a night, when he can sit alone in his rooms and examine his ways and search them out, and arise even before the watches of the morning to occupy himself with the paths of repentance. And let him not do as in most cases where people fast, or rise early to pray, but they do not actually wage war against the sins in order to remove from themselves every ugly thing. For if a man prays and fasts, and confesses, and still clings to his former ways — this is not the path of repentance. But a man should arouse himself to do complete repentance during the Ten Days of Repentance, for this is a time when God accepts his plea and his prayer is heard, as it is said, "In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee" (Is. 49:8). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Seek the Lord while He may be found" (Is. 55:6) — these are the ten days that are between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (Rosh Hashana 18a). And they also said that the Day of Atonement, together with repentance, atones. Therefore Scripture has warned us that we should repent and make ourselves pure before God, Blessed be He, in our ways of repentance. As it is said, "From all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord" (Lev. 16:30). And then he will atone for us with this day, to purify us (Yoma 85b).
The sixth means of arousing the heart to repentance is this, for a man should always regard himself as though he were about to die. And he should not say, "When I grow old, I will repent," lest he die before he grows old. Thus, at all times he must be prepared to meet his God, for no man knows when his time will come. Therefore, he should arouse his soul to be pure, to return his spirit in purity to God who gave it within him. And he should examine his deeds at every moment, in accordance with the saying of Rabbi Eliezer, "Repent one day before your death" (Shabbath 153a and Eccl. Rabbah 9:8, letter 6). His pupils said to him, "Oh, our teacher, does a man know on what day he will die?" And he said to them, "All the more so! Let him return today, lest he die tomorrow, and if he does so, then all of his days will be spent in repentance, and let him adorn himself at every hour, as though at this very moment he will come before the Great King" (See Eccl. Rabbah, ad. loc.).
Therefore a man should always worry, even when he is secure and at ease, and he should tremble on account of the day of death, for then he will have to render an account. And he should confess at all times, with a broken and a contrite heart, as though he were now about to die, and the fear of Heaven should be upon him. And a man should renew another precept each day, for perhaps the time of his death has come, and if he does so, he will not be lacking even one of all the commandments. For our Sages said, "Everyone who fulfills one commandment near the time of his death, it is as though he fulfilled the whole Torah" (Eccl. Rabbah 3:18, letter 24). Therefore should a man awaken from his deep slumber and arouse himself to understand his final end, to adorn himself with the ornaments of the precepts and to be before God at every moment.
There are four kinds of repentance: repentance by conquering a temptation that comes towards him; repentance by building of a fence between himself and temptation; repentance by the weighing of values, and repentance by following what is written.
Repentance by conquering a temptation that comes towards him — what is meant by this ? If he sinned with a woman, or through the commission of a theft, and this woman comes, or that opportunity to steal comes once again to his hand, and he might have sinned like the previous time, for he is still in the strength of his lust and in the full eagerness of his desire, and his heart burns after her, and she is willing, but he withholds his spirit from committing the sin, and tears away his lust because of his reverence for God alone — this is a complete repentance.
What do we mean by repentance in which one builds a fence between himself and his temptation? A man should not look at the laughing amusements of matrons and virgins and he should not look directly in the face of a woman or between her breasts, and not even at his own wife before she has immersed herself after the period of prohibition. And thus should he make a fence around all the commandments. And our teacher, Abraham ben David, of blessed memory, wrote: "And we have seen in connection with our Sages that they were completely pious men and they used to build many fences to protect themselves from temptation. And there was among them even one who separated himself from his wife after he had fulfilled the commandment of "Be fruitful and multiply!" And each of them would fence himself off from temptation according to the manner of man he knew himself to be. For there is a man who has a lust to commit one sin but not another. For example, one may have a desire to commit fornication but not to steal, and another may have the lust to steal but not to commit the sin of fornication. Therefore every one must make fences according to what he sees in himself, against those temptations wherein his evil inclination is gaining strength. If his mind is drawn to theft, let him refrain from receiving pledges in trust or from managing the property of others. And thus must one make fences for everything wherein he is tempted. And thus our Sages said concerning Abraham, that his desire made peace with him (Gen. Rabbah 54a). And concerning this it is said, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7). And King David waged war against his desire, and when he saw that his desire was not mild and his nature gentle, and when he realized that he could not overcome it, he stood up and slew it, as it is said, "And my heart is wounded within me" (Ps. 109:22). And the meaning of it is that Abraham had a desire that was gentle, and his nature was easy and pleasant, and it was not necessary for him to wage war against it. As they said (Nedarim 32b): At first, the Holy One, Blessed be He, caused Abraham to rule over two hundred and forty-three limbs. But later God caused him to rule over two hundred and forty-eight limbs, by giving him dominion over his two eyes, his two ears, and his membrum (i.e., because of his willingness to undergo circumcision, he achieved complete control over any sex impluse). But as for David, his desire was always hard and strong, and he had to wage war against it every day, and when he saw that he could not withstand it, he arose up against his evil desire and slew it. There are those who say that David slew his desire by fasting, and there are those who say he kept away from women altogether, for he feared lest that which was permitted might seduce him into doing something that was forbidden. Whichever version is correct (they both agree that) after David saw that his desire was gaining mastery over him, he set himself to make it yield, to fight against it, until he succeeded in subduing it.
The best fence with which to subdue the evil inclination is to learn to bear physical hunger — that is, to lessen the pleasures and the delights of eating and drinking, but not to refrain from enjoying the pleasure of aromatic odors and from washing with warm water for he gets pleasure from its warmth. And the little food that he eats should be well seasoned and well prepared so that it will be pleasing to him and so that his soul will accept it and be appeased with a little of it. And a man should always take a little less food than he needs and that would satisfy his desire. And he should not drink wine unless it is diluted, in order that he should not become drunk. And concerning this, our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Do not indulge too freely in a meal which you enjoy" (Gittin 70a). There are two advantages in this. First, his eating will have no harmful effects. And, secondly, there is the subduing of the evil inclination and the breaking of lust.
And just as I have explained concerning the meal, so should this be the way of treating all the pleasures and delights of the world : a man should never satisfy his desire completely. And, needless to say, a man should guard himself against foods that he knows are harmful to him, for a man who eats things that harm him, even though he can get other food, commits a crime against his own body, because he goes after his lust and does not care about the loss of his body. And this is the way of the evil inclination and its counsel : it seduces him from the way of life, to the way of death.
Every living being should know that there is no way that the evil inclination can triumph except through seduction. At first, it seduces him to do what is permitted in order to satisfy his desire, and after he has become accustomed to satisfying his desire with what is permitted and has accustomed his soul always to hunger after the satisfaction of his desire, then the evil inclination seduces him to violate a minor prohibition. And then from the minor prohibition to the major. Therefore, be very careful in what is permitted, to erect a fence which will lessen the desire even for what is permitted. And then if it should come to your mind to partake of what is forbidden, you yourself will apply Kal va-homer (an inference "from minor to major"), i.e., if you refrain even from what is permitted, you will surely put out of your mind any thought of violating a clear prohibition, not to mention committing the deed itself.
A person should not make a practice of fasting, lest his heart grow weak and his mind become befuddled, and his loss will be greater than his gain, for he will neglect the study of the Torah on account of his weakness. And even when he does study the Torah, he will not be able to distinguish every point as clearly as he should or to understand the matters fully, because the Torah can be acquired only in a spirit of joy.
Nor should a man hold himself back from any joy arising out of the performance of a percept of the Torah, so that his eyes may be open against (desires stimulated by) the evil inclination. And he should always be on guard not to satisfy all of his desire. And if his heart grows weak because of the small amount of food he eats, it is better that he eat a little bit twice a day and not fill his stomach at one time. And if he does not have an opportunity to eat twice, he should keep at hand some jam that makes the heart rejoice, and eat a little of that, and his heart will be strengthened. Also, if he sees clearly that he must fast one or two days of the week, let him fast according to the requirement of such a fast, for he who sits fasting when he needs it is called "holy," provided however, that he does not neglect the Torah and the commandments on this account.
Every man is in a position to know for himself, just what kind of a fence he should build, in accordance with his own requirement. But the best of all fences is that he should guard his eyes from longing for what does not belong to him. And if he lessens his eyeing of things that are not his, he will be called modest, and bashful. As was said concerning the woman who had one arm amputated and yet her husband was not aware of this until the day of her death. And they said of him, "How modest is this man that he was not aware of this in his wife!" (Shabbath 53b). And if he guards his eyes, his heart will also be well-guarded. And since his eyes and his heart are well-guarded, he will be well-guarded through and through.
Repentance through the weighing of values — what is meant by that ? This means that he should suffer pain in proportion to the pleasure that he derived from the sin. He should afflict himself by fasting and by the lessening of food and drink, and in cohabitation and in all manner of pleasures, he should reduce the amount.
Repentance by following what is written — what is meant by that ? If he had intercourse with his wife during her unclean period, for which transgression the penalty is that he be cut off from his people, or if he committed any of the sins for which he must be sentenced to death by a court of law, or to be lashed, let him accept it upon himself to suffer pain and let him inflict pain upon himself, as it is written in the Torah. Now, the Rokeah ** Eleazar of Worms (died 1238). has written how one may inflict pain upon himself for various sins. And we also find in the Talmud that they were accustomed to fast even for a very minor sin, even for mere talk. As in the case of the Sage who said, "1 am ashamed of your words, oh House of Shammai." And because of this remark he sat fasting until his teeth became black (Hagigah 22b). And there is also a story concerning Rabbi Hisda who said to Rabbi Huna on the question of respect due to another, "What of a disciple whom his teacher needs (because the disciple possesses traditions received from other scholars and which the teacher does not know), does this disciple have to stand in honor of the teacher?" Rabbi Huna retorted to Rabbi Hisda, "I do not need you." And for this apparent slight each one sat fasting many times (Baba Mezi'a 33a). And so have we found, concerning David, that the Divine Presence and the Holy Spirit departed from him for twenty-two years and every day he would shed tears and eat his morsel of food dipped in ashes. As it is said (Ps. 102:10), "For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping." David said to God, "Master of the Universe, receive me as completely repentant before Thee, in order that I may purify the wicked in the world, as it is said (Ps. 51:15), "Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall return unto Thee" (Tana Debé Eliahu, chap. 2).
Every man can learn from David in the matter of repentance. And so do we find with Adam. When Adam saw that the world was punished with death because of his deed he sat fasting one hundred and thirty years, and separated himself from his wife and covered his body with garlands of figs (to remind him constantly of his sin in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree) (Erubin 18b).
If a man has repented and then returned to his former wrongdoing, even if he has repeated this many times, he can nevertheless still repent. But it is necessary to make repentance more severe the second and third time than it was the first time. We have learned in the Jerusalem Talmud: he who has been wicked all his days and has repented, the Holy One, Blessed be He, receives him. Rabbi Johanan said, "Not only this, but all his transgressions, now that he has overcome them, are considered as merit" (T.P. Peah 1:1). And in the chapter (of the Babylonian Talmud) entitled, "Yom Kippur Atones" we read (Yoma 86b) that if he repented out of love of God, the intentional sins that he committed become merit; if he repented out of fear of God, then his intentional sins become as sins committed unknowingly. And as for all those that have no portion in the world to come and are condemned to Gehenna for generations — they are the ones who died in their wickedness. But if they repented, nothing can stand in the face of repentance. And a man should not think, "Since I sinned and caused others to sin I cannot repent," for he thereby weakens his hand from doing repentance. God forbid that he should do this, for the Sages said in the chapter entitled, "A share in the World to Come" (Sanh. 102a), even Jeroboam who sinnned and caused others to sin — even to him the Holy One, Blessed be He, said, "Now you must repent." And he did not want to (Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. 43; Menorat Hamaor, item 254; and see T.P. Sanh. 10:2).
Go forth and learn from the example of Ahab, king of Israel, who robbed and coveted and murdered. And he called for Jehoshaphat, the king of Judea who lashed him three times each day. And Ahab would pray and fast early and late before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and he never returned to his past evil deeds, and his repentance was accepted as it is said, "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me? Because he humbleth himself before Me I will not bring the evil in his days" (I Kings 21:29).
And they said in the Pesikta (of Rab Chana, Piska Deshuva Cant. Rabbah 1:5, letter 36. Yerushalmi ibid. And see Ta'anith 28b and Rashi ad. loc.) : If he was accustomed to eating after three hours let him eat after six, and if he used to eat after six hours let him eat after nine. And what is meant by, "And went softly" (I Kings 21:27)? Rabbi Joshua, the son of Levi, said that he walked barefoot, and from him (Ahab) every man should learn. Moreover (Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. 43), go forth and learn from Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who did all the evil abominations in the world, yet the Holy One, Blessed be He, received him when he repented. Moreover (Sanh. 103a), Rabbi Johanan said, "Anyone who says that Manasseh has no share in the world to come weakens the hands of those who would repent. As a Tanna taught before Rabbi Johanan," Manasseh repented for thirty-three years and the Holy One, Blessed be He, received him.
And now in these generations, when men are physically very weak and they have not the strength of the earlier generations, what should man do who has sinned all his days through gossip, flattery, and all other bad qualities, and he was not careful all his life about the precepts themselves for he never saw a man fulfill the commandments so that he might learn from him. And he did not hasten all his days to pray or say the benedictions, and so he did with all the commandments — how such a one can bear the pain according to his transgressions, for there is no reckoning the multitude of sins which are committed by a man who is not careful about his deeds.
Therefore, it is important to make a path before the people who are eager to repent. And there is a difference between people. How so? If the one who sinned is well-versed in the Torah and if the anguish and the fasting are too difficult for him, he will not be able to correct his evil qualities, and so it is best to lighten the burden of the various pains and fasting that have been laid upon him, and he should be instructed to occupy himself with great effort in the study of Torah. And thus did they say (Lev. Rabbah 25:1): "If a man went astray and sinned and is deserving of death at the hands of Heaven, what can he do and live? If he was accustomed to read one page in the Talmud let him read two, if he was accustomed to study one chapter of the Mishnah let him study two, since there is atonement in much study. And let this man do kindness and truth, and through these means his sins will be atoned for, as it is said, "By mercy and truth, iniquity is expiated" (Prov. 16:6). And he should exert himself to perform every single precept as it is set forth, and he should trouble himself to cause the many to have merit, to do kind deeds to people, to pray with serious intent and with submission to God and with a rending of the heart, and he should ask forgiveness from the Lord for all his sins. And he should avoid frivolous laughter and aimless strolling about and idle things, and from hearing "the latest news." Similarly, he should avoid all the things that are only for this world, and he should set a definite plan of what he can do and what he can bear in the way of repentance together with his occupying himself with Torah and the commandments. And he must always try to be submissive to God, and he should fast at least one day a week and on that day he should free himself of everything in the world and sit by himself and arrange thoughts in his heart towards God — to cleave to Him and to be sad of spirit because he has raised himself in rebellion against the Great King. And he should weep and mourn with broken heart and multiply pleadings and multiply praises of God and should receive a lashing three times on that day and when they lash him he should say, "But he, being full of compassion forgiveth iniquity and destroyeth not; yea, many a time doth He turn His anger away" (Ps. 78:38). And so must he say three times at every lashing and so should he continue to do until he finds favor before the King, Most High.
And if the sinner who comes to do penance is a man who cannot study, or is burdened with a large family, or is an ignorant man, or he is learned but cannot constrain himself to follow everything in this book — all such as these must increase their ability to bear difficult afflictions. And these afflictions are not the same for every man, for one man is very healthy and another is weak. When there was a court of law in Jerusalem in the Chamber of Hewn Stone and when they sat in judgment in capital cases or those punishable by lashing; they would, in the case of lashing, estimate the number of lashes the condemned man should receive according to his strength to endure it. And so we should do now : everything according to the condition of the man. There is a man who, if we make his pain too severe, will abandon the matter altogether and will not do penance. Therefore the wise man should search out the condition of the man and decide as he sees fit.
And now we must write down the details of how one should afflict oneself to atone for particular transgressions. A man who had intercourse with a gentile woman should fast and be lashed, and he should not eat meat or drink wine for at least forty days, or he should fast three days, night and day, in three successive years. And, if after the repentance, he returns to his evil conduct, he must place a heavier burden upon himself. In the summer, he should go to a place where there are many ants, and he should sit among them naked, and in the winter, he should break the ice on top of the water and sit in the water up to his nose, and if he reverts to his evil ways, then he should make the anguish more and more severe.
He who pours out his seed for nothing (i.e. masturbates), should fast for forty days, though they need not be consecutive and he should sit in water in the days of winter for as long as it takes to roast an egg and swallow it, all those forty days, and he should not eat meat and should not drink wine or any warm thing, except on Sabbaths and festivals, and he should wash his head a little with water two or three times during all those forty days.
If he embraced or kissed his wife during her unclean period he should fast forty days, and if he had marital relations with his wife during the time of her separation, he should fast for forty consecutive days and should receive a lashing each day, and should not eat meat or drink wine, nor eat any warm food, except on Sabbaths and festivals, and he should not wash himself all those days, and he must confess his sin every day. One who has kissed or embraced a woman other than his wife should fast each Monday and Thursday, and should keep away from the doorway of her house. One who has copulated with an animal or a bird should fast and not wash himself for forty days, and should not look at an animal or a bird when it is in heat.
A murderer should wander in exile for three years, and he should be lashed in every city, and he should say, "I am a murderer," and he should not eat meat and he should not drink wine and he should shave the hair of his head and his beard only once a month. And he should bind the hand with which he committed the murder to his upper arm and neck (in the fashion of a sling,) and he should walk barefoot and he should weep because of his sin, and he should fast every day until he completes his fast and his exile. And afterwards he should fast on Mondays and Thursdays for one year. If people revile him, he should be silent, and during those three years, he should not go strolling or engage in laughter. And when he wanders in exile, he should lie down before the doorway of the synagogue and all those who come and go should pass over him, they should not step upon him.
An apostate should remove his nice clothes, and he should mourn and weep and afflict himself all the days of his life, and he should lower his spirit and his pride and he should confess three times a day, and he should not eat meat or drink wine, except on Sabbaths and holidays, and he should wash but little, and he should not wash his head more than once or twice a month, and he should not go to any place of entertainment or to a wedding (but he may be present when the marriage blessings are recited), and he should keep away from idolatry and from those who serve it, and he should not sit with priests or church officials, and he should not sit in a place where people speak heresy, and he should stay far from the entrance to their houses, and he should derive no profit from them. Immediately upon repentance he must immerse himself, and he must bear the pain and the afflictions that are prescribed for one who has committed his sin, for he has denied God, and he has profaned the Sabbaths, and he has had intercourse with heathen women, and he has committed transgressions that are punishable by being cut off from his people, or by capital punishment at the hands of a court of law. Therefore, he requires great affliction and great repentance.
If a man has had intercourse with another man's wife or with a betrothed maiden, this, of course, prohibits her to her husband or to her betrothed, inasmuch as she consented, and for this sin he is liable to death at the hands of a court. Therefore, he must bear a pain which is as difficult as death. In the winter, he should sit in snow or ice, every day once or twice or three times, and in the summertime he should sit in front of flies or bees, or he should endure other sufferings which are as difficult as death. And he should confess all that he has done with weeping and sighing, and for a whole year he should not eat any warm food, and he should not wash except a little on the eve of the Sabbaths, and festivals. And he should not see any kind of amusement, except to hear the blessings of bridegroom, and he should not adorn himself with anything, and he should be lashed every day, and he should lie down upon the earth or upon one board without a pillow or cushion (and only on Sabbaths and festivals may he lie down upon straw and hay with a pillow under his head), until he removes the vulgar spirit and the lust that is within him. He should live a life of anguish and he should wear sackcloth on his flesh, and he should not speak of the desire for women and he should not look at women or their ornaments even when the ornaments are not upon the women. He should not listen to the sound of their song — and he should not be with women at all, not even to converse with them through gestures and not for any reason, and even as regards his own wife he should not be alone with her during her unclean period, he should not be close to her with any sort of nearness.
One who has sworn falsely or has trespassed against a consecrated object must be lashed several times all the days of his life, and he should confess for many days. And after this he should be very careful not to swear even to a truth — not by the Torah, and not by the soul of his ancestors — but he may make a vow by the life of his own head, and he may swear to observe the commandments. He must be very careful not to utter the name of God in vain, and his limbs should tremble when he mentions the Name of God, Blessed be He, and he should be careful not to utter any blessing without purpose. And if he has made an error and did utter a blessing for nothing, then he must say after it at once, "Blessed is the glorious name of His Kingdom forever and ever." And as for those who accustom their mouths and the mouths of their children to mention the Name of God for nothing, woe to their souls and to their children that they have so taught their tongues. Therefore he should guard and set up a fence for himself and for his children and for his companions who listen to him, so that he will not mention the Name of God in vain. And if the penitent is compelled to make an oath to his creditor, even though it is a true oath, he must fast that day every year.
If he has got in the habit of talking in the synagogue and engaging in jocularity and frivolity, from the time he becomes a penitent he should take care not to speak in the synagogue about any secular thing, even when the congregation is not engaged in prayer, and he should sit in great fear, and he should pray with great humility. And he should fast for forty days, either consecutively or intermittently, and he should be lashed in private every day.
If he has stolen or taken usury, he must ask forgiveness from the man he has injured, and he must fast for forty days, and he must be very careful not to receive any pledges, and he should not get in the habit of going to the money of his companion, and he should do kindly deeds with his person and with his money, and he should be liberal with what belongs to him for the benefit of those who labor in the Torah and revere God, Blessed be He. And as for the One who has taken usurious interest, if he can manage not to take interest, even from a heathen, it would be good.
He who informs on a fellow man thereby makes him hateful in the eyes of the ruler, causes him ill and deprives him of his money, and enslaves him and his wife and his sons. Such a man should reimburse the other for all that he has lost, and should beg forgiveness of him, and he should be lashed, and he should fast more than two years, and he should confess all the days of his life, for it is reckoned as if he had slain his companion and his wife and his children. How many sins he has committed by his act! Therefore, he should break down his spirit. And if he has nothing with which to pay, he should send intercessors and beg his companion's forgiveness, and he should live very frugally so that he will be able to reimburse his companion or his heirs.
He who goes about tale-bearing has a similar penance to fulfill, and there is no remedy for him unless he begs forgiveness of his injured companion. And he should fast for forty days or more and be lashed every day, and he should confess his sin all the days of his life. And he should spend all of his time in the fulfillment of the commandments, and in making peace between men and between man and wife.
He who smites his companion and causes him pain, whether it be in money matters or through fraudulent words, there is no atonement for him unless he can appease his companion. And the Day of Atonement atones only for sins that are between man and God. But as for sins between him and his fellow man, he must first appease him (Yoma 85b). He who lifts his hand against his companion, even though he did not smite him, is called a wicked man (Sanh. 58b), and he must ask forgiveness of him: only thus can he do atonement.
He who shames his companion should fast for forty days or more, and he should be lashed every day, and he should confess his wrong all the days of his life. He who calls his companion by a derogatory nick-name must beg him for forgiveness in the presence of many, and he must fast forty days and he must confess privately every day.
He who provokes his companion must bring three groups of three people, as it is said, "He cometh before men and saith" (Job 33:27), and he must say in their presence, "I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not." But he does not have to ask him for forgiveness more than three times. If the man whom he provoked dies, he should take ten men to his grave and say, "I have sinned to the Lord, the God of Israel and to this person, for I have provoked him" (Yoma 87a).
But to begin with, before he does these forms of penance, one who has grieved his companion should go to him and say, "I have sinned against you," and if he does not accept his apology, he should bring three people and ask for forgiveness in their presence. All this applies where he has not shamed his companion publicly, but if he did shame him publicly, it is not sufficient that he should ask of him forgiveness by appeasing him privately. But the one who is asked to forgive should not be cruel (Baba Kamma 92a). And if he provoked him by spreading an evil report concerning him, there is no forgiveness for him ever (T.P. Baba Kamma 9:10), unless he fasts and is lashed privately forty days or more.
One who profanes the Name of God — profanation of the name of God is an exceedingly great sin. And what is profanation of the name of God? Rav said, "For example, if I go to a butcher and buy meat and I haven't the money to pay for it at once." The meaning of this is that if one makes light of dishonesty or robbery, then people will learn very quickly from him and will make even lighter of such a wrong (Yoma 86a). Rabbi Johanan said, "As far as I am concerned, if I walk four cubits without speaking words of the Torah or wearing Tefillin, I am guilty of profaning God's name." And the meaning of this statement is that from his example people may learn to regard these sacred things very lightly. Isaac, of the school of Rabbi Yannai said, "Profanation of God's Name is anything which causes shame to a person's companions when they hear of it, that is to say, when it is said of him that he has done unworthy deeds, people will learn from his deeds and will think, "If he can do these things, then we certainly can" — and permit themselves to commit transgressions which otherwise they would not. Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Haninah (Kiddushin 40a), "It is better that a man should commit a transgression secretly, so that he should not profane the Name of God publicly." And the meaning of this is that other people should not learn of his bad deeds.
Rabbi Ilai, the Elder, said, "If a man sees that his desire is strengthening itself over him, he should go to a place where nobody knows him, and let him put on dark clothes, and let him wrap himself in dark garments, and then let him do what his heart desires, but let him not profane the Name of God publicly." And Rabbi Hananel explained this as follows : "God forbid that a man is permitted to commit a sin! But the wise men stood firmly against the evil inclination and believed that one lusts only for that which is forbidden and in order to gratify his lust, and that if a man were to go a long distance and put on dark garments, then his heart would be broken and thus he would refrain from sin. But as far as doing something which is forbidden (even in a distant place), absolutely not. It is just that this type of conduct breaks the grip of the evil inclination and restrains one from sinning." As Rabbi Ilai said, "The weariness caused by long journeys and stopping at inns and putting on of black garments, breaks the evil inclination and restrains a man from transgression." And they said, "Whosoever takes no thought for the honor of his maker, it were a mercy if he had not come into the world" (Hagigah 11b). And in the Gemara, Rabbi Joseph said, "It refers to one who commits a transgression in secret" (Hagigah 16a). And Rabbi Issac said, "Everyone who commits a sin in secret, it is as though he restricted the Divine Presence."
Profanation of the Name of God is a transgression that bears bitter fruit, for when a man has done this evil thing, others learn from him. And a man ought to be very, very fearful of committing this sin, for profanation of the Name of God can occur in many ways and there is no limit to it. For everyone who belittles one precept or takes the glory of God lightly is called "one who profanes the Name," for others will learn from him, and they will treat the matter even more lightly. Therefore a man must be on guard exceedingly in all his deeds, so that people will not learn from him to take lightly and despise what is sacred.
If a man has committed transgressions for which he is liable to be cut off from among his people or to be condemned to death by the court, then repentance and the Day of Atonement atone for half of his sin, while afflictions that come upon him atone for half. "But if he has been guilty of the profanation of the Name, then penitence has no power to suspend punishment, nor the day of Atonement to procure atonement, nor suffering to finish it, but all of them together suspend the punishment and only death finishes it" (Yoma 86a, and see T.P. Yoma 8:8). Therefore, a man should guard himself exceedingly from profaning the Name of God, and he should keep away from ugly conduct and from that which resembles it. And the principal requirement in repenting for profaning the Name of God is that he should make known his sins in the presence of many, and he should say, "Do not learn from me, for in my folly I have sinned, I have perverted, I have trespassed, I have profaned the Name of God, Blessed be He." And he should keep many fasts and he should confess every day until the day of his death.
For every single sin that a man does, whether it be done unwittingly or intentionally, for example, if he touched a lamp or kindled a fire, not remembering that it was the Sabbath, or if he did this without knowing that he did it, he must confess and fast for at least two days, on Monday and on Thursday. And, similarly, for all transgressions, that a man commits, great or small, he should fast. There are two virtues in this. The first is that the fast atones for what he has already done, and the second is that he will be restrained from further transgressions, for he will think, "If I do this, I will have to fast," and so he will hold himself back from transgressing. And this is the high fence that one can place in the way of all transgressions : he should afflict himself or give alms, or cause pain to his body when he transgresses. And thus should he do with respect to all the sins of which he is guilty, for example : hatred, envy, rejoicing at another's misfortune, idling, engaging in gossip, failure to pay attention to the blessings or to the prayers (but he merely cast the blessings from his mouth without any intention of the heart), and the like. One should examine oneself exceedingly in these matters daily and if he has transgressed in any one of them he should hasten to cause himself anguish and to mourn and to confess the sin which he committed and to ask forgiveness from God, Blessed be He, with a broken heart.
Confession is a matter of great importance, for our Sages, of blessed memory, taught (Sanh. 43b) : When a man condemned to death was a distance of ten cubits from the place of stoning, they would say to him, "Confess." For it is the way of all who are about to be slain that they do confess, and every man who confesses has a share in the world to come. For thus have we found in the case of Achan. When Joshua said to him, "My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and confess unto him, and tell to me now what thou hast done, hide nothing from me." And Achan answered Joshua, and said, "It is true, I sinned to the Lord, the God of Israel and thus and like thus have I done" (Josh. 7:19—20). And how do we know that his confession atoned for him ? Because it is said, "And Joshua said, 'Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day' " (Jos. 7:25). This day you will be troubled, but you will not be troubled in the world to come. And if he does not know how to confess, they say to him, "Say these words : 'May my death be an atonement for all my sins'."
All the commandments of the Torah, whether positive or negative commandments, if a man has transgressed one of them, either intentionally or unintentionally, when he repents and returns from his sinfulness, he must confess it before God, Blessed be He. As it is said, "When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to commit a trespass against the Lord, and that soul shall be found guilty then they shall confess their sin which they have done" (Num. 5:6). This is confession by words. And as for all men who have sinned or trespassed and all who are liable to death by the court, or to lashing, their sins are not atoned for by death or by lashing, or by sacrifice until they do repentance and confess. And anyone who injures another, or who causes him monetary loss, even though he paid him, there is no atonement for the offender until he confesses and resolves never to do a similar act. And how does he confess? He should say, "Pray, O God, I sinned, I dealt perversely, I trespassed before You, and I did thus and thus, and now, behold, I am repentant and I am ashamed of my deeds, and I shall never repeat such a thing." This is the essence of confession. And he who confesses at length and dwells upon this matter deserves praise. Also it is an important part of confession for him to say : "But we have sinned."
It is very good to specify in his confession the sin he has committed. For example, if he has eaten carrion or flesh torn by beasts or other forbidden things, then after he says, "I have trespassed," he should say, "I ate a forbidden thing." And if he sinned in fornication, when he says, "I have rebelled," he should say, "I committed fornication," and he should specify in his confession if he had intercourse with a gentile woman or with his wife during her unclean period. And if he stole, then when he says, "I have robbed," then he should also say, "I stole from such and such a person," and if he poured out his seed for nothing (i.e., if he masturbated), then when he comes to the words, "I have dealt perversely," he should say, "I brought forth seed for nothing." And if he committed incest, when he reaches the part where he says, "I have dealt impudently," he should say, "I have fornicated." And if he has profaned the Sabbaths, where he comes to the phrase, "I have done violence," he should say, "I have profaned Sabbaths." And if he has coveted, he should say, "I have coveted." And thus with all the letters of the alphabet which are found in the confession; for every single letter in the confession, he should declare the sort of sin he has committed. And he should say with weeping, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have compassion upon him" (Is. 55:7), and then it will avail him.
At the end of the confession, he should say, "I have transgressed the positive commandments and the negative commandments; I have committed transgressions which make me liable to being cut off from my people or to death by order of the court. I have transgressed against the Written Torah and against the Oral Torah. I forgot Thy Great Name. I forgot the yoke of Your kingdom and the reverence due You, and You, O God, are just in everything that comes upon us." And it has been said in the Jerusalem Talmud (T.P. Yoma 8:9): How does he confess? "Master of all worlds, I have done what is evil in Thine eyes, and I have stood in evil ways, but I shall not do so again. May it be Thy will, O Lord my God and God of my fathers, that You will grant atonement to me for all my sins, and forgive me for all my wrong-doings, and pardon me for all my errors."
The general rule of the matter is that a man should repent of all bad qualities, and one who does repent his evil qualities needs very great strengthening, for when a man is already used to them it is very difficult for him to abandon them, and on this subject it is said, "Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts" (Is. 55:7). And let not a man who is truly repentant think that he is far away from the status of the righteous because of the sins and the wrongs which he has committed. It is not so, for he is as beloved and dear before the Creator, Blessed be He, as though he had never sinned. Not only this, but his reward is great, for he has tasted the taste of sin, and yet abandoned it and conquered his evil inclination. Our Sages said, "In the place where penitents stand, even the wholly righteous cannot stand" (Berakoth 34b), that is to say, their status is even higher than that of those who never sinned, for they subdue the evil inclination more than the others. All of the prophets without exception commanded us concerning repentance (ibid.), and it is only through repentance that Israel is redeemed (see Yoma 86b, Sanh. 97b). And the Torah has already assured us that Israel will ultimately repent at the end of their exile, and they will immediately be redeemed. As it is said, "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessings and the curse which I have set before thee and thou shalt bethink thyself… and shalt return unto the Lord thy God… that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples" (Deut. 30:1—3).
Great is repentance, for it brings man near to the Divine Presence, as it is said, "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. 14:2; and see Yoma 86a). And it is said, "Yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the Lord God" (Amos 4:6). And it is said, "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, Yea, return unto Me" (Jer. 4:1), that is to say, "If you will return with repentance, you will cleave to me." Repentance brings near those who are far off. Last night this man was hated before God, Blessed be He, — defiled, far removed, an abomination — but today he is loved and precious and near and dear. And so you find this clearly shown in the language with which the Holy One, Blessed be He, thrusts away the sinners and the language with which He receives those who are repentant, whether it be one person or whether it be many, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass that instead of that which was said, unto them 'Ye are not my people', it shall be said unto them 'Ye are the children of the living God' " (Hos. 2:1).
Concerning Coniah in his wickedness, it is said, "Write ye this man childless, a man shall not prosper in his days" (Jer. 22:30), and, "Though Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, King of Judah, were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence" (Jer. 22:24). And inasmuch as he repented when he was in exile, it is said of Zerubbabel, his son, "In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and I will make thee as a signet" (Hag. 2:23).
How excellent is the quality of repentance. Last night this one was separated from the Lord, the God of Israel, Blessed be He. As it is said, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God" (Is. 59:2). He cried and he was not answered, as it is said, "Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear" (Is. 1:15). And he fulfilled precepts and they were torn up before his face, as it is said, "Who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts" (Is. 1:12), and, "Oh that there were even one among you that would shut the doors" Mal. 1:10), and, "Hold your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eat ye flesh" (Jer. 7:21). Yet today he is closely attached to the Divine Presence, as it is said, "But you, who hold fast to the Lord your God" (Deut. 4:4). He cries out and is answered at once, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer" (Is. 65:24). He fulfills the commandments and they are received with pleasure and with joy, as it is said, "For the Lord hath already accepted thy works" (Eccl. 9:7). Moreover, his commandments are desired, as it is said, "Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in days of old and in ancient years" (Mal. 3:4).
It is the way of those who repent to be lowly and exceedingly modest, and if fools revile them because of their prior deeds and say to them, "Only last night you did so and so and only last night you said so and so," they do not feel any resentment, but they listen and they rejoice and they know that this is merit to them, that so long as they are ashamed of the sins that they committed their merit is very great and their virtue increases. And it is a great sin to say to a repentant person, "Remember your prior deeds" or to mention his sins in his presence in order to shame him. And on this subject is it said, "And ye shall not wrong one another" (Lev. 25:17).
He who is a true penitent should seek to do good deeds, and to remove himself from thoughts of this world, and to strengthen himself in the counsel of God, Blessed be He, and to take shelter in His shadow, and bear the yoke of the Torah of God, Blessed be He, and bear the revilement of fools, and to be like one who is deaf, blind, and dead against their attacks, as it is said, "Because for thy sake I have borne reproach… I make sackcloth also my garment… but as for me, let my prayer be unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time" (Ps. 69:8—14).
שַׁעַר הָעֶשְׂרִים וְשִׁשָּׁה – שַׁעַר הַתְּשׁוּבָה
Chapter Twenty Six: ON REPENTANCE
הַתְּשׁוּבָה. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי: גְּדוֹלָה תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁמַּגַּעַת עַד כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד; שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע יד ב): ״שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ״ (יומא פו א). וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: כְּשֶׁעָלָה מֹשֶׁה לָרָקִיעַ הָרִאשׁוֹן, מָצָא כִּתּוֹת שֶׁל מַלְאָכִים. פָּתְחוּ לְפָנָיו סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, וְקָרְאוּ מַעֲשֵׂה יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן, וּפָסְקוּ וְהִתְחִילוּ לְסַפֵּר בְּשִׁבְחָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה. עָלָה לַשְּׁנִיָּה, וּמָצָא חֲבִילוֹת שֶׁל מַלְאָכִים, וְקוֹרִין מַעֲשֵׂה יוֹם שֵׁנִי; וּפָסְקוּ וְהִתְחִילוּ לְסַפֵּר בְּשִׁבְחָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה וְשֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל. עָלָה לַשְּׁלִישִׁי, וּמָצָא מַלְאָכִים וּגְדוּדִים קוֹרִין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי; וּפָסְקוּ וְהִתְחִילוּ לְסַפֵּר בְּשִׁבְחָהּ שֶׁל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם. עָלָה לָרְבִיעִי, מָצָא אֶרְאֶלִּים קוֹרִין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יוֹם רְבִיעִי; וּפָסְקוּ וְהִתְחִילוּ לְסַפֵּר בְּשִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ. עָלָה לַחֲמִישִׁי, מָצָא מַחֲנוֹת מַחֲנוֹת קוֹרִין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי; וּפָסְקוּ וְהִתְחִילוּ לְסַפֵּר בְּעִצְּבוֹנָהּ שֶׁל גֵּיהִנָּם. עָלָה לַשִּׁשִּׁי, וּמָצָא שָׁם מַלְאָכִים, וְהָיוּ קוֹרִין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יוֹם שִׁשִּׁי; וּפָסְקוּ וְהִתְחִילוּ לְסַפֵּר בְּמַעֲשֵׂה גַּן עֵדֶן, וּמְבַקְשִׁים לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִתֵּן חֶלְקָם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגַן עֵדֶן. עָלָה לַשְּׁבִיעִי, וּמָצָא אוֹפַנִּים וּשְׂרָפִים, גַּלְגַּלִּים וּמַלְאֲכֵי רַחֲמִים, מַלְאֲכֵי חֶסֶד וּצְדָקָה, וּמַלְאֲכֵי רֶתֶת וְזִיעַ. מִיָּד אָחַז בְּכִסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד. הִתְחִילוּ לִקְרוֹת בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יוֹם שְׁבִיעִי: ״וַיְכֻלּוּ״, וּפָסְקוּ וְהִתְחִילוּ לְסַפֵּר בְּשִׁבְחָהּ שֶׁל תְּשׁוּבָה. לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁתְּשׁוּבָה מַגַּעַת עַד כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ״ (הושע יד ב).
Said Rabbi Levi, "Great is repentance for it reaches to the very Throne of Glory," as it is said (Hos. 14:2) "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Yoma 86a). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "When Moses went up to the first firmament he found groups of angels. They opened before him the Book of the Torah and read of God's work on the first day of Creation. And then they paused and began to tell the praises of the Torah. Then Moses ascended to the second firmament and he found bands of angels who were reading of the work of the second day of creation and then they paused and began to tell the praises of the Torah and of Israel. He then ascended to the third firmament and he found troops of angels reading of the work of the third day of Creation, and they paused and began to speak in praise of Jerusalem. He ascended to the fourth firmament where he found angels reading of the work of the fourth day of Creation and they paused and they began to tell the praises of the Messiah. Then he went up to the fifth firmament and he found companies and companies of angels reading of the work of the fifth day of Creation. And they paused and began to tell of the sadness and sorrow of Gehenna. Then he ascended to the sixth firmament and found there angels, and they were reading of the work of the sixth day of Creation and they paused and began to tell about Paradise, and they beseeched the Holy One, Blessed be He, to make Paradise the portion of Israel. Then he went up to the seventh firmament and found there heavenly creatures called Ofanim, Seraphim, and Galgalim, and angels of mercy, and angels of kindness and justice, and angels of fear and trembling. At once Moses took hold of the Throne of Glory. They began to read of the work of the seventh day, the portion beginning, "And the heaven and the earth were finished" (Gen. 2:1). And they paused and they began to tell the praise of repentance, to teach you that repentance reaches to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. 14:2).
אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא (פסחים נד א): שִׁבְעָה דְּבָרִים קָדְמוּ לָעוֹלָם, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: תּוֹרָה, תְּשׁוּבָה, גַּן עֵדֶן וְגֵיהִנֹּם, וְכִסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, וּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, וּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ. וְלָמָּה אֵלּוּ שִׁבְעָה? דַּע לְךָ, שֶׁעִקַּר בְּרִיאַת הָעוֹלָם הוּא בִּשְׁבִיל הָאָדָם, כִּי אֵין צֹרֶךְ בָּעוֹלָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן אֶלָּא בָּאָדָם, וְהוּא מוֹשֵׁל בְּכָל עוֹלָם הַתַּחְתּוֹן, בִּבְהֵמוֹת וְחַיּוֹת וְעוֹפוֹת וְדָגִים וּשְׁרָצִים. וּמֵאַחַר שֶׁעִקַּר הַבְּרִיאָה בִּשְׁבִיל הָאָדָם, אִם כֵּן הֻצְרַךְ לְהַקְדִּים הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא קִיּוּם הָעוֹלָם, דִּכְתִיב: ״אִם לֹא בְרִיתִי יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה, חֻקּוֹת שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ לֹא שָׂמְתִּי״ (ירמיהו לג כה).
Rabbi Akiba said, "Seven things were created before the Universe and they are these : Torah, Repentance, Paradise, Gehennah, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah" (Pesahim 54a). And why these seven? Know this, that the principal reason for the creation of the world is man, for there is no need for the lower world except for man, and he rules over all the lower world : over the cattle, the beasts, the fowl, the fish and the swarming things. And inasmuch as the principal reason for creation is man it was necessary first to create the Torah, which is the very existence of the world. As it is written, "If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth" (Jer. 33:25).
וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִקְדִּים הַתּוֹרָה, הֻצְרַךְ כְּמוֹ כֵן לְהַקְדִּים הַתְּשׁוּבָה, כִּי כֵּיוָן שֶׁיֵּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה עֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה וָעֳנָשִׁים הַמְּפֹרָשִׁים בַּתּוֹרָה, הֻצְרַךְ עַל כָּל פָּנִים לְהַקְדִּים תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁאִם יֶחֱטָא הָאָדָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לוֹ זְמַן לָשׁוּב; שֶׁאִם לֹא כֵן לֹא הָיָה הָעוֹלָם קַיָּם דּוֹר אֶחָד, כִּי אָדָם אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה טּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטָא (קהלת ז כ), כִּי מִיָּד שֶׁהַדּוֹר חוֹטֵא הוּא רָאוּי לְכַלּוֹתוֹ וּלְהַשְׁמִידוֹ. וּלְכָךְ נִכְתַּב מַעֲשֵׂה סְדוֹם בַּתּוֹרָה, לְהוֹדִיעַ לַחוֹטְאִים שֶׁהֵם רְאוּיִים לִהְיוֹת כָּלִים, הֵם וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם, וְגַם הָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה רְאוּיָה לְהִתְהַפֵּךְ כְּמוֹ סְדוֹם, אֶלָּא שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִקְדִּים תְּשׁוּבָה, וּמַמְתִּין דּוֹר אַחַר דּוֹר.
And since He created the Torah first, it was logically necessary to create Repentance, for inasmuch as the Torah contains positive and negative commandments and punishments which are explained in the Torah, it was necessary to anticipate the creation of man by creating repentance, so that if a man should sin there would be time for him to repent; otherwise the world could not exist for even one generation. "For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not" ((Eccl. 7:20), and immediately upon sinning this generation would deserve to be completely destroyed. It is for this reason that the story of Sodom was written in the Torah, to let the sinners know that they deserve to be destroyed — they and all that belongs to them. And that the earth too deserved to be overturned, as in the case of Sodom, but the Holy One, Blessed be He, created Repentance early and waits patiently generation after generation for man to repent.
וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִקְדִּים תּוֹרָה וּתְשׁוּבָה, הֻצְרַךְ לְהַקְדִּים כְּמוֹ כֵן גַּן עֵדֶן וְגֵיהִנָּם וְכִסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, שֶׁהֵם מְקוֹמוֹת לְשַׁלֵּם לָאִישׁ כְּמַעֲשָׂיו.
But inasmuch as God had created the Torah and Repentance earlier than man, it was also necessary for him to create Paradise and Gehennah and the Throne of Glory before creating man, for they are the places where each man is rewarded according to his deeds.
וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהִקְדִּים כָּל אֵלּוּ, הֻצְרַךְ לְהַקְדִּים בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ, כִּי בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה תִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ דֵּעָה, וְלֹא יִהְיֶה יֵצֶר הָרַע בִּבְנֵי אָדָם, וְכֻלָּם יֵדְעוּ שֶׁעִקַּר בְּרִיאַת הָעוֹלָם בִּשְׁבִיל עֲבוֹדַת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְעַלֶּה. לָכֵן הִקְדִּים אֵלּוּ הַשִּׁבְעָה לָעוֹלָם. ״וְעָלוּ מוֹשִׁעִים בְּהַר צִיּוֹן״ (עובדיה א כא), ״וּבָא לְצִיּוֹן גּוֹאֵל, וּלְשָׁבֵי פֶּשַׁע בְּיַעֲקֹב״ (ישעיהו נט כ). אָמֵן, וְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
And inasmuch as He had created all of these, it was necessary to create the Temple and the name of the Messiah before creating man. For in the days of the Messiah, the earth will be filled with knowledge and there will be no evil desire among men. And all people, great and small, will know the name of God, may He be exalted, with a great knowledge and then they will know, all of them, that the principal reason for the creation of the world was service to the Creator, may He be exalted. Therefore, He first created all of these seven before He created the world. "And saviours shall come up on mount Zion (Obad. 1:21) and "a redeemer will come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob" (Is. 59:20). Amen. And thus may it be His will.
עֲבוּר שִׁבְעָה דְּבָרִים יַקְדִּים הָאָדָם לָשׁוּב בְּבַחֲרוּתוֹ כְּשֶׁהוּא בְּגֹדֶל כּוֹחוֹ: הָאֶחָד – כִּי עֲבוֹדַת הַתּוֹרָה וְהַיִּרְאָה, וְכָל הַמַּעֲלוֹת שֶׁהָאָדָם חַיָּב, הֵמָּה רַבִּים מְאוֹד מְאוֹד. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: ״אֲרֻכָּה מֵאֶרֶץ מִדָּהּ, וּרְחָבָה מִנִּי יָם״ (איוב יא ט). ״וְהַיּוֹם קָצָר״ (משנה אבות ב טו), כִּי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה יוֹם קָצָר מְאוֹד, ״כַּצֵּל יָמֵינוּ עַל הָאָרֶץ״ (דברי הימים א כט טו). וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (בראשית רבה צו ב): לֹא כְּצֵל כֹּתֶל וְלֹא כְּצֵל אִילָן, אֶלָּא כְּצֵל עוֹף הַפּוֹרֵחַ בָּאֲוִיר. ״וְהַפּוֹעֲלִים עֲצֵלִים״ – זֶהוּ הָאָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מִדַּת הָעַצְלוּת.
For seven reasons should a man repent early while still in his youth when his power is strong. The first is that the labor needed to acquire Torah and reverence for God and all qualities that a man must possess is exceedingly great. And concerning this it is said, "The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea" (Job 11:9). And, "The day is short" (Aboth 2:20). For this world is a very short day. "Like a shadow are our days upon the earth" (I Chron. 29:15). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Not like the shadow of a wall and not like the shadow of a tree, but like the shadow of a bird in flight" (Gen. Rabbah 96:2). And as to the expression, "And the workers are lazy" (Aboth 2:20), this refers to a man who has within him the quality of laziness.
וְעַתָּה הִתְבּוֹנֵן: אָדָם שֶׁמְּחֻיָּב לֵילֵךְ מַהֲלַךְ יוֹם עֶשֶׂר פַּרְסָאוֹת וְיוֹתֵר, וְהַדֶּרֶךְ מָלֵא מִכְשׁוֹלִים מִטִּיט וַאֲבָנִים, וְיֵשׁ לִסְטִים וְרוֹצְחִים בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדֶּרֶךְ, וְהוּא צָרִיךְ לָלֶכֶת עַל כָּל פָּנִים, כִּי כֵן צִוָּה לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ וְלֹא יוּכַל לִדְחוֹתוֹ – כַּמָּה צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהַקְדִּים בַּבֹּקֶר וְלַחְגֹּר מָתְנָיו בִּזְרִיזוּת וְלָלֶכֶת בִּמְהִירוּת. לָכֵן יֵשׁ לְהַשְׁכִּים וּלְהַקְדִּים לַעֲבוֹדַת הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְעַלֶּה. וַאֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה כָּל יְכָלְתּוֹ – יַשִּׂיג רַק מְעַט מִן הַמַּעֲלוֹת. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (אבות דרבי נתן טז ד) עַל מָה שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״כִּי הוּא יָדַע יִצְרֵנוּ״ (תהלים קג יד): מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁנָּתַן שָׂדֶה לַעֲבָדָיו, וְאָמַר לָהֶם לְעָבְדוֹ וּלְשָׁמְרוֹ, וּלְהָבִיא מִמֶּנּוּ שְׁלוֹשִׁים כּוֹר בְּכָל שָׁנָה. וְהֵם טָרְחוּ בָּהּ וְעָבְדוּ אוֹתָהּ הֵיטֵב, וְהֵבִיאוּ לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ חֲמִשָּׁה כּוֹרִין. אָמַר לָהֶם: מַה זֹּאת עֲשִׂיתֶם? אָמְרוּ לוֹ: אֲדוֹנֵנוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ, הַשָּׂדֶה שֶׁנָּתַתָּ לָנוּ הִיא זִבּוּרִית, וַאֲנַחְנוּ בְּכָל כּוֹחֵנוּ עֲבַדְנוּהָ, וְלֹא עָשְׂתָה יוֹתֵר מִזֶּה הַשִּׁעוּר. כָּךְ הָאָדָם, אֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁיַּעֲבֹד בְּכָל כּוֹחוֹ – עֲבוֹדָתוֹ קְטַנָּה. וְאִם יֹאמַר: אַמְתִּין עַד שֶׁאֶהְיֶה פָּנוּי וְעַד שֶׁאַרְוִיחַ דֵּי סִפּוּקִי – הִנֵּה טִרְדוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֵינָן פּוֹסְקוֹת, וּכְדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: ״וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאִפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִּפָּנֶה״ (משנה אבות ב ד).
And now consider the case of a man who must walk a distance during the day of ten parasangs ** Ancient Persian measure of length about 3-1/4 miles. and more, and his path is filled with stumbling blocks, mud and stones, and there are plunderers and murderers along that way and he must go in spite of all of this, for so has the king commanded him and he is not able to avoid it, how must this man first prepare in the morning and gird his loins with alertness and walk speedily? Therefore, how important it is to rise early and to begin early the service of the Creator, may He be exalted. And even though he does all that is in his power, he will attain only a little of the needed qualities. As our Sages expounded (Aboth de R. Nathan, chap. 16) on the verse, "For he knoweth our frame" (Ps. 103:14). They told a parable of a king who gave a field to his servants and he told them to till it and guard it and to extract from it thirty kur (of produce) every year, and they busied themselves in this matter and tilled it well, but they brought before the king only five kur. He said to them, "What is this that you have done?" They said to him, "Our lord, the king, the field you gave to us has poor soil, and though we worked it with all our might it did not produce more than this amount. Thus, man, even though he works with all his strength, his accomplishment is little and if he says, "I will wait until I have time or until I earn enough for my needs," know that the troubles and responsibilities of this world never cease. As our Sages said, "And say not, 'When I have leisure I will study'; perhaps you will never have leisure" (Aboth 2:5).
הַשֵּׁנִי – אִם יְאַחֵר תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ עַד שֶׁיַּכְנִיס וְיֶאֱסֹף הוֹן, אָז יַחְמֹד וְיִכְסֹף יוֹתֵר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (קהלת רבה א יג): אֵין אָדָם יוֹצֵא מִזֶּה הָעוֹלָם וַחֲצִי תַּאֲוָתוֹ בְּיָדוֹ, יֵשׁ בְּיָדוֹ מָנֶה – מִתְאַוֶּה לַעֲשׂוֹת מָאתַיִם, הִשִּׂיגָה יָדוֹ לְמָאתַיִם – מִתְאַוֶּה לַעֲשׂוֹת אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת. וְכֵן אָמַר הַכָּתוּב: ״אֹהֵב כֶּסֶף לֹא יִשְׂבַּע כֶּסֶף״ (קהלת ה ט).
The second thing to remember is that if he delays his repentance until he accumulates wealth then he will covet and long for more wealth, as our Sages said, "No man leaves this world with even half of his desires fulfilled" (Eccl. Rabbah 1:13). If he has one hundred coins in his hand, he wants to make it two hundred. If his hand has attained two hundred, he longs to make them four hundred. And so it is written, "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver" (Eccl. 5:9).
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי – הַזְּמַן מִתְמַעֵט וְהַמְּלָאכָה מְרֻבָּה: מְלֶאכֶת הַתּוֹרָה, וְתִקּוּן הַנֶּפֶשׁ, וְהַשָּׂגוֹת הַמַּעֲלוֹת כְּמוֹ הַיִּרְאָה.
The third reason that a man should hasten to repent while still in his youth is that the time is so little and the work is so much — the work of studying the Torah, and the improvement of the soul, the attainment of good qualities such as love, reverence, and cleaving to God. As our Sages said, "The day is short, and the work is great" (Aboth 2:15).
הָרְבִיעִי – כְּשֶׁיִּתְאַחֵר לְתַקֵּן נַפְשׁוֹ, אָז הַיֵּצֶר הוֹלֵךְ וּמִתְגַּבֵּר, וּמִתְקַשֶּׁה הַלֵּב, וּכְבָר הֻרְגַּל בָּעֲבֵרוֹת, וְכָל הָעֲבֵרוֹת הֵן בְּעֵינָיו כְּהֶתֵּר, וְלֹא יוּכַל לְטַהֵר עַצְמוֹ.
The fourth reason is that if he delays improving his soul then his evil inclination will keep growing stronger and his heart will grow harder and he will get accustomed to sinning, and he will permit himself all of the sins, and then he will not be able to purify himself.
הַחֲמִישִׁי – מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה לְהַקְדִּים לָשׁוּב, אוּלַי לֹא יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים וְיָמוּת טֶרֶם יָשׁוּב, עַל כֵּן הִזְהִיר ״בְּכָל עֵת יִהְיוּ בְגָדֶיךָ לְבָנִים״ (קהלת ט ח).
The fifth reason is that he who does not want to repent early will perhaps not have a long life and will die before he repents. Therefore, he warns, "Let thy garments be always white" (Eccl. 9:8).
הַשִּׁשִּׁי – כְּשֶׁיִּתְאַחֵר לָשׁוּב יִהְיוּ עֲוֹנֹתָיו יְשָׁנִים, וְיִשְׁכַּח וְלֹא יִדְאַג לָהֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּתְּחִלָּה.
The sixth reason is that if he delays in repenting, his sins will become old and he will forget the anguish they caused him and he will not worry about them as he did at first.
הַשְּׁבִיעִי – כְּשֶׁהוּא יָבוֹא בַיָּמִים וְיֻחְלַשׁ כֹּחַ הַיֵּצֶר, לֹא יְקַבֵּל שָׂכָר עַל הַתְּשׁוּבָה כְּאִלּוּ עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה בִּימֵי בַּחֲרוּתוֹ כְּשֶׁהָיָה בְּחֹזֶק כּוֹחוֹ. וּבַעֲבוּר אֵלּוּ שִׁבְעָה דְּבָרִים יַקְדִּים אָדָם אֶת עַצְמוֹ, לְתַקֵּן נַפְשׁוֹ לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ עֶלְיוֹן.
The seventh reason is that when he gets old, and the strength of the evil inclination weakens, he will not receive as great a reward for repentance as if he had repented in the days of his youth when he was in his full powers. And because of these things a man ought very early to reform his soul before the King, Most High.
וְאַחַר שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה בְּלֵב הָאָדָם לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה, לֹא יוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה אִם לֹא יָשִׂים עַל לִבּוֹ שִׁבְעָה דְּבָרִים: הָרִאשׁוֹן – שֶׁיֵּדַע מַעֲשָׂיו וְיַזְכִּירֵם כֻּלָּם. כִּי אָדָם שֶׁלֹּא הֻרְגַּל לְקַיֵּם הַמִּצְווֹת מִנְּעוּרָיו – כָּל יָמָיו יַעֲשֶׂה עֲבֵרוֹת. וְכַמָּה בְּנֵי אָדָם סְבוּרִים שֶׁאֵין אָדָם נִקְרָא ״בַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה״ אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן בָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ אוֹ עַל גּוֹיָה, אוֹ יוֹצֵא לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה, וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּאֵלּוּ מֵעֲבֵרוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת; אֲבָל בִּשְׁאָר עֲבֵרוֹת אֵין יוֹדְעִים לָשׁוּב עֲלֵיהֶם. וְזֶה אֵינוֹ כֵן, כִּי עַל כָּל מָה שֶׁהִזְהִירוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ עָלָיו – הוּא יוֹתֵר חָמוּר מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה. כִּי כָל הָעוֹבֵר עַל דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים – חַיָּב מִיתָה (ברכות ד ב). וְכָל מִי שֶׁעוֹבֵר עַל דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה אוֹ עַל דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים צָרִיךְ לָשׁוּב.
And after a man has set his mind to do penitence, he cannot achieve complete repentance if he does not take these seven things to heart : The first is that he should be aware of his deeds and know them all. There are people who think that a man cannot be called a ba'al teshuva (a penitent) — i.e., that repentance does not apply — unless he was guilty of a mortal sin like having intercourse with a married woman or with a Gentile woman, or becoming completely corrupt, or similar cardinal sin. But as far as other sins are concerned, no one knows just how to repent for them. This is not so, because anything that our Sages warned us against is more severe than the words of the Torah itself, for anyone who transgresses the words of our Sages is liable to the penalty of death (Berakoth 4b). And anyone who transgresses either the words of the Torah or the words of the Sages must repent.
וְעַתָּה שְׁמַע בְּנִי, כִּי רֹב הָעוֹלָם אֵין נִזְהָרִים מִדְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, וּמִלְּהִסְתַּכֵּל בַּנָּשִׁים, וּמִלְּדַבֵּר עִמָּהֶן שֶׁלֹּא לְצֹרֶךְ. גַּם לֹא נִזְהָרִים לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה, וּמִלְּדַבֵּר בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, וּמִשְּׂחוֹק וּמִקַּלּוּת רֹאשׁ. גַּם לֹא נִזְהָרִים בַּצְּדָקָה לָתֵת לְמִי שֶׁהָגוּן לוֹ, וּלְאַמֵּץ הַלֵּב וְלִקְפֹּץ הַיָּד, וּלְדַבֵּר דְּבָרִים קָשִׁים לַעֲנִיִּים. גַּם לֹא נִזְהָרִים מִשְּׁבוּעַת חִנָּם, וּלְקַלֵּל חֲבֵרוֹ אוֹ עַצְמוֹ בַּשֵּׁם; וְהַזְכָּרַת שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם לְבַטָּלָה, אוֹ בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵינוֹ טָהוֹר, אוֹ בְּיָדַיִם שֶׁאֵינָן נְקִיּוֹת; וּבִטּוּל תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כְּנֶגֶד כֻּלָּם.
And now listen, my son, for most people do not take care to refrain from frivolous things, and from staring at women, and from speaking with them when it is not necessary. Nor do we take care to pray with sincere intent, and to refrain from speaking in the synagogue and from mockery and from disrespect. Neither in the matter of charity do we take care to give it to him who is worthy of it, and not to harden our hearts and close our hands to deeds of generosity, and not to speak harsh words to the poor. Nor have we guarded ourselves from vain oaths or from cursing our companions or ourselves with the name of God, or from mentioning the Name of God needlessly or in a unclean place or with unclean hands, or from neglect of the study of the Torah, the latter being weighed against all other commandments.
גַּם לֹא נִזְהָרִים מִקִּנְאָה, וְשִׂנְאָה, וְלָשׁוֹן הָרַע, וְגַאֲוָה, וְכַעַס, וּמִכָּל הַמִּדּוֹת הָאֲמוּרוֹת בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה. גַּם לֹא נִזְהָרִים בְּעִנְיְנֵי קִיּוּם הַמִּצְווֹת הַתְּלוּיִים בְּמַעֲשֶׂה, כְּגוֹן נְטִילַת יָדַיִם, וּמֵעִנְיְנֵי נְזִיקִין בֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וּמִקִּיּוּם שַׁבָּת כַּדִּין.
Neither have we guarded ourselves against jealousy and hatred and gossip and arrogance, and anger and all of the undesirable qualities mentioned in this book. Nor have we taken care to observe the commandments that depend upon deeds, such as the washing of the hands, and to refrain from causing injury to our fellow man, and to keep the Sabbath according to the Law.
וְרַבִּים נִכְשָׁלִים בָּזֶה, כִּי דָּבָר פָּשׁוּט הוּא מְאוֹד: מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָּקִי בַּמִּצְווֹת נִכְשַׁל בְּהַרְבֵּה מְקוֹמוֹת. וְכָהֵנָּה עוֹשֶׂה אָדָם עֲבֵרוֹת כָּל יָמָיו וְלֹא מַרְגִּישׁ. כֵּן צָרִיךְ זֶה הַשָּׁב לֵדַע הָעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה. וְאֵיךְ יָכוֹל הָאָדָם לָדַעַת? יִלְמַד הַמִּצְווֹת, וְיָבִין בְּכָל מִצְוָה וּמִצְוָה מָה חָסֵר מִמֶּנָּה שֶׁלֹּא קִיֵּם וּבַמֶּה עָבַר. וְאִם לֹא יָדַע בַּמֶּה עָבַר, אֵיךְ יִתְחָרֵט? אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יָדַע הָעֲבֵרָה שֶׁיִּתְחָרֵט עָלֶיהָ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: ״כִּי פְשָׁעַי אֲנִי אֵדָע, וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד״ (תהלים נא ה).
And many people stumble in this, for it is very easy for one who is not expert in the commandments to stumble in many places. And a man commits such sins as these all of his days without being aware of it. Therefore a man who would repent must know the sins that he has committed. And how can he know this? He must study the commandments and understand where he has fallen short in the observance of each commandment, and in what way he has transgressed. For if he does not know in what way he has transgressed, how can he have remorse? He must know his transgression and sincerely regret it, as the Scripture says, "For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me" (Ps. 51:5).
הַשֵּׁנִי – אֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁהוּא יוֹדֵעַ עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה, לֹא יִתְחָרֵט עֲלֵיהֶם אִם לֹא יֵדַע בְּוַדַּאי רָעַת הָעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁעָבַר. כִּי אִם יַחְשֹׁב: ״מָה בְּכָךְ אִם נֶהֱנֵיתִי מִן הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה, אוֹ אִם בִּטַּלְתִּי מִן הַתּוֹרָה? אֵין זֶה דָּבָר רַע כָּל כָּךְ!״ – מִי שֶׁחוֹשֵׁב כָּךְ לֹא יִתְחָרֵט וְלֹא יָשׁוּב בְּלֵב שָׁלֵם. אֶלָּא צָרִיךְ לַחֲשֹׁב: ״אֵין שׁוּם דָּבָר רַע בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם כְּמוֹ מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ עַל מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמְרוֹמָם; קַל וָחֹמֶר מִמֶּלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם: הָעוֹבֵר עַל צִוּוּיוֹ, כַּמָּה הוּא דָּבָר רַע.
The second thing a man must keep in mind if he wants to repent is that even though he knows the sins that he committed, he cannot fully regret them if he does not know clearly the evil of these transgressions. For if he thinks, "So what if I got a little pleasure from this world without a blessing!" or "So what if I took time away from Torah; that is not such a terrible thing." Anyone who thinks thus will not have any regrets, and will not repent with a complete heart. But one should think: There is nothing so bad in all the world as one who does not care about the commandments of the King who is Most Exalted. We can learn the importance of this from a king of flesh and blood. Anyone who transgresses his commands — how bad it is for him!
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי – צָרִיךְ הַחוֹטֵא לֵדַע וּלְהַאֲמִין מֵעֹמֶק הַלֵּב, שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גְּמוּל וְעֹנֶשׁ בְּדִינִים קָשִׁים עַל הָעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה, וְאִם לֹא יֵדַע זֶה לֹא יָחוּשׁ לָשׁוּב. אֲבָל אַחַר שֶׁיְּבֹרַר אֶצְלוֹ הָעֹנֶשׁ, אָז יָשׁוּב וְיִתְחָרֵט, וִיבַקֵּשׁ מֵאֵת הָאֵל הַמְּהֻלָּל מְחִילָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״סָמַר מִפַּחְדְּךָ בְּשָׂרִי, וּמִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ יָרֵאתִי״ (תהלים קיט קכ).
Thirdly, the sinner must know and believe from the depth of his heart that severe punishment awaits him for the sins that he committed, for if he does not know this, he will be in no haste to repent. But after the punishment he may expect is clear to him, he can repent and have true remorse, and he can ask forgiveness of God, as it is said, "My flesh shuddereth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments" (Ps. 119:120).
הָרְבִיעִי – צָרִיךְ שֶׁיֵּדַע הַחוֹטֵא, שֶׁכָּל עֲבֵרוֹתָיו שֶׁעָבַר כָּל יָמָיו, עֲבֵרוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת וּקְטַנּוֹת, וְכָל הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת הָרָעוֹת וּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, וְכָל עִנְיָנָיו מִקָּטֹן וְעַד גָּדוֹל – הַכֹּל כְּתוּבִים בַּסֵּפֶר. וְאֵין שִׁכְחָה לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם יִתְעַלֶּה, דִּכְתִיב: ״הֲלֹא הוּא כָּמֻס עִמָּדִי, חָתוּם בְּאוֹצְרֹתָי״ (דברים לב לד); וְאוֹמֵר: ״בְּיַד כָּל אָדָם יַחְתּוֹם״ (איוב לז ז). כִּי אִם יַחֲשֹׁב שֶׁיֵּשׁ שִׁכְחָה לַעֲוֹנֹתָיו, לֹא יִתְחָרֵט וְלֹא יְבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ עֲלֵיהֶם מְחִילָה. כִּי רַבִּים חוֹשְׁבִים בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְאַחֵר לִפְרֹעַ הָעֲבֵרוֹת, שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּכְּחוּ וְלֹא יָבוֹא לָדוּן עֲלֵיהֶם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אֲשֶׁר אֵין נַעֲשָׂה פִתְגָם, מַעֲשֵׂה הָרָעָה מְהֵרָה, עַל כֵּן מָלֵא לֵב בְּנֵי הָאָדָם בָּהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע״ (קהלת ח יא).
The fourth thing that the sinner should know is that all the transgressions that he committed all of his days, the great sins and the small, and all the evil thoughts, and all of the idle things, and all his affairs from small to large — all is written in a book and there is no forgetfulness with God, may He be Exalted, as it is written, "Is not this laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries?" (Deut. 32:34). And further, "He sealeth up the hand of every man" (Job 37:7). For if a man should think that there is forgetfulness concerning his sins, he will not have remorse and he will not ask God for forgiveness for them. For many think that because the Holy One, Blessed be He, delays in demanding retribution for sins, that these have been forgotten and that they will not come to judgment for them, as it is said, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11).
הַחֲמִישִׁי – שֶׁיֵּדַע בֶּאֱמֶת שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה הִיא רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לָעֲבֵרוֹת. כִּי הַחוֹלֶה שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִין בָּרְפוּאָה שֶׁעוֹשִׂים לוֹ שֶׁהִיא תְּרַפֵּא אוֹתוֹ – לֹא יָחוּשׁ לֶאֱכֹל הָרְפוּאָה אוֹ לִשְׁתּוֹת הַמַּשְׁקֶה. אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהוּא יוֹדֵעַ בְּוַדַּאי תּוֹעֶלֶת הַסַּם וְהַמַּשְׁקֶה – אָז יִתְאַוֶּה לִסְבֹּל מְרִירוּת הָרְפוּאָה. כָּךְ כְּשֶׁיֵּדַע בְּוַדַּאי תּוֹעֶלֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה, אָז יִתְאַוֶּה לְהַגִּיעַ אֶל מַעֲלוֹת הַתְּשׁוּבָה.
Fifthly, he must know truly that repentance is a complete healing for transgressions. For the patient who does not believe that the medicine the doctors have prepared for him will really heal him will not be quick to take it. But if he knows that the drug or the potion will surely help him, he will want to bear the bitterness of the medicine. Thus, if he is certain of the worth of repentance, he will desire to reach the high level of repentance.
הַשִּׁשִּׁי – צָרִיךְ לַחֲשֹׁב בְּלִבּוֹ הַטּוֹבוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה לוֹ הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ מֵעוֹדוֹ וְעַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, וְהָיָה לוֹ לְהוֹדוֹת עֲבוּר הַטּוֹבוֹת, וְזֶה לֹא עָשָׂה אֶלָּא עָבַר מִצְווֹתָיו. וְיֵשׁ לוֹ לִשְׁקֹל עֹנֶשׁ הָעֲבֵרָה כְּנֶגֶד הַמְּתִיקוּת, וּשְׂכַר הַמִּצְוָה כְּנֶגֶד צַעֲרָהּ בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים: הֱוֵי מְחַשֵּׁב הֶפְסֵד מִצְוָה כְּנֶגֶד שְׂכָרָהּ, וּשְׂכַר עֲבֵרָה כְּנֶגֶד הֶפְסֵדָהּ (משנה אבות ב א).
Sixthly, he must think in his heart of all the good things that the Creator, Blessed be He, has done for him from the time of his birth until this day. And he must understand that he should have thanked God for these good things, but that he has not done this, but has transgressed God's commandments. And he should weigh the punishment for the sin against its sweetness and the reward for the good deed against the pain in this world (and in the world to come). As our Sages said, "Reckon the loss incurred by the fulfillment of a precept against the reward secured by its observance, and the profit of sin against its loss" (Aboth 2:1).
הַשְּׁבִיעִי – צָרִיךְ שֶׁיֵּדַע לְהִתְחַזֵּק מְאוֹד, וְלִסְבֹּל סֵבֶל גָּדוֹל לְהִמָּנַע מִן הָרַע אֲשֶׁר הֻרְגַּל בּוֹ. כִּי זֶה דָּבָר פָּשׁוּט מְאוֹד: עֲבֵרָה שֶׁהֻרְגַּל בָּהּ כָּל יָמָיו, שֶׁהִיא דּוֹמֶה לוֹ לְהֶתֵּר (יומא פו ב), וְקָשֶׁה לוֹ מְאוֹד לִפְרֹשׁ מִמֶּנָּה. וְעַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ אָדָם חִזּוּק גָּדוֹל וּגְדֵרִים גְּדוֹלִים לִפְרֹשׁ מִמָּה שֶׁהֻרְגַּל, וְצָרִיךְ הַסְכָּמָה גְּדוֹלָה בְּכָל לִבּוֹ וּבְכָל נַפְשׁוֹ לְהִמָּנַע. וְיָסִיר הַהֶרְגֵּל מִלִּבּוֹ כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הֻרְגַּל, וְיַרְגִּיל וְיִמְאַס בְּלִבּוֹ הָרָעוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְקִרְעוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְאַל בִּגְדֵיכֶם״ (יואל ב יג). וּכְשֶׁהַחוֹטֵא קוֹבֵעַ בְּלִבּוֹ אֵלּוּ הַשִּׁבְעָה עִנְיָנִים, אָז הוּא קָרוֹב לְדֶרֶךְ הַתְּשׁוּבָה.
Finally, he should know how to strengthen himself exceedingly and to bear the great burden of restraining himself from that evil which he is accustomed to do. For this is obvious that a sin that he has been accustomed to do all his life he will regard as permissible (Yoma 86b), and it is very difficult for him to give it up. Therefore, a man needs great will power and high fences to give up what he has been accustomed to. And it requires a great accord in all his heart and soul to hold himself back from committing that sin, and he must remove this habit from his heart as though he had not been accustomed to do this. And he must become accustomed to reject in his heart all the evil things, as it is said, "And rend your heart and not your garments" (Joel 2:13). And when the sinner establishes these seven considerations firmly in his heart, he is very near to the path of repentance.
וְהִנֵּה מַדְרֵגוֹת רַבּוֹת לַתְּשׁוּבָה, וּלְפִי הַמַּדְרֵגוֹת יִתְקָרֵב הָאָדָם אֶל הַשֵּׁם יִתְעַלֶּה. וּלְעוֹלָם אֵין הַנְּשָׁמָה טְהוֹרָה בְּטָהֳרָה שְׁלֵמָה שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הָעֲוֹנוֹת כְּלֹא הָיוּ, אֶלָּא אַחַר שֶׁיְּטַהֵר הָאָדָם אֶת לִבּוֹ. כְּמוֹ בֶּגֶד הַמְטֻנָּף: אִם יְכַבֵּס אוֹתוֹ מְעַט אָז יַעֲבָר הַטִּנּוּף, אֲבָל רֹשֶׁם וְכֶתֶם יִשָּׁאֵר בּוֹ; אֲבָל לְפִי רֹב הַכִּבּוּס יִתְלַבֵּן לְגַמְרֵי. וְכֵן כְּתִיב: ״הֶרֶב כַּבְּסֵנִי מֵעֲוֹנִי״ (תהלים נא ד). לָכֵן תְּכַבֵּס לִבְּךָ מִן הֶעָוֹן, דִּכְתִיב: ״כַּבְּסִי מֵרָעָה לִבֵּךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַם״ (ירמיהו ד יד).
Now there are many steps in the upward path of repentance, and according to these steps a man draws nearer to God, Blessed be He. Never can a soul reach perfect purity so that the sins will be as though they had never been, except after a man has purified his heart. It is like a soiled garment — if he launders it a little, the dirt may disappear but a stain remains, and only after much laundering it becomes completely white. And thus it is written, "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity" (Ps. 51:4). Therefore, you must wash away the sin from your heart, as it is said, "O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness" (Jer. 4:14).
וְעַתָּה יֵשׁ לִי לִכְתֹּב לְךָ עֶשְׂרִים עִנְיָנִים שֶׁהֵן מֵעִקְּרֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה:
And now, I must write down for you twenty matters that are among the principal considerations in repentance.
הָרִאשׁוֹן – יִתְפֹּס בְּמִדַּת הַחֲרָטָה. וְיָשִׂים אֶל לִבּוֹ כִּי יֵשׁ עֹנֶשׁ גָּדוֹל לְמִי שֶׁעָבַר עַל מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (ירמיהו יג טז): ״תְּנוּ לַיְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כָּבוֹד בְּטֶרֶם יַחְשִׁךְ...״. וּכְשֶׁאָדָם יַחְשֹׁב יְמֵי חֹשֶׁךְ אֲשֶׁר יַגִּיעוּ לְמִי שֶׁפָּשַׁע בֵּאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב, אָז יִירָא מְאוֹד וְיִתְחָרֵט עַל מַעֲשָׂיו, וְיֹאמַר בְּלִבּוֹ: ״מֶה עָשִׂיתִי? אֵיךְ לֹא הָיָה פַּחַד אֱלֹהִים לְנֶגֶד עֵינַי! וְאֵיךְ לֹא יָגֹרְתִּי מִתּוֹכָחוֹת עַל עֲוֹנִי! וְאֵיךְ לֹא מָשַׁלְתִּי עַל יִצְרִי בַּהֲנָאַת רֶגַע אֶחָד! וְאֵיךְ טִמֵּאתִי נִשְׁמָתִי הַטְּהוֹרָה, אֲשֶׁר נֻפְּחָה בִּי מִמְּקוֹר הַקֹּדֶשׁ! וְאֵיךְ עָשִׂיתִי חִלּוּף עוֹלָם גָּדוֹל וְאָרֹךְ, קַיָּם לְעוֹלְמֵי עַד, בְּעוֹלָם קָטָן הַכָּלֶה! וְאֵיךְ לֹא זָכַרְתִּי יוֹם הַמָּוֶת, אֲשֶׁר לֹא נִשְׁאַר לִפְנֵי נִשְׁמָתִי, בִּלְתִּי גְּוִיָּתִי וְאַדְמָתִי!״ – וְכֵן יַרְבֶּה בְּלִבּוֹ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּעִנְיָן זֶה. וְזֶה הָעִנְיָן אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר יִרְמְיָהוּ (ירמיהו ח ו): ״אֵין אִישׁ נִחָם עַל רָעָתוֹ לֵאמֹר ׳מֶה עָשִׂיתִי׳״.
The first is that one should grasp the quality of remorse, and put it into his heart that there is great punishment for him who has transgressed the commandment of the Great King. As the Scriptures say, "Give glory to the Lord your God, before it grow dark" (Jer. 13:16). And when a man thinks about the dark days which will reach the one who has sinned against the God of Jacob, then he will be exceedingly afraid and he will have remorse for his deeds. And he will say in his heart, "What have I done? How is it that the fear of God was not always before my eyes? And how is it that I did not fear punishment for my wrongdoing? And how is it that I could not rule over my evil inclination when tempted by the pleasure of one moment? And how have I sullied my pure soul, the soul which was breathed into me from the Source of Holiness? And how have I changed the Great World that stands and endures forever and ever for this transitory little world? And how is it that I did not remember the day of death which will leave my soul nothing but my corpse and a bit of earth?" And he should multiply in his heart thoughts concerning this matter. And this is the subject of which Jeremiah spoke, "No man repenteth of his wickedness saying, 'What have I done' " (Jer. 8:6).
הַשֵּׁנִי – עֲזִיבַת הַחֵטְא: שֶׁיַּעֲזֹב הַחוֹטֵא דְּרָכָיו הָרָעִים, וְיִגְמֹר בְּכָל לִבּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יוֹסִיף לָבוֹא בַּדֶּרֶךְ הָרָע הַהוּא עוֹד. וְזֶה רֵאשִׁית הַתְּשׁוּבָה, לַעֲזֹב דְּרָכָיו וּמַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו הָרָעִים, לְהַסְכִּים בְּלִבּוֹ וּלְקַבֵּל עָלָיו שֶׁלֹּא יוֹסִיף לַחֲטוֹא, וְיָשִׁיב מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁב, וְיַכְרִית מַעֲשָׂיו הָרָעִים מִיָּדוֹ.
The second thing is the abandonment of sin; the sinner should leave his evil ways and determine with all his heart that he will never more walk that path. And this is the beginning of repentance : to leave his evil ways and thoughts, to agree in his heart and to undertake that he will not continue to sin, and that he will repent of his evil thought and that he will utterly put away his evil deeds.
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי – הַיָּגוֹן: שֶׁיֵּאָנַח בִּמְרִירוּת הַלֵּב. כִּי אִם אָדָם הִפְסִיד דִּינָר – קָשֶׁה לוֹ; וְאִם אִבֵּד עָשְׁרוֹ – יִתְאַבֵּל וְלִבּוֹ מַר בְּקִרְבּוֹ; וְכֵן אִם יִפְגְּעוּהוּ שְׁאָר צָרוֹת – יִצְטַעֵר מְאוֹד. קַל וָחֹמֶר שֶׁיִּצְטַעֵר מִי שֶׁמָּרַד בָּאָדוֹן הַגָּדוֹל וְהִשְׁחִית דַּרְכּוֹ לְפָנָיו, וְהוּא עָשָׂה לוֹ חֶסֶד – כָּל שֶׁכֵּן שֶׁיִּצְטַעֵר בְּכָל רֶגַע. וְדַע שֶׁמַּדְרֵגוֹת הַתְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲלוֹתֶיהָ – לְפִי גֹּדֶל הַמְּרִירוּת וְהַצַּעַר עַל הָעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה, כִּי הַצַּעַר בָּא מִטָּהֳרַת הַנְּשָׁמָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה; וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְרַחֵם עַל הָאָדָם בִּהְיוֹת נִשְׁמָתוֹ שְׁרוּיָה בְּצַעַר עַל פְּשָׁעָיו. וְהַמָּשָׁל בָּזֶה: כִּי הַמֶּלֶךְ יְרַחֵם יוֹתֵר עַל יְלִידֵי בֵּיתוֹ הַקְּרוֹבִים אֵלָיו וְהֵם מֵאֲצִילֵי הָאָרֶץ הַנִּכְבָּדִים, מִמָּה שֶׁהוּא יְרַחֵם עַל הַכַּפְרִיִּים. לָכֵן כְּשֶׁהַנְּשָׁמָה שֶׁנִּפְרְדָה מִלְּמַעְלָה מִמָּקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ, כְּשֶׁהִיא מִצְטַעֶרֶת – אָז יְקַבְּלֶנָּה מְהֵרָה יוֹצֵר הַכֹּל.
The third principle of repentance is grief: he should sigh in the bitterness of his heart. For if a man lost one dinar, it would be difficult to bear, and if he lost all his wealth he would mourn and his heart would be bitter within him. Similarly, if he met with other misfortunes he would be in great anguish. All the more so should he be in anguish who has rebelled against the Great Lord, and has corrupted his path, though God has done him so much kindness; therefore should such a man feel pain at every moment. Know that the steps that lead to repentance and its ascents are achieved according to the degree of the bitterness and the pain which a person feels over the sins he has done. For the pain comes from the purity of the lofty soul. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, has mercy upon a man when his soul is steeped in pain. An illustration of this is the fact that a king will have greater mercy on those who were born in his household, those who are near to him, those that are of the nobles of the land and the most honored, than he will have on villagers. Therefore, when the soul, which had its abode above and was separated from the Holy Place, is in anguish, the Creator of all receives it quickly.
הָרְבִיעִי – יָגוֹן וְצַעַר בְּמַעֲשֶׂה. עַד כָּאן דִּבַּרְנוּ מִצַּעַר וְיָגוֹן בַּלֵּב, וְזֶה הָעִנְיָן הָרְבִיעִי הוּא צַעַר וְיָגוֹן בַּמַּעֲשֶׂה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יואל ב יב): ״וְגַם עַתָּה נְאֻם יְיָ, שֻׁבוּ עָדַי בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם, וּבְצוֹם וּבִבְכִי וּבְמִסְפֵּד״. וְצָרִיךְ לְהַרְאוֹת סִימָנֵי צַעַר וְיָגוֹן בְּמַלְבּוּשָׁיו כְּגוֹן לַחְגֹּר שַׂק, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יונה ג ח): ״וְיִתְכַּסּוּ שַׂקִּים הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה״. וְיָסִיר בְּגָדָיו הַחֲמוּדוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ, וִימַעֵט תַּעֲנוּגִים: בְּמִינֵי הַמַּאֲכָל וְהַמִּשְׁתֶּה וְהַטִּיּוּלִים. וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (ירושלמי ברכות א ה): הַלֵּב וְהָעֵינַיִם – שְׁנֵי סַרְסוּרֵי הַחֵטְא, וּכְתִיב (במדבר טו לט): ״וְלֹא תָתֻרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם״. לָכֵן בָּזֹאת יְכֻפַּר עֲוֹן הַסַּרְסוּרִים: עֲוֹן סַרְסְרוּת הַלֵּב בִּמְרִירוּת וְצַעַר, וְעָווֹן סַרְסְרוּת הָעֵינַיִם יִתְכַּפֵּר בִּדְמָעוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיט קלו): ״פַּלְגֵי מַיִם יָרְדוּ עֵינָי, עַל לֹא שָׁמְרוּ תוֹרָתֶךָ״ – לֹא אָמַר ״עַל לֹא שָׁמַרְתִּי״ אֶלָּא ״עַל לֹא שָׁמְרוּ״, פֵּרוּשׁ: אֵלּוּ הָעֵינַיִם הֵם הָיוּ מְרַגְּלִים לָתוּר אַחַר הַחֵטְא, עַל כֵּן הוֹרַדְתִּי פַּלְגֵי מַיִם. וּכְשֶׁיִּבְכֶּה עַל פְּשָׁעָיו וְיִתְעַנֶּה, יֹאמַר: ״דִּמְעוֹתַי – יְכַבּוּ חֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ; וּתְשׁוּבַת מַעֲשַׂי – יָשִׁיבוּ אַפְּךָ מִמֶּנִּי; וְעֵרֶךְ שֻׁלְחָנִי אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָרַכְתִּי – יֵחָשֵׁב כְּמִזְבֵּחַ עָרוּךְ; וְהַסִּיר אֲשֶׁר לֹא הִצַּגְתִּי עַל גֶּחָלִים – כְּאֵשׁ תּוּקַד עַל מִזְבַּחֲךָ; וְאֶת חֶסְרוֹן דָּמִי – יְכַפֵּר כְּדָם עַל קַרְנוֹת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ; וּמִעוּט חֶלְבִּי – כְּחֵלֶב אֵמוּרִים; וְקוֹל בִּכְיִי – כְּקוֹל שִׁירִים מְשׁוֹרְרִים; וְרֵיחַ רַעֲבוֹן נַפְשִׁי – כְּרֵיחַ הַקְּטֹרֶת; וְחַלָּשׁוּת אֵיבָרַי – כְּנִתְחֵי קָרְבָּן; וְשִׁבְרוֹן לִבִּי – יִקְרַע הַסְּפָרִים שֶׁכְּתוּבִים בָּהֶם עֲוֹנֹתַי; וְשִׁנּוּי בִּגְדֵי הַחֲמוּדוֹת – כְּבִגְדֵי כְּהֻנָּה; וּמְנִיעַת רְחִיצָה – כְּקִדּוּשׁ יָדַיִם וְרַגְלַיִם; וּתְשׁוּבוֹתַי – יְשִׁיבוּנִי אֵלֶיךָ; כִּי נִחַמְתִּי עַל רֹעַ מַעֲלָלַי שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי, וְלֹא אָשׁוּב לְהָרַע לְפָנֶיךָ.״
The fourth principle in repentance is the sorrow and the pain caused by the actual doing of the deeds of repentance. Thus far we have spoken about the pain and sorrow of the heart, but this concerns the pain and the sorrow of the repentant act itself, as it is said, "Yet even now, saith the Lord, turn ye unto Me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping, and with lamentation" (Joel 2:12). And a man must show the signs of pain and sorrow in his garments, for example, to put on sackcloth, as it is said, "For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail" (Jer. 4:8). And as it is said, "But let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast" (Jonah 3:8). And he must remove his lovely garments from him and he must reduce his pleasures, in the kinds of food he eats and in his drink and in strolling about. And our Sages said, "The heart and the eyes are the two agents of sin" (T.P. Berakoth 1:8). And thus is it written, "And that ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes" (Num. 15:39). Therefore only in this way can the sin brought about by these agents be atoned for : the sin of the agent of the heart, by bitterness and pain, and the wrong of the agent of the eyes, by tears. As it is said, "Mine eyes run down with rivers of water, because they observe not Thy law" (Ps. 119:136). It is not said, "because I observe not," but "because they observe not." The plural form refers to the eyes, that spied out to explore sin, therefore have I caused rivers of water to descend from my eyes. When he weeps over his sins, he should say, "May my tears quench the wrath of your anger and may my repentant deeds turn away your anger from me, and let my table, which I have not set because of my sorrow, be considered as an altar arranged for sacrifice, and the pot which I did not place upon the coals, as fire burning upon Thy altar. And may the lack of my blood, the diminution resulting from fasting, atone as the blood which is offered on the corners of the altar. And may the lessening of my fat be as the fat which is offered from the sacrifices, and the sound of my weeping as the psalms of the poets, and the aroma of my soul's hunger as the aroma of the incense, and the weakness of my limbs as the cutting of portions for the sacrifice, and may my broken heart tear the books in which my sins are recorded. And may the change of my good garments for garments of mourning be as acceptable to you as are the garments of the priesthood, and my restraint from washing (because of my sorow)as though I had sanctified my hands and feet, and may my repentance restore me to Thee, for I am truly remorseful for the evil of my deeds that I did and I shall not return to do evil before Thee.
הַחֲמִישִׁי – הַדְּאָגָה, שֶׁיִּדְאַג מֵעֹנֶשׁ עֲוֹנֹתָיו. כִּי יֵשׁ עֲוֹנוֹת שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה תּוֹלָה כַּפָּרָתָן וְיִסּוּרִין מְמָרְקִין (יומא פו א), כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים לח יט): ״כִּי עֲוֹנִי אַגִּיד, אֶדְאַג מֵחַטָּאתִי״. וּמָה חִלּוּק יֵשׁ בֵּין הַ״יָּגוֹן״ וְהַ״דְּאָגָה״? כִּי הַיָּגוֹן עַל מָה שֶׁעָבַר כְּבָר; וְהַדְּאָגָה עַל הֶעָתִיד, שֶׁיִּדְאַג לְעוֹלָם אוּלַי יְקַצֵּר בְּעִנְיַן הַתְּשׁוּבָה, וְלֹא יַשְׁלִים חוֹק הַתְּשׁוּבָה. וְיִדְאַג שֶׁמָּא יִתְגַּבֵּר יִצְרוֹ עָלָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (משנה אבות ב ד): אַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ.
The fifth principle of repentance is worry. One should worry about the punishment of his sins, for there are sins where repentance holds the atonement in suspense and only afflictions cleanse away the wrong (Yoma 86a), as it is said, "For I do declare mine iniquity; I am full of care because of my sin" (Ps. 38:19). And what is the difference between sorrow and worry? Sorrow is for what has already taken place, while worry concerns the future. And a person who has sinned should always worry whether he has fallen short in the matter of repentance and has not completed the full measure of repentance. And he should worry lest his evil inclination overpower him. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death" (Aboth 2:4).
הַשִּׁשִּׁי – הַבּוּשָׁה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיהו לא יח): ״בֹּשְׁתִּי וְגַם נִכְלַמְתִּי, כִּי נָשָׂאתִי חֶרְפַּת נְעוּרָי״. וְהִנֵּה הַחוֹטֵא יִתְבַּיֵּשׁ מְאוֹד לַעֲבֹר עֲבֵרָה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְאֵיךְ לֹא יֵבוֹשׁ לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא?! וּכְבָר בֵּאַרְנוּ עִנְיָן הַבּוּשָׁה בְּשַׁעַר הַבּוּשָׁה.
The sixth principle of repentance is shame, as it is said, "I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth" (Jer. 31:18). Now one who sins would be very ashamed to commit a transgression before people. Then how shall he not be ashamed before the Holy One, Blessed be He? But we have already explained the matter of shame in the chapter on that subject.
הַשְּׁבִיעִי – הַהַכְנָעָה בְּכָל לֵב וְהַשִּׁפְלוּת. כִּי הַמַּכִּיר אֶת בּוֹרְאוֹ יֵדַע בַּמֶּה שֶׁעָבַר עַל דְּבָרָיו, וְיַשְׁפִּיל עַצְמוֹ וְיִכָּנַע. וּכְתִיב (תהלים נא יט): ״זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה, לֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה אֱלֹהִים לֹא תִבְזֶה״ – ״רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה״ הִיא רוּחַ נְמוּכָה. הַהַכְנָעָה הִיא מֵעִקְּרֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה, וּבַהַכְנָעָה יִתְקָרֵב הָאָדָם אֶל הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו סו ב): ״וְאֶל זֶה אַבִּיט: אֶל עָנִי וּנְכֵה רוּחַ״. וְהַמַּדְרֵגָה הָעֶלְיוֹנָה בַּהַכְנָעָה הַמְחֻיֶּבֶת מִדֶּרֶךְ הַתְּשׁוּבָה: שֶׁיַּגְדִּיל וְיַאְדִּיר בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַבּוֹרֵא, וְלֹא יַחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְעַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא יִהְיֶה הַכֹּל קָטָן בְּעֵינָיו כְּנֶגֶד מָה שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ. עַל כֵּן יִכָּנַע וְיַעֲבֹד בְּהֶצְנֵעַ, וְלֹא יַחְמֹד כָּבוֹד עַל מַעֲשָׂיו הַטּוֹבִים.
The seventh principle is submission with all one's heart and with humility. For he who knows his Creator knows how much anyone who transgresses against His words lowers himself, and he will therefore be humble, as it is written, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:19). A "broken spirit" means "a lowly spirit," and humility is one of the principles of repentance; through humility will a man draw near to God, Blessed be He. As it is said, "But on this man will I look, even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit" (Is. 66:2). The highest step in humility which is obligatory in the path of repentance is that he should magnify and glorify the service of the Creator and should not claim any merit for himself, but everything should be small in his eyes as compared to what he must do in the service of God, Blessed be He. Therefore, he should be humble and should serve with modesty, and he should not covet honor for his good deeds.
הַשְּׁמִינִי – הַהַכְנָעָה בְּמַעֲשֶׂה: שֶׁיִּתְנַהֵג בְּמַעֲנֶה רַךְ. אִם חֵרֵף אוֹתוֹ אָדָם עַל מַעֲשָׂיו הָרִאשׁוֹנִים – יִשְׁתֹּק, אוֹ יֹאמַר: ״יָדַעְתִּי כִּי חָטָאתִי.״ וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מַלְבּוּשִׁים נָאִים וְתַכְשִׁיטִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות לג ה): ״וְעַתָּה הוֹרֵד עֶדְיְךָ מֵעָלֶיךָ״. וְיִהְיוּ תָּמִיד עֵינָיו שַׁחוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איוב כב כט): ״וְשַׁח עֵינַיִם יוֹשִׁעַ״. וְסִימָנֵי הַהַכְנָעָה: מַעֲנֶה רַךְ, וְקוֹל נָמוּךְ, וְשַׁחוּת הָעַיִן. וְאֵלּוּ הָעִנְיָנִים מַכְנִיעִים אֶת הַלֵּב.
The eighth principle is humility in deeds of repentance; he should conduct himself in a gentle manner. If a man has reviled him because of his previous deeds, let him be silent, or he should say, "I know that I have sinned." And he should not make lovely garments, and wear jewelry. As it is said, "Therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee" (Ex. 33:5). And his eyes should always be lowered, as it is said, "For the humble person He saveth" (Job 22:29). And the signs of humility are : a soft answer, a low voice and eyes bent downward. These are the things which make the heart humble.
הַתְּשִׁיעִי – שְׁבִירַת תַּאֲוָה. יָשִׂים אֶל לִבּוֹ כִּי הַתַּאֲוָה מְקַלְקֶלֶת כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים, וְיִפְרֹשׁ מִן הַמּוֹתָרוֹת אֲפִלּוּ בְּדָבָר הַמֻּתָּר לוֹ, רַק לְשֹׂבַע נַפְשׁוֹ וּלְקַיֵּם גּוּפוֹ, וְכֵן לְעִנְיַן הָאִשָּׁה. כִּי כָל זְמַן שֶׁאָדָם הוֹלֵךְ אַחַר תַּאֲוָה, נִמְשָׁךְ אַחַר תּוֹלְדוֹת הַגּוּף וְיִתְרַחֵק מִדֶּרֶךְ הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַמַּשְׂכֶּלֶת, כְּדִכְתִיב (דברים לב טו): ״וַיִּשְׁמַן יְשֻׁרוּן וַיִּבְעָט״; וּכְתִיב (משלי ל ט): ״פֶּן אֶשְׂבַּע וְכִחַשְׁתִּי, וְאָמַרְתִּי מִי יְיָ״. וְהִנֵּה הַתַּאֲוָה הַנְּתוּנָה בְּלֵב הָאָדָם הִיא שֹׁרֶשׁ כָּל הַפְּעֻלּוֹת, לָכֵן יְמַהֵר לְתַקֵּן תַּאֲוָה, וּכְבָר הֶאֱרַכְנוּ לְעֵיל. וְיֵשׁ בִּשְׁבִירַת הַתַּאֲוָה תּוֹעֶלֶת גְּדוֹלָה, כִּי בָּזֶה יְגַלֶּה שֶׁלִּבּוֹ טוֹב וְיָשָׁר, כִּי הוּא מוֹאֵס הַטֶּבַע אֲשֶׁר גָּרַם לוֹ הַחֵטְא. וְהַפּוֹרֵשׁ אֲפִלּוּ מִן הַמֻּתָּר – הוּא גָּדֵר גָּדוֹל שֶׁלֹּא יִגַּע בְּאִסּוּר, כְּלוֹמַר: ״הֵן אֲפִילּוּ בַּמֻּתָּר לֹא אֲמַלֵּא תַּאֲוָתִי, וְאֵיךְ אֶשְׁלַח יָדִי בָּאִסּוּר?!״
The ninth principle is the destruction of lust. He must lay it to his heart that lust ruins all deeds. And he should abstain from luxuries, even from things which are permitted to him. And he should conduct himself in the paths of abstinence, eating only to satisfy his hunger and to preserve his body. And the same is true in his relationship to woman. For whenever a man follows after lust he is drawn after the functions of the body and separates himself from the ways of the cultured soul. Then his evil inclination overpowers him, as it is written, "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked" (Deut, 31:15). And it is written, "Lest I be full, and deny, and say : 'Who is the Lord?' " (Prov. 30:9). Now the lust that is given into the heart of a man is the root of all deeds. Therefore he must hurry to correct that lust, and on this subject we have dwelt above. And there is a great benefit in the breaking of lust, for in this way a man reveals that his heart is good and upright, and that he rejects the character which sin has caused him to have. And one who abstains even from what is permitted erects a great fence which will keep him from touching what is forbidden. It is as if he says, "Even in that which is permitted I do not satisfy my craving; how then shall I stretch forth my hands to that which is forbidden?"
הָעֲשִׂירִי – לְהָשִׁיב פָּעֳלוֹ. כֵּיצַד? הַמִּסְתַּכֵּל בָּעֲרָיוֹת – יִתְנַהֵג בְּשַׁחוּת עֵינַיִם; בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרַע – יַעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה (ערכין טו ב). וּבְכָל אֵבָר וְאֵבָר שֶׁחָטָא יִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְקַיֵּם בּוֹ מִצְווֹת. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ: בָּאֵבָר שֶׁחוֹטְאִים – בּוֹ מִתְרַצִּים. וְעוֹד אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ (ויקרא רבה כא ה): אִם עָשִׂיתָ חֲבִילוֹת שֶׁל עֲבֵרוֹת – עֲשֵׂה כְּנֶגְדָּם חֲבִילוֹת שֶׁל מִצְווֹת; רַגְלַיִם מְמַהֲרוֹת לָרוּץ לָעֲבֵרָה – יִהְיוּ מְמַהֲרִים לָרוּץ לִדְבַר מִצְוָה; פֶּה שֶׁדִּבֵּר סָרָה – אֱמֶת יֶהְגֶּה חִכּוֹ, וּפִיו יִפְתַּח בְּחָכְמָה; יָדַיִם שׁוֹפְכוֹת דַּם נָקִי – יִפְתַּח יָדוֹ לֶעָנִי; עֵינַיִם רָמוֹת – יְהֵא דַּכָּא וְשַׁח עֵינַיִם; לֵב חֹרֵשׁ מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָוֶן – בְּלִבּוֹ יִצְפֹּן אִמְרֵי תּוֹרָה.
The tenth principle of repentance is to reverse one's deeds. How does one do that? If he has been guilty of looking at indecent things, then let him conduct himself with lowered eyes. If he has been guilty of gossip, let him occupy himself with Torah (Arakin 15b). And with any limb with which he has sinned let him try to fulfill commandments (see Yalkut Judges, 42). And thus did our Sages say, "The righteous men in the very thing with which they had sinned appease God" (see Yalkut Hosca, 529). And more did our Sages say, "If you have committed bundles of transgressions, do in opposition to them bundles of good deeds. Feet which ran hastily to sin must now quickly run to do a good deed. A mouth which once spoke disobedience and rebellion now let his palate speak the truth and let him open his mouth with wisdom. Hands that spilled innocent blood, let him open his hand to the poor. Eyes that were haughty, let him be contrite and walk with lowered eyes. A heart that plotted wrongdoing, let him store up in his heart the words of the Torah" (Lev. Rabbah 21:5).
הָאַחַד עָשָׂר – חִפּוּשׂ דְּרָכָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איכה ג מ): ״נַחְפְּשָׂה דְרָכֵינוּ וְנַחְקֹרָה, וְנָשׁוּבָה עַד יְיָ״. וְהַחִפּוּשׂ הוּא שֶׁיִּבְדֹּק עַצְמוֹ מִן הָעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה בְּיָמָיו. וְיֵשׁ בָּזֶה תּוֹעֶלֶת לִשְׁלוֹשָׁה דְּבָרִים: הָאֶחָד: שֶׁיִּזְכּוֹר כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁחָטָא בָּהֶם וְיִתְוַדֶּה עַל כֻּלָּם, כִּי הַוִּדּוּי מֵעִקְּרֵי הַכַּפָּרָה. הַשֵּׁנִי: שֶׁיֵּדַע כַּמָּה יֵשׁ לוֹ עֲבֵרוֹת וַחֲטָאִים, וּבָזֶה יוֹסִיף הַהַכְנָעָה. הַשְּׁלִישִׁי: כִּי אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהוּא מְקַבֵּל עָלָיו לַעֲזֹב כָּל חֵטְא, צָרִיךְ לֵדַע הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁחָטָא עֲלֵיהֶם כְּדֵי לַעֲשׂוֹת גָּדֵר לְהִזָּהֵר מֵאוֹתָן דְּבָרִים שֶׁנִּכְשַׁל בָּהֶן. כִּי צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם יוֹתֵר שְׁמִירָה מֵאוֹתָן עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁהֻרְגַּל בָּהֶן, וְשֶׁהֵן קַלּוֹת בְּעֵינָיו לַעֲבֹר עֲלֵיהֶן, וְהַיֵּצֶר שׁוֹלֵט בָּהֶם. וְהוּא כְּחוֹלֶה, כְּשֶׁהוּא מַתְחִיל לְהַבְרִיא – צָרִיךְ לְהִזָּהֵר מִכַּמָּה עִנְיָנִים שֶׁלֹּא יַחְזִירוּהוּ לְחָלְיוֹ; כָּךְ מִי שֶׁהוּא חוֹלֶה מִן הָעֲבֵרוֹת, כְּשֶׁיַּתְחִיל לָשׁוּב צָרִיךְ לְהִזָּהֵר מְאוֹד.
The eleventh principle of repentance is to search out one's ways, as it is said, "Let us search and try our ways, and return to the Lord" (Lam. 3:40). And searching out one's ways means that one should examine oneself with respect to all the transgressions one has done in his life. There are three advantages to this. First, he will remember all the things in which he has sinned and he will confess all of them, for confession is one of the basic elements of atonement. Secondly, he will know the amount of his transgressions and sins, and this will increase his humility. Thirdly, even though he has resolved to abandon all sin, he must know the things in which he has sinned in order to erect a fence, to guard himself against those things over which he stumbled, for a man needs more protection from those sins to which he is accustomed and which are light in his eyes when he commits them, and over which the evil inclination rules. He is like a sick person who is beginning to recover. Such a person has to be careful of a number of things, so that they will not cause him to be ill again. So it is with one who is ill by reason of his sins; when he begins to repent he must be very careful.
הַשְּׁנֵים עָשָׂר – שֶׁיַּחֲקֹר וְיֵדַע גֹּדֶל כָּל אֶחָד מֵעֲוֹנֹתָיו, וּבְאֵיזֶה עֲבֵרָה יֵשׁ מַלְקוּת, אוֹ מִיתַת בֵּית דִּין, אוֹ כָּרֵת. וּכְשֶׁיֵּדַע גֹּדֶל הַחֵטְא – יְמָרֵר לִבּוֹ בְּוִדּוּי וְיוֹסִיף הַכְנָעָה.
The twelfth principle of repentance is that one should search out and know the greatness of the punishment for each of one's sins : for which there is lashing, for which death by sentence of the court, and for which excommunication. And when he knows the magnitude of his sin, he will certainly cause his heart to feel bitterness in confession and will increase his humility.
הַשְּׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר – שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הָעֲבֵרוֹת הַקַּלּוֹת דּוֹמוֹת בְּעֵינָיו כַּחֲמוּרוֹת, כְּגוֹן הִסְתַּכְּלוּת בַּנָּשִׁים וּלְהַרְבּוֹת עִמָּהֶן דְּבָרִים, אוֹ דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים אוֹ לֵילֵךְ בָּטֵל, אוֹ לְהַזְכִּיר שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם לְבַטָּלָה – כָּל אֵלּוּ וְעוֹד רַבּוֹת כָּהֶם בְּעֵינֵי אֲנָשִׁים רַבִּים, וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּעֵינֵי גְּדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר, הֵם נֶחֱשָׁבִים קַלּוֹת – כָּל אֵלּוּ יִהְיוּ נֶחְשָׁבִים לוֹ חֲמוּרוֹת מְאוֹד. וְיֵשׁ בָּזֶה אַרְבָּעָה טְעָמִים: הָאֶחָד: שֶׁאֵין לְהַבִּיט לְקַטְנוּת הָעֲבֵרָה, אֶלָּא יַבִּיט לִגְדֻלַּת הַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁהִזְהִיר עָלֶיהָ. מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁצִּוָּה לִשְׁנֵי עֲבָדָיו: לְאֶחָד צִוָּה לְהָבִיא לוֹ לִשְׁתּוֹת כִּי הוּא צָמֵא מְאוֹד, לְשֵׁנִי צִוָּה לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ צָרִיךְ כָּל כָּךְ, וְהִזְהִיר כָּל אֶחָד בְּנַפְשׁוֹ – בְּוַדַּאי כָּל מִי שֶׁעוֹבֵר חַיָּב מִיתָה, כִּי עוֹנְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ שֶׁגָּנַב דִּינָר אֶחָד כְּמוֹ שֶׁעוֹנְשִׁין אוֹתוֹ שֶׁגָּנַב אֶלֶף, כִּי כָל אֶחָד עוֹבֵר מִצְוַת הַמֶּלֶךְ. כָּךְ עַל כָּל הַתּוֹרָה הִזְהִיר (דברים כז א): ״שָׁמֹר אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם״, וּכְתִיב (שם כו): ״אָרוּר אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָקִים אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָם״. הַשֵּׁנִי: כִּי מִי שֶׁעוֹבֵר הַקַּלָּה הַרְבֵּה פְּעָמִים – אָז הִיא חֲמוּרָה, כִּי יִצְטָרְפוּ הָעֳנָשִׁים עַל כָּל פַּעַם וּפַעַם. הַשְּׁלִישִׁי: כִּי כְּשֶׁהוּא מֻרְגָּל בַּעֲבֵרוֹת, וְהֵן לוֹ כְּהֶתֵּר וְלֹא יִשְׁתַּמֵּר מֵהֶם – נֶחְשָׁב עִם פּוֹרְקֵי עֹל וּמוּמָר לְדָבָר אֶחָד. הָרְבִיעִי: כִּי דֶּרֶךְ הַיֵּצֶר, כְּשֶׁהוּא נוֹצֵחַ בְּדָבָר קַל – אָז יְנַצַּח בְּדָבָר חָמוּר. לָכֵן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים (משנה אבות ב א): הֱוֵי זָהִיר בְּמִצְוָה קַלָּה כְּבַחֲמוּרָה. וְאָמְרוּ עוֹד (שם ד ב): שֶׁמִּצְוָה גּוֹרֶרֶת מִצְוָה, וַעֲבֵרָה גּוֹרֶרֶת עֲבֵרָה.
The thirteenth principle of repentance is to take seriously the transgressions which one has treated lightly. For example, looking at women or speaking over-much with them, or conversing about idle things, or doing nothing, or mentioning the name of God in vain. All these and many more like them are considered trivial by many people and even by great men of the day — they must be regarded as very serious matters. And there are four reasons for this : First, one should never look at the smallness of the sin but at the greatness of Him who warned against it. A parable will illustrate this. A king commanded his two servants, the one to bring him something to drink for he was very thirsty, and the other to do something that he really did not need very much; and he warned each one, on pain of death. Certainly, if either one of them disobeyed his command he would be liable to death, for they hang a man who has stolen one dinar just as they hang one who has stolen a thousand, for each one has transgressed the command of the king. In the same way the Lord has warned us concerning all of the Torah, "Keep all the commandment which I command you this day" (Deut. 27:1). And it is written, "Cursed be he that confirmeth not the words of this law to do them" (Deut. 27:26). The second reason is that when one transgresses a little matter many times, it becames a very severe matter, because the punishments for each individual transgression are combined. Thirdly, when one is accustomed to commit sins, he comes to regard them as permissible and does not guard himself against them, and he is reckoned among those who cast off the yoke of the Torah and who are "apostates with respect to one matter." Fourthly, it is the way of the evil inclination that after he conquers in some small matter, he goes on to conquer in a serious one. Therefore our Sages said, "Be heedful of a light precept as of a grave one" (Aboth 2:1). And they said further, "For one good deed draws another in its train, and one sin, another sin" (Aboth 4:2).
הָאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר – הַוִּדּוּי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא ה ה): ״וְהִתְוַדָּה אֲשֶׁר חָטָא עָלֶיהָ״. וְיֵשׁ חוֹבָה עָלָיו לְהַזְכִּיר עֲוֹנֹתָיו וַעֲוֹנוֹת אֲבוֹתָיו. וְלָמָּה יִתְוַדֶּה עַל חַטֹּאות אֲבוֹתָיו? מִשּׁוּם שֶׁהוּא נֶעֱנָשׁ כְּשֶׁאוֹחֵז מַעֲשֵׂה אֲבוֹתָיו בְּיָדוֹ, וְכֵן כְּתִיב (ויקרא כו מ): ״וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת עֲוֹנָם, וְאֶת עֲוֹן אֲבוֹתָם״. וְיִזָּהֵר מְאוֹד בְּעֵת הַוִּדּוּי שֶׁיִּגְמֹר בְּלִבּוֹ לַעֲזֹב דְּרָכָיו הָרָעִים, כִּי אִם חוֹזֵר עֲלֵיהֶם וְאֵינוֹ עוֹזְבָם – אָז הוּא כְּטוֹבֵל וְשֶׁרֶץ בְּיָדוֹ (תענית טז א). כִּי הַוִּדּוּי הוּא כִּטְבִילָה, וְהַחֵטְא כְּשֶׁרֶץ, וְזֶה דָּבָר בָּרוּר שֶׁאֵין טְבִילָה מוֹעֶלֶת לְהָאוֹחֵז הַשֶּׁרֶץ.
The fourteenth principle of repentance is the confession, as it is said, "That he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned" (Lev. 5:5). And a person is obliged to remember his sins, and the sins of his fathers. Now why should he confess the sins of his fathers? Because of the fact that he is considered guilty if he clings to the evil deeds of his fathers. And thus it is written, "And they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers" (Lev. 26:40). And he should be very careful at the time of the confession to resolve in his heart to abandon his evil ways, for if he returns to them and does not abandon them he is like one who immerses himself but grasps an unclean creature (Ta'anith 16a). For confession is like immersion and the sin is like the unclean worm, and it is clear that immersion is of no use when the person who immerses himself holds on to the source of his defilement.
הַחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר – הַתְּפִלָּה: שֶׁיִּתְפַּלֵּל הַחוֹטֵא לַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וִיבַקֵּשׁ מֵאֵת הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁיַּעַזְרֵהוּ עַל תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ, וְיִפְתַּח לוֹ שַׁעֲרֵי טָהֳרָה.
The fifteenth principle of repentance is prayer. The sinner should pray to the Lord, Blessed be He, and beseech Him to help him in his repentance and open the gates of purity to him.
הַשִּׁשָּׁה עָשָׂר – תִּקּוּן הַמְעֻוָּת: שֶׁיְּתַקֵּן כָּל מָה שֶׁעִוֵּת. כְּגוֹן אִם גָּזַל לְאָדָם – יָשִׁיב הַגְּזֵלָה קֹדֶם הַוִּדּוּי, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְרַצֶּה בַּוִּדּוּי. וְאִם גָּזַל אֶת הָאָדָם וְאֵין לוֹ לִפְרֹעַ – יִתְפַּלֵּל לֵאלֹהִים שֶׁיִּתֵּן לוֹ הַשָּׂגַת יָד שֶׁיִּפְרַע.
The sixteenth principle in repentance is the correction of the wrong committed; for example, if he has robbed a man, he should return that which he has taken, and he should do this before the confession in order that his confession may be well received. And if he has robbed a man but has no money with which to pay, then let him pray that God give him the means that will enable him to pay.
הַשִּׁבְעָה עָשָׂר – לִרְדֹּף פְּעֻלַּת הַחֶסֶד וְהָאֱמֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז ו): ״בְּחֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְכֻפַּר עָוֹן״. וְאִם הַחוֹטֵא לֹא שָׁב אֶל הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ – לֹא יִתְכַּפֵּר עֲוֹנוֹ בְּפָעֳלוֹ חֶסֶד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (דברים י יז): ״אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשָּׂא פָנִים, וְלֹא יִקַּח שֹׁחַד״. וּפֵרְשׁוּ חֲכָמִים: ״לֹא יִקַּח שֹׁחַד״ – לִמְחֹל עַל הַמִּצְווֹת וּלְהַעֲבִיר עַל הָעֲוֹנוֹת. וְזֶה הַפָּסוּק ״בְּחֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְכֻפַּר עָוֹן״ – עַל בַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה דִּבֵּר, כִּי יֵשׁ עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים תּוֹלִין, וְיִסּוּרִין מְמָרְקִין. וְהִנֵּה הַחֶסֶד מָגֵן בְּעַד הַחוֹטֵא וְיִשְׁמֹר עָלָיו מִן הַיִּסּוּרִין, גַּם יַצִּילֶנּוּ מִן הַמָּוֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי י ב): ״וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת״. וְעוֹד יֵשׁ עֲוֹן חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם, שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים תּוֹלִין וּמִיתָה מְמָרֶקֶת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו כב יד): ״אִם יְכֻפַּר הֶעָוֹן הַזֶּה לָכֶם עַד תְּמֻתוּן״. וּכְשֶׁאָדָם מִשְׁתַּדֵּל לֶאֱחֹז בְּיָדוֹ הָאֱמֶת, וְיַחֲזִיק יְדֵי אַנְשֵׁי אֱמֶת וְיִשָּׂא רֹאשָׁם, וְיַשְׁפִּיל אַנְשֵׁי הַשֶּׁקֶר וְיַגִּיעֵם עַד הֶעָפָר – הִנֵּה אֵלֶּה דַּרְכֵי קִדּוּשׁ הַשֵּׁם. וְהִנֵּה כְּשֶׁיִּתְעוֹרֵר אָדָם בְּמִדַּת הָאֱמֶת, אָז יִסָּלַח לוֹ עֲוֹן הַחִלּוּל עִם הַתְּשׁוּבָה.
The seventeenth principle of repentance is to pursue deeds of kindness and truth, as it is said, "By mercy and truth iniquity is expiated" (Prov. 16:6). But if the sinner does not return to the Lord, Blessed be He, then his sin will not be atoned for by kindly deeds alone, as it is said, "Who regardeth not persons, nor taketh rewards" (Deut. 10:17). And the Sages interpreted this to mean that God will not take the bribe of a good deed in order to forgive the wrongs (see Yalkut Shimoni on Proverbs, item 947). And this verse, "In mercy and truth, iniquity is expiated," applies to those who are truly repentant. For there are transgressions which repentance and the Day of Atonement hold in suspense and which are cleansed by affliction. And behold in such a case the kindness of the sinner will protect him and guard him from troubles and will also save him from death. As it is said, "But righteousness delivereth from death" (Prov. 10:2). And then there is the sin of profaning the Name of God, and in this, repentance and the Day of Atonement and even affliction hold everything in suspense, and only death cleanses a person, as it is said, "Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die" (Is. 22:14). And when a man tries to hold the truth in his hand and strengthens the hands of men of truth and lifts their heads and degrades the men of falsehood and causes them to reach the dust — these are ways of sanctifying the Name of God. And if a man is aroused to possess the quality of truth, then his sin of profanation will be forgiven him at the time of repentance.
הַשְּׁמוֹנָה עָשָׂר – שֶׁיִּהְיוּ חֲטָאָיו נֶגְדּוֹ תָּמִיד וְלֹא יִשְׁכַּח אוֹתָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהלים נא ה): ״כִּי פְשָׁעַי אֲנִי אֵדָע, וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד״.
The eighteenth principle of repentance is that one's sins should be before one constantly and one should not forget them, as it is said, "For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me" (Ps. 51:5).
הַתִּשְׁעָה עָשָׂר – עֲזִיבַת הַחֵטְא, כְּשֶׁבָּא הַחֵטְא לְיָדוֹ וְהוּא בְּחֹזֶק תַּאֲוָתוֹ. וְאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים (יומא פו ב): אֵיזֶהוּ בַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה אֲשֶׁר תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ מַגַּעַת עַד כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד? זֶהוּ אֲשֶׁר נִבְחַן וְיָצָא נָקִי, בְּאוֹתוֹ פֶּרֶק וּבְאוֹתוֹ מָקוֹם וּבְאוֹתָהּ אִשָּׁה. פֵּרוּשׁ: כְּשֶׁיִּזְדַּמֵּן הַחֵטְא לְיָדוֹ וְהוּא בְּתֹקֶף יִצְרוֹ, וְכָבַשׁ יִצְרוֹ בַּעֲבוּר יִרְאַת הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְאִם לֹא נִזְדַּמֵּן בְּיָדוֹ בְּעִנְיָן זֶה – יוֹסִיף בְּנַפְשׁוֹ יִרְאַת הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא דְּבַר יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ. כָּכָה יַעֲשֶׂה כָּל הַיָּמִים, וְזֶה מַדְרֵגָה עֶלְיוֹנָה מִן הַתְּשׁוּבָה.
The nineteenth principle of repentance is the abandonment of the sin when the sin comes again to his hands, and he is in the grip of his desire. And our Sages said, "Who is the truly repentant person whose repentance reaches the very Throne of Glory? He who is tested and emerges innocent in the same circumstance, and in the same place and with the same woman" (Yoma 86b). And the meaning of this statement is: If the temptation to do the sin should come once again to him, and he is in the grip of the evil desire and yet he conquers it because of reverence for the Lord, Blessed be He, this constitutes repentance. And if this temptation did not come to him again in this matter then let him each day add within his soul reverence of the Lord, Blessed be He. And thus should he do all his days, and this is even a higher step than repentance.
הָעֶשְׂרִים – לְהָשִׁיב רַבִּים מֵעָוֹן כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּשִּׂיג יָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל יח ל): ״שׁוּבוּ וְהָשִׁיבוּ מִכָּל פִּשְׁעֵיכֶם״ – לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁזֶּה מֵעִקְּרֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה. וְנֶאֱמַר (ויקרא יט יז): ״הוֹכֵחַ תּוֹכִיחַ אֶת עֲמִיתֶךָ, וְלֹא תִשָּׂא עָלָיו חֵטְא״ – לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁאִם לֹא יוֹכִיחֶנּוּ יֵעָנֵשׁ עַל חֲטָאָיו. וְכֵן אָמַר דָּוִד (תהלים נא טו): ״אֲלַמְּדָה פֹּשְׁעִים דְּרָכֶיךָ, וְחַטָּאִים אֵלֶיךָ יָשׁוּבוּ״.
The twentieth principle of repentance is to cause multitudes to turn away from sin, as much as he is able, as it is said, "Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions" (Ezek. 18:30). We learn from this that this is one of the principles of true repentance. And it is said, "Thou shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people" (Lev. 19:17). We have learned from this that if he does not rebuke him then he is guilty for the other's sin, and thus said David, "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall return to thee" (Ps. 51:15).
אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים דְּבָרִים מְעַכְּבִים אֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה. אַרְבָּעָה מֵהֶן עָוֹן גָּדוֹל, וְהָעוֹשֶׂה אֶחָד מֵאֵלּוּ הָאַרְבָּעָה – אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַסְפִּיק בְּיָדוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה לְפִי גֹּדֶל חֶטְאוֹ. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: הַמַּחֲטִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים, וּבִכְלַל עָוֹן זֶה – הַמְּעַכֵּב אֶת הָרַבִּים מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת מִצְוָה. וְהַמַּטֶּה אֶת הָרַבִּים אוֹ חֲבֵרוֹ מִדֶּרֶךְ טוֹבָה לְדֶרֶךְ רָעָה, כְּגוֹן מֵסִית וּמַדִּיחַ. וְהָרוֹאֶה אֶת בְּנוֹ יוֹצֵא לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה וְאֵינוֹ מוֹחֶה בְּיָדוֹ, כִּי אִם הָיָה מוֹחֶה בְּיָדוֹ הָיָה פּוֹרֵשׁ, וְנִמְצָא שֶׁמַּחֲטִיא אוֹתוֹ. וּבִכְלַל זֶה הֶעָוֹן – כָּל שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר בְּיָדוֹ לִמְחוֹת בַּאֲחֵרִים, בֵּין רַבִּים בֵּין יְחִידִים, וְאֵינוֹ מוֹחֶה אֶלָּא מַנִּיחַ אוֹתָם בְּכִשְׁלוֹנָם. וְהָאוֹמֵר ״אֶחֱטָא וְאָשׁוּב״. וּבִכְלָל זֶה: הָאוֹמֵר ״אֶחֱטָא וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפֵּר״, כִּי כָּל הַמְּחַשֵּׁב כָּךְ – תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ קָשָׁה מְאוֹד; כִּי לְעוֹלָם יֶחֱטָא כֵּיוָן שֶׁחוֹשֵׁב שֶׁיָּשׁוּב, אָז הָעֲבֵרָה קַלָּה בְּעֵינָיו.
Twenty-four things impede repentance (see Maimonides, Laws of Repentance, chap. 4, and R. Isaac Alfasi's commentary on Yoma, chap. 8). Four of these are great wrongs and he who does any one of them, the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not provide him the means to do repentance according to the magnitude of his sin. And these are they : He who causes the many to sin, and this includes he who restrains the many from doing a good deed. And he who turns his companion from a good way to an evil way, for example, one who seduces and incites people to abandon the faith of Israel. And he who sees his son falling into bad ways and does not protest, for if he had protested, he would have given up these evil ways; consequently, the father has caused him to sin. Included in this sin is anyone who was in a position to protest to others about their conduct, whether it be to an individual or to many people, and yet he does not protest but leaves them to their stumbling. And he who says, "I will sin and then I will repent." Also in this category is he who says, "I will sin and the Day of Atonement will atone for my sin." For everyone who makes such a calculation will find it very difficult to repent, for he will constantly sin, since he thinks that he will repent, and then the sin becomes light in his eyes.
וּמֵאוֹתָן אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים דְּבָרִים, מֵהֶן חֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁהֵם נוֹעֲלִים דַּרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה בִּפְנֵי עוֹשֵׂיהֶם. וְאֵלּוּ הֵם: הַפּוֹרֵשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר כְּשֶׁעוֹשִׂים תְּשׁוּבָה, וְהוּא אוֹמֵר ״שָׁלוֹם עָלַי נַפְשִׁי״ וְאֵינוֹ מִצְטַעֵר בְּצַעַר צִבּוּר – לָכֵן אֵינוֹ זוֹכֶה בַּזְּכוּת שֶׁעוֹשִׂים. וְהַחוֹלֵק עַל דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים; לְפִי שֶׁהַמַּחֲלֹקֶת גּוֹרֶמֶת לִפְרֹשׁ מֵהֶם, וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ דַּרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה. וְהַמַּלְעִיג עַל הַמִּצְווֹת; שֶׁכֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְבַּזּוּ בְּעֵינָיו – אֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ עֲלֵיהֶן לַעֲשׂוֹתָן. וְאִם לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה – בַּמֶּה יִזְכֶּה? וְהַמְּבַזֶּה רַבּוֹתָיו; שֶׁדָּבָר זֶה גּוֹרֵם לְדָחְפוֹ וּלְטָרְדוֹ מִן הָעוֹלָם כְּאוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ, וּבִזְמַן שֶׁנִּטְרָד – לֹא יִמְצָא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמּוֹרֶה לוֹ דֶּרֶךְ הָאֱמֶת. וְהַשּׂוֹנֵא אֶת הַתּוֹכָחוֹת; שֶׁהֲרֵי לֹא הִנִּיחַ לוֹ דֶּרֶךְ תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁהַתּוֹכָחוֹת גּוֹרְמוֹת לִתְשׁוּבָה. שֶׁבִּזְמַן שֶׁמּוֹדִיעִים לָאָדָם חֲטָאָיו וּמַכְלִימִים אוֹתוֹ – חוֹזֵר בִּתְשׁוּבָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ט ז): ״זְכֹר אַל תִּשְׁכַּח... מַמְרִים הֱיִיתֶם עִם יְיָ״; ״וְלֹא נָתַן יְיָ לָכֶם לֵב לָדַעַת...״ (שם כט ג); ״עַם נָבָל וְלֹא חָכָם...״ (שם לב ו). וְכֵן יְשַׁעְיָה הַנָּבִיא הוֹכִיחַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד שֶׁחָזְרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה. לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ כָּל קָהָל וְקָהָל לְהַעֲמִיד אֶחָד מֵחַכְמֵיהֶם, זָקֵן וִירֵא שָׁמַיִם מִנְּעוּרָיו וְאָהוּב לָהֶם, שֶׁיְּהֵא מוֹכִיחַ לַקָּהָל לְהַחֲזִירָם בִּתְשׁוּבָה. וְזֶה שֶׁשּׂוֹנֵא אֶת הַתּוֹכָחוֹת – אֵינוֹ בָּא לַמּוֹכִיחַ וְלֹא שׁוֹמֵעַ דְּבָרָיו, וּלְפִיכָךְ יַעֲמֹד בַּחֲטָאָיו שֶׁהֵם טוֹבִים בְּעֵינָיו.
Of these twenty-four things that impede repentance there are five that lock the paths of repentance before those who do them. And these are : He who separates himself from the congregation when they are doing repentance, saying, "My soul is at peace within me," and he does not share the anguish of the congregation. Therefore he has no share in the merit which they are acquiring. And he who takes issue with the words of the Sages, for this controversy causes him to separate himself from his fellows and consequently he does not know the paths of repentance. And he mocks at the precepts. For inasmuch as they are despised in his eyes, he will not pursue the commandments to perform them, and if he does not perform the commandments, in what way will he gain merit? And he who despises his teachers, for this confuses and drives a man away from the world — as it did to "that man." And at a time when he is so troubled and confused he will not find a teacher who will teach him the true way. And he who hates reproof, for this leaves him no path to repentance inasmuch as reproof causes repentance, for when people let a man know his sins and shame him — he will repent. As it is written, "Remember, forget thou not, how thou didst make the Lord thy God wroth in the wilderness… Ye have been rebellious against thy Lord" (Deut. 9:7); "But the Lord hath not given you a heart to know" (Deut. 29:3); "O foolish people and unwise" (Deut. 32:6). And thus did the Prophet Isaiah rebuke Israel. And similarly did all the Prophets rebuke Israel, until they turned to repentance. Therefore every congregation ought to appoint one of its wise men — an older man, one who has revered God from his youth and is beloved by the people — to rebuke the multitude and cause them to repent. He who hates rebukes will not come to the reprover and will not hear his words and therefore he will remain with his sins for they will appear good in his eyes.
וּמֵאוֹתָן אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים דְּבָרִים יֵשׁ חֲמִשָּׁה דְּבָרִים, הָעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָן אִי אֶפְשָׁר לוֹ שֶׁיָּשׁוּב בִּתְשׁוּבָה גְּמוּרָה; לְפִי שֶׁהֵם עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ חֲבֵרוֹ שֶׁחָטָא לוֹ שֶׁיְּבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: הַמְקַלֵּל אֶת הָרַבִּים, וְלֹא קִלֵּל אָדָם יָדוּעַ שֶׁיְּבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה. וְהַחוֹלֵק עִם הַגַּנָּב, כִּי הוּא חוֹשֵׁב שֶׁאֵין זֶה גְּנֵבָה כִּי ״אֲנִי לֹא גָּנַבְתִּי״; וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם יִרְצֶה לָשׁוּב וּלְהַחֲזִיר – לְמִי יַחֲזִיר? כִּי הוּא אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ מִמִּי גָּנַב הַגַּנָּב, וְהוּא מַחֲזִיק יְדֵי הַגַּנָּב וּמַחֲטִיא אוֹתוֹ. וְהַמּוֹצֵא אֲבֵדָה וְאֵינוֹ מַכְרִיז עָלֶיהָ לְהַחְזִיר לִבְעָלֶיהָ, וּכְשֶׁרוֹצֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה – אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁל מִי הָיְתָה. וְהָאוֹכֵל שׁוֹר עֲנִיִּים, יְתוֹמִים וְאַלְמָנוֹת: אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם אֻמְלָלִים הֵם, וְאֵינָם יְדוּעִים וּמְפֻרְסָמִים, וְגוֹלִים מֵעִיר לְעִיר, וְזֶה הָאוֹכֵל אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁל מִי הוּא שֶׁיַּחֲזִיר לוֹ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים ״שׁוֹד״ בְּדָלֶ״ת, לְשׁוֹן דֹּחַק, פֵּרוּשׁ: שֶׁהוּא דּוֹחֵק אֵלּוּ הָעֲנִיִּים בְּחוֹב שֶׁהֵן חַיָּבִים לוֹ עַד שֶׁמַּחְלִיטִים לוֹ קַרְקְעוֹתֵיהֶם אוֹ מִטַּלְטְלִים שֶׁלָּהֶם בְּפָחוֹת מִשָּׁוְיָם; וְאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁב שֶׁיֵּשׁ בָּזֶה חֵטְא, כִּי יֹאמַר: ״שֶׁלִּי אֲנִי נוֹטֵל!״ וְהַמְּקַבֵּל שֹׁחַד לְהַטּוֹת דִּין, וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ עַד הֵיכָן מַגִּיעַ הַטָּיָה זוֹ וְכַמָּה כּוֹחָהּ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּחֲזִיר הַדָּבָר. וְעוֹד: הוּא מַחֲזִיק יָד זֶה שֶׁהִטָּה לוֹ הַדִּין וּמַחֲטִיא אוֹתוֹ.
And of the twenty-four things that impede repentance there are five that make it impossible for him who does them to repent completely, because they are wrongs between man and his fellow man in which the one who was wronged does not know that the sinner has sinned against him and must therefore seek forgiveness of him. And these are the cases : he who curses the many and has not cursed one particular man from whom he can seek forgiveness. And he who divides up booty with a thief, telling himself that this is not theft, because "I didn't steal." And even if this man should wish to repent and restore the stolen goods, to whom would he restore them? For he does not know from whom the thief has stolen. Moreover, he strengthens the hands of the thief and causes him to sin further. And he who finds a lost article and does not proclaim the fact in order to return it to its master. And should the finder want to do repentance he does know to whom the object belongs. And he who eats the ox (שור) of the poor and the food of orphans and widows. Such people are unfortunate; they are not well-known and they wander from city to city. And when a person eats what belongs to them he does not know whose food he has taken so that he can return it to him. And there are those who say that instead of (שור) the word should be read (שוד) meaning "robbery" or "oppression." This would then refer to one who presses the poor for the debt they owe him until they decide to turn over to him their land, or their personal property for less than their value, and this man does not sense that there is a great sin in this, for he says, "I am only taking what belongs to me!" And he who accepts a bribe to prevent justice, and he does not know to what extent he has perverted justice and how much influence he exerted so that he should be able to restore the matter to the state where it was before he perverted justice. Moreover, he reinforces the hands of the one for whose sake he perverted justice so as to cause him to sin in this matter.
וּמֵאוֹתָן אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים דְּבָרִים יֵשׁ חֲמִשָּׁה דְּבָרִים, שֶׁהָעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָן אֵין חֶזְקָתוֹ לָשׁוּב מֵהֶן; לְפִי שֶׁהֵן דְּבָרִים קַלִּים בְּעֵינֵי רֹב בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְנִמְצָא חוֹטֵא וְהוּא אֵין נִרְאֶה לוֹ חֵטְא. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: הָאוֹכֵל מִסְּעוּדָה שֶׁאֵינָהּ מַסְפֶּקֶת לִבְעָלֶיהָ. כְּגוֹן אָדָם שֶׁנִּכְנָס לְבֵית עָנִי וְהוּא מַזְמִין לוֹ הַרְבֵּה, וְאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה בִּרְצוֹן לִבּוֹ אֶלָּא שֶׁהוּא מִתְבַּיֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ לְהַזְמִין מְעַט; וְזֶה אֵינוֹ נִרְאֶה לוֹ חֵטְא בָּזֶה, כִּי הוּא חוֹשֵׁב שֶׁאוֹכֵל בִּרְשׁוּתוֹ וְלֹא בְּעַל־כָּרְחוֹ. וְהַמִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בַּעֲבוֹטוֹ שֶׁל עָנִי, אֲפִלּוּ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא קַרְדֹּם וּמַחְרֵשָׁה, וְאוֹמֵר בְּלִבּוֹ: ״לֹא חִסַּרְתִּי מֵהֶם וַהֲרֵי לֹא גָּזַלְתִּי״. וְהַמִּסְתַּכֵּל בָּעֲרָיוֹת, כִּי הַמִּסְתַּכֵּל חוֹשֵׁב בְּלִבּוֹ: ״אֵין בְּכָךְ כְּלוּם״. שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְכִי בָּעַלְתִּי אוֹ קָרַבְתִּי?!״ וְהוּא אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁרְאוּת הָעַיִן עָוֹן גָּדוֹל שֶׁהִיא גּוֹרֶמֶת לְגוּפָן שֶׁל הָעֲרָיוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר טו לט): ״וְלֹא תָתֻרוּ אַחֲרֵי לְבַבְכֶם וְאַחֲרֵי עֵינֵיכֶם״. וְהַמִּתְכַּבֵּד בִּקְלוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ אוֹמֵר בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא חָטָא, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין חֲבֵרוֹ עוֹמֵד אֶצְלוֹ, וְלֹא הִגִּיעַ לוֹ בֹּשֶׁת וְלֹא בִּיְּשׁוֹ, אֶלָּא שֶׁהוּא עוֹרֵךְ מַעֲשָׂיו הַטּוֹבִים וְחָכְמָתוֹ וַחֲרִיפוּתוֹ יוֹתֵר מִמַּעֲשֵׂה חֲבֵרוֹ וְחָכְמָתוֹ וַחֲרִיפוּתוֹ, וְהַשּׁוֹמֵעַ דְּבָרָיו יִהְיֶה הוּא מְכֻבָּד בְּעֵינָיו וַחֲבֵרוֹ בָּזוּי. וְהַחוֹשֵׁד בִּכְשֵׁרִים בְּלִבּוֹ. וְאוֹמֵר שֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹטֵא, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר: ״מֶה עָשִׂיתִי? וַהֲלֹא לֹא עָשִׂיתִי שׁוּם דָּבָר, אֶלָּא חֲשָׁד בְּעָלְמָא!״ וְהוּא אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַחֲשָׁד עָוֹן גָּדוֹל, שֶׁמֵּשִׂים אָדָם כָּשֵׁר בְּדַעְתּוֹ כְּבַעַל־עֲבֵרוֹת.
And of these twenty-four things which impede repentance, five have to do with one who has no inclination to repent, because they are things that are unimportant in the eyes of most people. Consequently, the person sins but it appears to him as though he had not sinned. And these are the things : He who eats of a meal that does not suffice for its owners. For example, a man enters the house of a poor man, and the poor man prepares very much food for his guest, not out of the willingness of his heart but because he is ashamed to invite his guest to partake of little. And the visitor does not think that he has sinned in this, because he thinks that he is eating with the permission of the master of the house, and not against his real will. And he who uses an object which has been given to him in pledge by a poor man, even if it is only an axe or a plow, and he says in his heart, "I did not take anything away from them; I did not rob." And he who looks upon indecent acts, for the one who gazes thinks in his heart that there is nothing evil in this, saying "Did I participate in this act, or did I draw near to it?" And he does not know that even looking at lewness with the eye is a great sin, for it leads a person to violate the laws of chastity, as it is said, "That ye go not about after your own heart and your own eyes" (Num. 15:39). And he who obtains honor through the shame of his companion. He says in his heart that he has not sinned because his companion is not in his presence, and therefore the shameful deed really did not effect his companion and that he did not in fact shame him, but that he has merely evaluated his own good deeds, his wisdom, and his keenness higher than the deeds, the wisdom and the keenness of his companion. But in the eyes of the one who hears his words, he will be the honored one, and his companion the shamed one. And he who suspects the innocent. He says in his heart that that is no sin, for he says, "What did I do to him? I did not do anything to him; it was just a mere suspicion." He does not know that this is a great sin, to picture an innocent person in his own mind as though he were a sinful man.
וּמֵאוֹתָן אַרְבָּעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים דְּבָרִים יֵשׁ חֲמִשָּׁה מֵהֶם, הָעוֹשֶׂה אוֹתָן נִמְשָׁךְ אַחֲרֵיהֶן תָּמִיד, וְקָשִׁים הֵם לִפְרֹשׁ מֵהֶם. לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִזָּהֵר בָּהֶם מְאוֹד שֶׁמָּא יִדְבַּק בָּהֶם, וְהֵם כֻּלָּם רָעוֹת עַד מְאוֹד. וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: רְכִילוּת; וְלָשׁוֹן הָרַע; וּבַעַל כַּעַס; וּבַעַל מַחֲשָׁבָה רָעָה; וְהַמִּתְחַבֵּר לְרָשָׁע, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא לוֹמֵד מִמַּעֲשָׂיו. כִּי כְּשֶׁהוּא תָּמִיד אֵצֶל הָרָשָׁע וְרוֹאֶה מַעֲשָׂיו – אָז הֵם רְשׁוּמִים בְּלִבּוֹ. וְהוּא שֶׁאָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה: ״וְרוֹעֶה כְסִילִים יֵרוֹעַ״ (משלי יג כ).
And of these twenty-four things that impede repentance, five of them are such that he who does them is constantly drawn after them and finds it very difficult to separate himself from them. Therefore, a man must be very careful of these, lest he cleave to them, and they are all very evil states of mind. And these are : tale-bearing, gossip, wrath, evil thoughts, and associating with a wicked man, for he will surely learn from his deeds. For when one is always with the wicked and sees these deeds they become impressed in his heart, as Solomon said, "But the companion of fools shall smart for it" (Prov. 12:20).
כָּל אֵלּוּ הַדְּבָרִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמְּעַכְּבִים אֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה, מִכָּל מָקוֹם אֵינָן מוֹנְעִים אֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה. אֶלָּא אִם עָשָׂה אָדָם תְּשׁוּבָה מֵהֶם – הֲרֵי הוּא בַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה, וְיֵשׁ לוֹ חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.
All these things and similar ones, impede repentance, but they do not preclude it altogether, and if a man has truly repented of these things, then he is a penitent and has a share in the world to come.
הָעֲווֹנוֹת שְׁנֵי מִינִים הֵם: הָאֶחָד שֶׁבֵּינוֹ לְבֵין הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְבַד, כְּגוֹן תְּפִלִּין וְצִיצִית וְסֻכָּה, וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּאֵלּוּ. וְהַמִּין הַשֵּׁנִי שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ. אוֹתָן הָעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, יַעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה בְּאוֹתוֹ עִנְיָן שֶׁעָבַר. כְּגוֹן: אִם לֹא קִיֵּם מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה – יִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְקַיֵּם; אִם לֹא עָסַק בִּגְמִילוּת חֲסָדִים – יִטְרַח מֵעֵת הַתְּשׁוּבָה וָאֵילָךְ לִגְמֹל חֶסֶד; וְאִם עָבַר עַל מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה – יִתֵּן בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲבֹר מֵעַתָּה וְאֵילָךְ.
Sins are of two kinds. There are those that are between man and God alone, Blessed be He, such as Tefillin, Fringes, the Sukkah and similar commandments. And there are sins between one man and another. As to the sins between man and God, Blessed be He, a man should do repentance in that very same matter in which he has transgressed. For example, if he has not fulfilled a particular positive precept, he should try to fulfill it. And if he has not been in the habit of giving charity, he should make a point from the time of his repentance and thereafter to give charity. And if he has transgressed the prohibitive commandments, then he should set his heart not to transgress any further.
כְּלָלוֹ שֶׁל דָּבָר: מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לִהְיוֹת מִבַּעֲלֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה הַשְּׁלֵמִים – צָרִיךְ לַעֲרֹךְ מִלְחָמָה גְּדוֹלָה בְּלִבּוֹ. וְאֵין הָעִנְיָן כְּמוֹ שֶׁחוֹשְׁבִים הָעוֹלָם, כִּי לֹא יֵחָשְׁבוּ בַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה אֶלָּא מִי שֶׁעָבַר עֲבֵרוֹת יְדוּעוֹת, כְּגוֹן מִי שֶׁבָּא עַל כּוּתִית אוֹ עַל אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, אוֹ שֶׁגָּנַב, אוֹ כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּאֵלּוּ. וְאֵין הָעִנְיָן כֵּן, כִּי יֵשׁ גַּזְלָנִים הַרְבֵּה שֶׁאֵינָן יוֹדְעִים שֶׁהֵם גַּזְלָנִים, כְּגוֹן מִי שֶׁקּוֹרֵא חֲבֵרוֹ לִדּוֹן עִמּוֹ, וְיוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵינוֹ חַיָּב לוֹ מְאוּמָה, אֲבָל הוּא מִתְכַּוֵּן לְהַקְנִיטוֹ וּלְצַעֲרוֹ וּלְהַפְסִידוֹ שֶׁיְּפַזֵּר מְעוֹתָיו, וְאֵינוֹ מַעֲלֶה בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁזֶּה הַדָּבָר הוּא גֶּזֶל. אָדָם הַמַּשְׁבִּיעַ אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ שְׁבוּעָה אֲפִלּוּ בְּדִין – יֵשׁ לוֹ עֹנֶשׁ בָּזֶה. וּכְעִנְיָן זֶה אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה בְּכָל יוֹם וּבְכָל שָׁעָה חֲבִילוֹת שֶׁל עֲבֵרוֹת. כֵּיצַד? אָדָם חַיָּב לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה וּלְבָרֵךְ כָּל בְּרָכוֹת בְּכַוָּנָה, וְיֵשׁ מְעַטִּים בָּעוֹלָם הַמְּכַוְּנִים בְּכָל לִבָּם. וְכָכָה יֵשׁ בְּכָל הַמִּצְווֹת עִנְיָנִים שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ גְּדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר הַזֶּה אֵינָן נִזְהָרִים בָּהֶן, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁאֵינָם שָׂמִים עַל לִבָּם וּמֵחֲמַת שֶׁאֵינָן לוֹמְדִים הַמִּצְווֹת וְהַמִּדּוֹת הַטּוֹבוֹת. לָכֵן מִי שֶׁנָּדְבָה לִבּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה, יִהְיֶה רָגִיל לַהֲגוֹת בְּסֵפֶר הַמִּדּוֹת הַזֶּה, וּבוֹ יִרְאֶה טָעוּתוֹ בַּמֶּה שֶׁטָּעָה כָּל יָמָיו, וְיִתְבּוֹנֵן עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר שֶׁיִּקְרָא אִם קִיֵּם אוֹתוֹ וְאִם לָאו. וְאִם יִרְאֶה שֶׁלֹּא קִיֵּם – יִשְׁתַּדֵּל וְיַטְרִיחַ בְּכָל כּוֹחוֹ כְּדֵי לְקַיְּמוֹ. וְגַם יִהְיֶה רָגִיל בְּסֵפֶר הַמִּצְווֹת, לַהֲגוֹת בּוֹ וּלְהָבִין בְּכָל מִצְוָה כְּמִשְׁפָּטָהּ, וְיִתֵּן לֵב עַל כָּל מִצְוָה לְקַיֵּם כְּמַאֲמָרָהּ. וְזֶה הָעִנְיָן הוּא הַדֶּרֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל בְּדַרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה, לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה מִכָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ.
The general rule is that he who wants to be a truly repentant person must wage a great war in his heart, and the matter is not like what most people think, that a person is not a penitent unless he has committed certain serious sins. For example, one who has had intercourse with a gentile woman, or who has committed adultery, or who has stolen, or the like. But this is not so. For there are many robbers who do not know that they are robbers. For example, if a man files suit against another, although he knows that he does not owe him anything, but he wants to provoke him and distress him and cause him loss by making him waste money in his defense. Now, the man who files this suit does not realize that this is robbery. Or there is the man who causes another to take an oath, even though he does so by right, there is guilt in this. Yet people do things like this every day, every hour — heaps of sins like this. How is that? A man is obligated to pray with firm intent and say all the benedictions with firm intent, but there are very few in this world who do pray with all their heart. And the same is true with regard to all the commandments: there are points that even the great ones of our generation do not observe scrupulously, because they do not put their minds to it, and because they do not study the commandments and the good qualities. Therefore, he who has offered his heart in his desire to do true repentance should accustom himself to meditate in this book of the "Paths of the Righteous," and in it he will see his error and in just what manner he has erred all of his days. And he should consider every single thing that he reads and ask himself whether he has fulfilled it or not. And if he sees that he has not fulfilled it, he should strive with all his might to fulfill it. And he should also accustom himself to study the Book of the Commandments, to meditate in it and to understand every commandment properly. And he should set his heart on every precept, to fulfill it as it is explained. And this is the important highway of all the paths of repentance: to do repentance for each individual matter independently.
יֵשׁ עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּין אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ, אֲשֶׁר הֵן קָשׁוֹת מְאוֹד לְתַקֵּן וְלַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה. כְּגוֹן אָדָם שֶׁהֻרְגַּל בְּגָזֵל כָּל יָמָיו, וְאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ מִמִּי גָּזַל, אוֹ אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ הֵיכָן הוּא דָּר, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא הָלַךְ לוֹ לִמְדִינוֹת הַיָּם, אוֹ שֶׁמָּא אִבֵּד הַמָּעוֹת וְאֵין לוֹ לְהָשִׁיב. וְיֵשׁ שֶׁנָּהַג בַּעֲבֵרוֹת כָּל יָמָיו עַד שֶׁהוּא מֻרְגָּל בָּהֶם וּמְלֻמָּד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר (ירמיהו ט ד): ״לִמְּדוּ לְשׁוֹנָם דַּבֶּר שֶׁקֶר הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ״.
There are sins between a man and his fellow man that are very difficult to correct and to do repentance for, e.g., a man who has been accustomed to rob all of his days and he does not know from whom he has robbed or where his victim lives, or perhaps his victim has gone to some distant country, or perhaps the money that he should return has been lost. And there is the type of person that is so used to sins all of his life that it has become a habit with him and he is very thoroughly versed in wrongdoing, as Jeremiah said, "They have taught their tongue to speak lies, they weary themselves to commit iniquity" (Jer. 9:4).
וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁבָּא עַל הָעֶרְוָה וְהוֹלִיד מִמֶּנָּה בֵּן, וְהַחֶרְפָּה לֹא תָּמוּשׁ. וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁרָגִיל בְּדִבְרֵי כָּזָב וּלְסַפֵּר גְּנַאי עַל בְּנֵי אָדָם. וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁהִדִּיחַ בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְהִתְעָה אוֹתָם לְדָבָר אָסוּר. וְיֵשׁ מִי שֶׁרוֹאֶה בְּנֵי אָדָם הוֹלְכִים בְּדֶרֶךְ רָעָה וְתָעוּ מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר, וְזֶה הָיָה יָרֵא מֵהֶם לְהוֹכִיחָם, אוֹ הָיָה מִתְבַּיֵּשׁ מֵהֶם, עַד שֶׁנִּמְנַע לְהוֹרוֹת לָהֶם הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר; עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב אוֹמֵר (יחזקאל ג יח): ״הוּא רָשָׁע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ יָמוּת, וְדָמוֹ מִיָּדְךָ אֲבַקֵּשׁ״.
And there is the case of a man who had intercourse with a woman who is prohibited to him and begot a son by her — this shame cannot be removed. And there is one who is accustomed to lie and to speak ill of people. And there is the one who has seduced people and misled them into doing a forbidden thing. And there is the man who sees people walking in an evil path, they having strayed from the righteous path, and he is afraid to rebuke them, or he was ashamed of them and refrained from teaching them the proper path. Of him the Scripture says, "The same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thy hand" (Ezek. 3:18).
בְּכָל אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן קָשָׁה בָּהֶן מְאוֹד הַתְּשׁוּבָה. אַךְ יֵשׁ תַּקָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה לְתַקֵּן הַכֹּל: מִתְּחִלָּה יַחֲשֹׁב הַחוֹטֵא בְּכָל עִנְיְנֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה, וְיִרְאֶה וְיָבִין בְּכָל חֶלְקֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה, וְיִמְסֹר נַפְשׁוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת; וְהַכֹּל יַעֲשֶׂה לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם בְּכָל כּוֹחוֹ וּבְכָל לִבּוֹ, בַּסֵּתֶר וּבַגָּלוּי – אָז הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵקֵל עָלָיו עִנְיְנֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה וּמַדְרִיכוֹ לְדֶרֶךְ יָשָׁר לִתְשׁוּבָה. כְּגוֹן אִם הוֹלִיד בֵּן מֵעֲרָיוֹת – הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יַכְרִית אוֹתוֹ הַזֶּרַע וְיִשְׁתַּכַּח הַדָּבָר כְּאִלּוּ לֹא הָיָה.
In all of these things and in similar cases, repentance is very difficult, but there is a great remedy which can correct everything. At first the sinner must repent in all the ways of repentance, and he must see and understand all aspects of repentance, and he must devote his soul to do this, and he must do all of this for the sake of Heaven with all his strength and with all his heart, privately and in public. And then the Holy One, Blessed be He, will make easier for him the methods of repentance and will guide him along the righteous path to repentance. For example, if he begot a son by a woman prohibited to him, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will give no perpetuity to this seed and the matter will be forgotten as though it had not been.
וְאִם גָּזַל מָמוֹן – הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יַזְמִין לוֹ מָמוֹן וְיִפְרַע לַנִּגְזָל, וִירַצֶּנּוּ וְיִמְחֹל לוֹ. וְאִם עָשָׂה לְאָדָם דָּבָר בְּגוּפוֹ אוֹ בְּמָמוֹנוֹ – יַכְנִיס לוֹ הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ רָצוֹן וְאַהֲבָה בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁיִּמְחֹל לוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז ז): ״בִּרְצוֹת יְיָ דַּרְכֵי אִישׁ – גַּם אוֹיְבָיו יַשְׁלִם אִתּוֹ״. וְאִם אוֹתוֹ שֶׁנִּגְזַל רָחוֹק מִמֶּנּוּ – הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יְקָרְבֶנּוּ אֶצְלוֹ עַד שֶׁיְּרַצֵּהוּ וְיִמְחֹל לוֹ. וְאִם לֹא יָדַע חֶשְׁבּוֹן הַמָּמוֹן, וְאֵינוֹ מַכִּיר הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר גָּזַל – יִתֵּן לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה צָרְכֵי רַבִּים: כְּגוֹן לִבְנוֹת גֶּשֶׁר, אוֹ לְתַקֵּן בְּאֵרוֹת, אוֹ לִבְנוֹת בָּתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת, אוֹ שְׁאָר צָרְכֵי רַבִּים. וְיִהְיֶה הֲנָאָה מִמֶּנּוּ לְכָל הָעוֹלָם: לְמִי שֶׁגָּזַל מִמֶּנּוּ וְגַם לַאֲחֵרִים. וְאִם יָמוּת הַנִּגְזָל – יָשִׁיב הַמָּמוֹן לְיוֹרְשָׁיו. הִזִּיקוֹ בְּגוּפוֹ אוֹ דִּבֵּר עָלָיו דֹּפִי – יֵלֵךְ עַל קִבְרוֹ בְּמַעֲמַד עֲשָׂרָה בְּנֵי אָדָם וִיבַקֵּשׁ מְחִילָה מֵאֵת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ וּמֵאִתּוֹ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִמְחֹל לוֹ.
And if he has robbed money, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will see to it that he gets money with which to repay his victim, and the victim will accept restitution and forgive him. And if he has done evil to another man, either to his person or to his property, the Creator, Blessed be He, will cause to enter into the heart of the victim a desire and love (so that he will forgive him). As Solomon said, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7). And if the person he has robbed is far from him, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will bring him near to him until he is placated and forgives the robber. And if the sinner does not know how much money he has stolen and does not know whom he has robbed, then the Holy One, Blessed be He, will enable him to perform some public service, for example, building a bridge, or fixing wells, or building synagogues, or other things that the people need. And thus there will be benefit from his act to everyone; to the one whom he robbed, and also to others. And if the victim of the robbery should die, the robber must return the money to the heirs. If he has injured him physically, or slandered him, he must go to his grave in the company of ten men and ask forgiveness from God, Blessed be He, and from the dead man, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will forgive him.
וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה שֶׁאֵין הַתְּשׁוּבָה נִמְנַעַת מִן הַחוֹטֵא אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי רֹעַ לִבּוֹ. אֲבָל מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לְהִתְקָרֵב אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים – לֹא יִסְגֹּר שַׁעֲרֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה לְפָנָיו, אַךְ פּוֹתֵחַ לוֹ שַׁעֲרֵי תְּשׁוּבָה וּמוֹרֶה לוֹ הַדֶּרֶךְ הַיָּשָׁר, דִּכְתִיב (תהלים כה ח): ״טוֹב וְיָשָׁר יְיָ, עַל כֵּן יוֹרֶה חַטָּאִים בַּדָּרֶךְ״; וְאוֹמֵר (דברים כט ד): ״וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּם מִשָּׁם אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּמָצָאתָ, כִּי תִדְרְשֶׁנּוּ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ״; וְאוֹמֵר (שם ל יד): ״כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד, בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ״; וְאוֹמֵר (תהלים קמה יח): ״קָרוֹב יְיָ לְכָל קֹרְאָיו, לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאֻהוּ בֶאֱמֶת״.
And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that repentance is not denied to the sinner unless his heart remains evil. But as for him who wants to draw nearer to God, God does not close the gates of repentance before him, but he opens the gates of repentance for him and teaches him the righteous path, as it is said, "Good and upright is the Lord, therefore doth He instruct sinners in the way" (Ps. 25:8). And further, "But from thence ye will seek the Lord thy God; and thou shalt find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul" (Deut. 4:29). And further, "But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it" (Deut. 30:14). And further, "The Lord is nigh unto all those that call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth" (Ps. 145:18).
טוֹבָה גְּדוֹלָה הֵיטִיב הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עִם בְּנֵי אָדָם, אֲשֶׁר הֵכִין דֶּרֶךְ לַפּוֹשְׁעִים וְלַחוֹטְאִים לָנוּס מֵחֹשֶׁךְ לְאוֹר, וְאֵינוֹ סוֹגֵר דֶּרֶךְ הַתְּשׁוּבָה אַף אִם הִרְבּוּ לִפְשֹׁעַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיהו ג כב): ״שׁוּבוּ בָנִים שׁוֹבָבִים, אֶרְפָּה מְשׁוּבֹתֵיכֶם״. וְהַתְּשׁוּבָה מְקֻבֶּלֶת גַּם אִם יָשׁוּב הַחוֹטֵא מֵרֹב צָרוֹתָיו, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן אִם יָשׁוּב מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ד ל): ״בַּצַּר לְךָ, וּמְצָאוּךָ כֹּל הַדְּבָרִים... וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ״. וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹזֵר לַשָּׁבִים לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה, אֲפִלּוּ בְּדָבָר שֶׁאֵין כּוֹחוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם יָכוֹל לְהַשִּׂיג וּמְחַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבּוֹ רוּחַ טָהֳרָה עַד שֶׁיַּשִּׂיג עִנְיְנֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם ל ב): ״וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקֹלוֹ״. וְאוֹמֵר בְּסוֹף הָעִנְיָן (שם ל ו): ״וּמָל יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ״, פֵּרוּשׁ: אֲפִילּוּ בְּדָבָר שֶׁאֵין בְּךָ כֹּחַ לְהַשִּׂיג, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יָמוּל לְבָבְךָ וְיִתֵּן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ.
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.
וְיֵשׁ אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים בְּעִנְיְנֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה:
There are four motivations in the matter of repentance.
הָרִאשׁוֹן – הַשָּׁב מֵחֹזֶק הַכָּרָתוֹ אֶת אֱלֹהָיו. וְהוּא כְּמוֹ עֶבֶד הַבּוֹרֵחַ מֵאֲדֹנָיו, וּכְשֶׁחוֹשֵׁב בַּטּוֹב אֲשֶׁר גְּמָלוֹ, שֶׁמֵּרְצוֹנוֹ מְבַקֵּשׁ מְחִילָה מִמֶּנּוּ. וּבְכָמוֹהוּ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (ירמיהו ד א): ״אִם תָּשׁוּב יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם יְיָ אֵלַי תָּשׁוּב״ – קֹדֶם בּוֹא הָעֹנֶשׁ. וְאוֹמֵר (מלאכי ג ז): ״שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי וְאָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם״.
The first is when a man repents because he has come to recognize his God. And he is like a servant who flees from his master, but when he thinks of the good which his master has done to him, he returns to him of his own free will to seek forgiveness from him, and of such as him the Scripture says, "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, yea return unto Me" (Jer. 4:1). And further, "Return unto Me, and I will return unto you" (Malachi 3:7).
וְהַשֵּׁנִי – שֶׁשָּׁב מֵחֲמַת שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ מוֹכִיחִים הַמַּכְלִימִים אוֹתוֹ עַד שֶׁיָּשׁוּב. וְהוּא כְּעֶבֶד שֶׁבָּרַח מֵאֲדֹנָיו, וּפָגַע בּוֹ עֶבֶד נֶאֱמָן וְהוֹכִיחוֹ וְהִכְלִימוֹ עַל שֶׁבָּרַח מֵאֲדֹנָיו. וּמְיַעֵץ אוֹתוֹ לָשׁוּב, וְהִבְטִיחוֹ שֶׁיִּמְחֹל לוֹ, וְשָׁב אֵלָיו וְנִכְנַע.
The second motivation is when a man repents because people rebuke and shame him until he repents. And he is like a servant who has fled from his master, and a faithful servant of his master meets him and rebukes him and puts him to shame for having fled, and advises him to return, and assures him that his master will forgive him. And then the man returns and is submissive.
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי – כְּשֶׁהוּא רוֹאֶה עֳנָשִׁים שֶׁהַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ מַעֲנִישׁ לְמִי שֶׁיָּצָא מִדְּרָכָיו, אָז יָשׁוּב אֶל הַשֵּׁם מִיִּרְאַת עָנְשׁוֹ. וְהוּא כְּעֶבֶד הַבּוֹרֵחַ מֵאֲדֹנָיו, כְּשֶׁיִּשְׁמַע הָעֳנָשִׁין שֶׁעָשָׂה לְמִי שֶׁבָּרַח מִמֶּנּוּ, וְאָז יָשׁוּב.
The third motivation is when a man sees the punishments that the Creator, Blessed be He, inflicts upon him who departs from His ways. Then he repents and returns to the Lord out of fear of his punishment. And he is like a servant who flees from his master and when he hears about the severe punishments that his master meted out to one who had run away he returns to him.
הָרְבִיעִי – שֶׁבָּא עָלָיו עֹנֶשׁ וְצָרוֹת וְשָׁב. וְהוּא כְּעֶבֶד שֶׁבָּרַח, וּפָגְעוּ בּוֹ לִסְטִים, וּתְפָשׂוּהוּ וְיִסְּרוּ אוֹתוֹ עַל בְּרִיחָתוֹ, וְשָׁב.
The fourth motivation is when punishment and afflictions come upon him and he repents. And he is like a servant who has fled, and bandits came upon him and captured him, and inflicted pain upon him because of his escape, and then he returns.
וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יֹאחַז תְּשׁוּבָתוֹ בַּדֶּרֶךְ הָרִאשׁוֹן, וְלָשׁוּב מֵאַהֲבַת גְּדֻלָּתוֹ.
He who is wise will be motivated in his repentance by the first factor, and he will return to God out of love for His Greatness.
שִׁשָּׁה דְּרָכִים יְעוֹרְרוּ לֵב הָאָדָם לָשׁוּב:
Six things may stir the heart of a man to repent.
הָאֶחָד – כַּאֲשֶׁר תִּמְצֶאנָה אֶת הָאִישׁ צָרוֹת, יָשִׁיב אֶל לִבּוֹ וְיֹאמַר: אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם מֵחֲמַת עֲוֹנֹתָיו וּדְרָכָיו הָרָעִים, וְיָשֹׁב אֶל הַשֵּׁם וִירַחֲמֵהוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לא יז): ״וּמְצָאֻהוּ רָעוֹת רַבּוֹת וְצָרוֹת, וְאָמַר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא: הֲלֹא עַל כִּי אֵין אֱלֹהַי בְּקִרְבִּי מְצָאוּנִי הָרָעוֹת הָאֵלֶּה״. וְהַתְּשׁוּבָה הַזֹּאת מְקֻבֶּלֶת לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם; לֹא כְּמִנְהַג בָּשָׂר וָדָם כְּשֶׁיֶּחֱטָא אִישׁ לְאִישׁ, וּבְעֵת צָרָתוֹ מִתְחָרֵט וְנִכְנַע אֵלָיו מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא צָרִיךְ לְעֶזְרָתוֹ – זֹאת הַחֲרָטָה הִיא גְּרוּעָה בְּעֵינָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר יִפְתָּח (שופטים יא ז): ״וּמַדּוּעַ בָּאתֶם אֵלַי עַתָּה כַּאֲשֶׁר צַר לָכֶם?״ אֲבָל מִן חַסְדֵי הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁהוּא מְקַבֵּל תְּשׁוּבָה מִתּוֹךְ צָרָה וְהוּא מִתְרַצֶּה בָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע יד ב): ״שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ, כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ בַּעֲוֹנֶךָ״; וּכְתִיב (משלי ג יב): ״כִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר יֶאֱהַב יְיָ יוֹכִיחַ...״.
The first : when afflictions come upon a man he considers this in his heart and says that this has happened because of his sins and his evil ways. And then he will return to God, and He will have mercy upon him, as it is said, "And many evils and troubles shall come upon them, so that they will say in that day: 'Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?' " (Deut. 31:17). Now this type of repentance, is received by God but not by human beings. For when a man sins against another man, in time of trouble he has remorse and is submissive to him because he needs his help, this remorse is considered worthless in the eyes of the person offended. As Jephthah said, "And why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?" (Judges 11:7). But it is one of the great kindnesses of God that He accepts repentance even though it comes from trouble, and He is placated, as it is said, "Return O Israel, unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast stumbled in thine iniquity" (Hos. 14:2). And it is written, "For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth" (Prov. 3:12).
וְאִם אֵין הָאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה בְּעֵת צָרָתוֹ – אָז עָנְשׁוֹ כָּפוּל, כְּמוֹ מֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם אִם אִישׁ חָטָא לוֹ, וְהוּא מְיַסֵּר אוֹתוֹ וְאֵינוֹ רוֹצֶה לְקַבֵּל מוּסָרוֹ – יוֹסִיף לְיַסְּרוֹ וְיַכְבִּיד עֻלּוֹ, וְכֵן מִדַּת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּדִכְתִיב (ויקרא כו יח): ״וְאִם עַד אֵלֶּה לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ לִי, וְיָסַפְתִּי לְיַסְּרָה אֶתְכֶם״. וְאִם לֹא יִתְבּוֹנֵן שֶׁהָרָעוֹת בָּאוֹת עָלָיו מִפְּנֵי חֲטָאָיו, אֶלָּא יֹאמַר ״מִקְרֶה הוּא״ – בָּזֶה יֵשׁ קֶצֶף גָּדוֹל עַל הָאִישׁ הַהוּא, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִין שֶׁמֵּחֲמַת עֲוֹנֹתָיו בָּאִין לוֹ יִסּוּרִין. תֵּדַע וְתַשְׂכִּיל, כִּי מוּסַר הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁמְּיַסֵּר אֶת הָאָדָם, הוּא עוֹשֶׂה לְהֵיטִיב לוֹ שְׁתֵּי טוֹבוֹת: הָאֶחָד: לְכַפֵּר חֲטָאָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים כה יח): ״רְאֵה עָנְיִי וַעֲמָלִי, וְשָׂא לְכָל חַטֹּאותָי״. הַשֵּׁנִי: כְּדֵי לְהוֹכִיחוֹ וְלַהֲשִׁיבוֹ מִדְּרָכָיו הָרָעִים, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (צפניה ג ז): ״אַךְ תִּירְאִי אוֹתִי, תִּקְחִי מוּסָר״. וְאִם לֹא עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה מִפְּנֵי הַצָּרוֹת – אָז אוֹי לוֹ, שֶׁסָּבַל יִסּוּרִין וְלֹא נִתְכַּפְּרוּ עֲוֹנֹתָיו. וְעוֹד נִכְפְּלוּ עֳנָשָׁיו, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַאֲמִין שֶׁבַּעֲבוּר חֲטָאָיו נִתְיַסֵּר.
And if a man does not repent in the time of his trouble, his punishment will be doubled. It is just as in the case of a king of flesh and blood : if a man has sinned against him, and the king punishes him, and the man does not want to receive his punishment, the king will continue to punish him and will increase the weight of his yoke. And such is the character of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is written, "And if, for all that, you do not obey Me, I will go on to discipline you" (Lev. 26:18). And if he does not understand that the evils which come upon him are because of his sins, but he says, "It was chance that happened to us" (see I Samuel 6:9), there will be great wrath against this man, for he does not believe that because of his sins the troubles came upon him. Therefore you must know, and you must intelligently consider, that when God punishes a man, it is for the man's good, to favor him with two benefits : one, to atone for his sins, as it is said, "See mine affliction and my travail; and forgive all my sins" (Ps. 25:18); and the second, to rebuke him, and to cause him to return from his evil ways, as it is said, "Surely thou wilt fear Me, thou wilt receive correction" (Zeph. 3:7). And if a man does not repent because of his troubles, then woe to him who has borne troubles and has not yet atoned for his sins! And even then, his punishment will be doubled, because he does not believe that it is because of his sins that he was punished.
וְיֵשׁ עַל הַבּוֹטֵחַ בַּשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֵדַע, כִּי הַצָּרוֹת הֵם לְטוֹבָתוֹ וּלְהֵיטִיב בְּאַחֲרִיתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מיכה ד ח): ״אַל תִּשְׂמְחִי אֹיַבְתִּי לִי, כִּי נָפַלְתִּי קָמְתִּי, כִּי אֵשֵׁב בַּחֹשֶׁךְ יְיָ אוֹר לִי״. וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: אִלְמָלֵא שֶׁנָּפַלְתִּי – לֹא קַמְתִּי; וְאִלְמָלֵא שֶׁיָּשַׁבְתִּי בַּחֹשֶׁךְ – לֹא הָיָה אוֹר לִי. לָכֵן כָּל אִישׁ, כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ צָרָה בְּגוּפוֹ אוֹ בְּמָמוֹנוֹ אוֹ בְּבָנָיו – יִתֵּן לִבּוֹ לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בְּעֵת צָרָתָם, כַּאֲשֶׁר תִּקְּנוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (תענית י א). לָכֵן בְּעֵת צָרָה יְחַפֵּשׂ בְּמַעֲשָׂיו; חִפֵּשׂ וְלֹא מָצָא עָוֹן – בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁיִּסּוּרִין שֶׁל אַהֲבָה הֵן (ברכות ה א).
It is important for one who has trust in the Lord, Blessed be He, to know that the afflictions are for his own good, and in the end it will be well with him. As it is said, "Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I am fallen, I shall arise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light unto me" (Micah 7:8). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "If I had not fallen, I would not have arisen! And, if I had not sat in the darkness, I would not have seen the light!" (Shohar Tov 22:7). Therefore, any man who has troubles in his body, or with his money, or with his children, should set his heart to fast in addition to doing repentance, just as the community is obligated to fast in the time of their trouble, and as our Sages have decreed (Ta'anith 10a, 12b). Therefore, in time of trouble, a man should examine his deeds. If he has searched and has found no transgression, he should know that his afflictions have been prompted by God's love (Berakhoth 5a).
הַשֵּׁנִי – כַּאֲשֶׁר יָבוֹאוּ יְמֵי הַזִּקְנָה וְיִרְאֶה חֲלִישׁוּת כּוֹחוֹ, אָז יַחֲשֹׁב אַחֲרִיתוֹ וְיִזְכֹּר קִצּוֹ, וְיָשֹׁב אֶל הַשֵּׁם וִירַחֲמֵהוּ. וּמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹזֵר לְעֵת זִקְנָתוֹ יִהְיוּ עֳנָשָׁיו כְּפוּלִין, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (פסחים קיג ב): אַרְבָּעָה אֵין הַדַּעַת סוֹבַלְתָּן: דָּל גֵּאֶה, עָשִׁיר מְכַחֵשׁ, זָקֵן מְנָאֵף, וּפַרְנָס מִתְגָּאֶה עַל הַצִּבּוּר בְּחִנָּם. וּכְשֶׁאָדָם רוֹאֶה שֶׁיָּמָיו הוֹלְכִין, וּבִנְיַן גּוּפוֹ מִתְדַּלְדֵּל וְהוֹלֵךְ, וְזֶהוּ הַתְחָלַת הַנְּסִיעָה שֶׁהוּא נוֹסֵעַ לְבֵית עוֹלָמוֹ, הָלוֹךְ וְנָסוֹעַ יוֹמָם וְלַיְלָה – זֶהוּ תִּמָּהוֹן גָּדוֹל, אֵיךְ לֹא יִתֵּן אֶל לִבּוֹ לְהָכִין צֵידָה לְדַרְכּוֹ הַגָּדוֹל וְהָרָחוֹק? אֵין זֶה בָּא אֶלָּא מֵחֲמַת מִעוּט אֱמוּנָה,
The second thing that can stir the heart to repentance is when old age comes upon a person and he sees the weakening of his strength, then he understands what must ultimately be his fate, and he will remember his end, and he will return to God, and He will have mercy upon him. And he who does not return in repentance at the time of old age, his punishment will be double, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "There are four kinds of men that the mind of man cannot bear, and these are they: A poor man who is arrogant, a rich man who deceives, an old man who is lecherous, and a community leader who lords it over the congregation without reason" (Pesahim 113b). And when a man sees that his days are passing, and that his constitution is growing weaker, and that this is the beginning of the journey that he is taking to his Eternal Home, and that he is travelling day and night, it would be a matter of great astonishment if such person did not set his heart upon preparing provisions for his great and distant path. This only happens if he has little faith.
וְהֵם חוֹטְאִים לַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְאוֹד שֶׁלֹּא יִרְאוּ אוֹר הַתְּשׁוּבָה. וְהֵם כְּמוֹ חוֹלֶה שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַרְגִּישׁ בְּחָלְיוֹ, וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַרְגִּישׁ חָלְיוֹ לֹא יַחְשֹׁב עַל הָרְפוּאָה. כָּךְ זֶה הָאִישׁ אֵינוֹ מַרְגִּישׁ חֲטָאָיו וְאֵינוֹ מִתְבּוֹנֵן לְקִצּוֹ, וְעַל כֵּן לֹא יָחוּשׁ לְתַקֵּן עִנְיָנָיו. וְיֵשׁ אֲנָשִׁים, אֲשֶׁר כָּל חֶפְצָם וְכָל מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיהֶם וְכָל עִנְיְנֵיהֶם עַל עִנְיְנֵי גּוּפָם, וְעוֹסְקִים כָּל הַיּוֹם בְּהַבְלֵי הָעוֹלָם, וְלֹא יִתְּנוּ חֵלֶק לַתּוֹרָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כַּמָּה הֵם בַּמַּדְרֵגָה הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה! לָכֵן מִי שֶׁהָלַךְ בִּשְׁרִירוּת לִבּוֹ בִּנְעוּרָיו, לְעֵת הַזְּקֵנָה יִתֵּן אֶל לִבּוֹ לְגָרֵשׁ מִקִּרְבּוֹ עִנְיְנֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְיִתְיַחֵד תָּמִיד לְהִתְבּוֹנֵן בְּיִרְאַת הַשֵּׁם, וּלְבַקֵּשׁ תּוֹרָה וּמִצְווֹת.
And there are people who never see the light of repentance because they are innocent and pure in their own eyes, and they sin exceedingly to God, Blessed be He. And they are like a sick person who does not feel his illness and because he does not feel his illness he does not think about a remedy; so is the man who does not feel his sins, and does not consider his end, and therefore he does not hasten to correct his affairs. And there are people whose every desire, and every thought and every deed is centered upon matters concerning their bodies, and they occupy themselves all day with the vanities of the world, and they do not devote even a portion of their day to Torah, and to reverence of the Lord, Blessed be He. How have they sunk to the very lowest state! Therefore, he who in his youth has walked in the hardness of his heart should in his old age set his heart to driving out from within him the affairs of this world, and he should arrange to be alone and to mediate on the reverence of the Lord, and he should seek to study the Torah and to perform good deeds.
הַשְּׁלִישִׁי – כַּאֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמַע מוּסַר חֲכָמִים וְיִשְׁמַע הַמּוֹכִיחִים אוֹתוֹ, בָּזֶה יְעוֹרֵר לִבּוֹ לַחֲזֹר בִּתְשׁוּבָה וִיקַבֵּל עָלָיו כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹכָחוֹת. וְאַחַר שֶׁיְּקַבֵּל, אָז יִזְכֶּה זֶה הָאִישׁ זְכוּת גְּדוֹלָה, וּבְשָׁעָה קְטַנָּה יֹצֵא מֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וְיֵשׁ לוֹ שָׂכָר וּזְכוּת עַל כָּל הַמִּצְווֹת וְעַל כָּל הַמּוּסָרִים, כֵּיוָן שֶׁגָּמַר בְּמַחְשַׁבְתּוֹ לְקַבֵּל עָלָיו. וְאַשְׁרֵי לָזֶה הַמְּקַבֵּל, שֶׁזָּכָה בְּשָׁעָה קַלָּה. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: ״וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל״ (שמות יב כח) – וְכִי מִיָּד עָשׂוּ? וַהֲלֹא לֹא עָשׂוּ עַד אַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לַחֹדֶשׁ? אֶלָּא כֵּיוָן שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם לַעֲשׂוֹת – מַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶם הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ עָשׂוּ. וְאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (משנה אבות ג ט): כָּל שֶׁמַּעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ – חָכְמָתוֹ מִתְקַיֶּמֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כד ד): ״נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע״.
The third thing that can stir the heart to repentance is when he hears the chastisement of the wise and of those who reprove him, and this arouses his heart to repent, and he receives upon himself all the words of these rebukes. From the time that he accepts them, this man earns great merit, and in a short space of time he has gone forth from darkness to light, and he has gained reward and merit for all of the commandments and all of the chastisements, inasmuch as he has resolved to receive them upon himself. And happy is he who receives this upon himself, for he has won merit in a brief moment. And thus did our Sages, of blessed memory, say "And the children of Israel went and did." Now had they already done this (i.e., prepared the Passover)? Surely, they did not do so until the fourteenth day of the month! But when they took it upon themselves to do it, Scripture ascribes it to them as though they had already done it" (Mechilta on Exodus 12:28). And thus did our Sages say, "All whose deeds are greater than his wisdom, his wisdom will endure" (Aboth 3:12). As it is said, "We will do and we will hear!" (Ex. 24:7).
פֵּרוּשׁ זֶה הָעִנְיָן: אָדָם שֶׁקִּבֵּל עַל עַצְמוֹ בְּלֵב נֶאֱמָן לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר יֹאמְרוּ לוֹ חֲכָמִים, וְאַחֲרֵי אֲשֶׁר קִבֵּל לְקַיֵּם הַכֹּל דּוֹרֵשׁ וְחוֹקֵר וְשׁוֹאֵל לַחֲכָמִים מָה לַעֲשׂוֹת – אָז יֵשׁ לוֹ שָׂכָר אֲפִלּוּ מֵאוֹתָן הַמִּצְווֹת וְהַמּוּסָרִים שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁקִּבֵּל עָלָיו וְגָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת; כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל הַר סִינַי ״נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע״, שֶׁהִקְדִּימוּ עֲשִׂיָּה לַשְּׁמִיעָה (שבת פח א). וּבְעִנְיָן אַחֵר לֹא יִתָּכֵן שֶׁיִּהְיוּ מַעֲשָׂיו מְרֻבִּין מֵחָכְמָתוֹ. וּכְעִנְיָן זֶה נֶאֱמַר בְּדָנִיֵּאל אִישׁ חֲמוּדוֹת, כְּדִכְתִיב (דניאל י יב): ״אַל תִּירָא דָּנִיֵּאל, כִּי מִן הַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ אֶת לִבְּךָ לְהָבִין וּלְהִתְעַנּוֹת לִפְנֵי אֱלֹהֶיךָ – נִשְׁמְעוּ דְּבָרֶיךָ״; אַלְמָא כְּשֶׁאָדָם נוֹתֵן אֶל לִבּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת הַטּוֹב – מִיָּד מִתְקַבֵּל לְרָצוֹן לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וּמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְעוֹרֵר לָשׁוּב מֵחֲמַת מוֹכִיחָיו – הֲלוֹא יִהְיוּ עֳנָשָׁיו כְּפוּלִים.
The meaning of the matter is that a man who has taken upon himself, with a faithful heart, to keep and do all the words of the Torah and to do as the Sages will tell him, and then, after having undertaken this obligation to fulfill everything, he seeks and searches and asks the Sages what to do, then he receives a reward even for those commandments and instructions that he does not know, inasmuch as he has received them upon himself and resolved in his heart to do them, just as Israel said at Mount Sinai, "We will do and we will hear!" They put the "doing" before the word "hearing" (Shabbath 88a). Not always, however, is it true that a man's deeds should be greater than his wisdom. But (returning to this matter) it is said about Daniel, that greatly beloved man, "Then said he unto me : 'Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand and to humble thyself before thy God thy words were heard' " (Dan. 10:12). Consequently, when a man sets his heart upon doing good, then his resolve is at once willingly received by God, Blessed be He. But he who does not arouse himself to repent after he is rebuked will find his punishment doubled.
הָרְבִיעִי – כְּשֶׁיִּקְרָא הָאָדָם מִצְווֹת הָאֵל, וְיִקְרָא בַּנְּבִיאִים וּבַכְּתוּבִים וּבְדִבְרֵי חַכְמֵי הַתַּלְמוּד, וְיִרְאֶה הָאַזְהָרוֹת וְהָעֳנָשִׁין וְהַמִּצְווֹת וְהַמּוּסָרִים הַנְּעִימִים, אָז יִתְעוֹרֵר בְּלִבּוֹ וְיַחֲשֹׁב: ״אֵיךְ אֶקְרָא עִנְיַן הַתּוֹרָה כְּמָשָׁל בְּעָלְמָא? אַךְ אֶתֵּן אֶל לִבִּי דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה, לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל אֲשֶׁר אֶקְרָא״. כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב אֵצֶל יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ (מלכים ב כב יא): ״וַיְהִי כִשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת דִּבְרֵי סֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה, וַיִּקְרַע אֶת בְּגָדָיו״. וּבְעִנְיַן עֶזְרָא נֶאֱמַר (נחמיה ח ט): ״כִּי בוֹכִים כָּל הָעָם כְּשָׁמְעָם אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה״. וְאָדָם שֶׁלֹּא יָשִׁית לִבּוֹ לְדִבְרֵי הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא – רַבּוּ עַל זֶה פְּשָׁעָיו, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיהו לו כד): ״וְלֹא פָחֲדוּ, וְלֹא קָרְעוּ אֶת בִּגְדֵיהֶם״. וְאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים (ירושלמי ברכות א ב): כָּל הַלּוֹמֵד וְאֵינוֹ מְקַיֵּם – נוֹחַ לוֹ שֶׁנֶּהְפְּכָה שִׁלְיָתוֹ עַל פָּנָיו, וְלֹא יָצָא לַאֲוִיר הָעוֹלָם. וְנֶאֱמַר (הושע ח יב): ״אֶכְתָּב לוֹ רֻבֵּי תּוֹרָתִי, כְּמוֹ זָר נֶחְשָׁבוּ״; וְנֶאֱמַר (ירמיהו ח ח): ״אֵיכָה תֹאמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֲנַחְנוּ, וְתוֹרַת יְיָ אִתָּנוּ, אָכֵן הִנֵּה לַשֶּׁקֶר עָשָׂה עֵט שֶׁקֶר סֹפְרִים״.
The fourth means to stir up repentance is when a man meditates on the commandments of God, and he reads the Prophets and the Scriptures, and the words of the Sages of the Talmud, and he sees the warnings and the punishments, and he understands the pleasant chastisement, then he arouses himself in his heart and he thinks, "How can I read the contents of the Torah as though they were merely a parable? No. I will instead set my heart on the words of the Torah, to keep them and to do them, in every particular as I read them," as it is written concerning Josiah, "And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, that he rent his clothes" (II Kings 22:11). And concerning Ezra it is said, "For all thy people wept, when they heard the words of the Law" (Neh. 8:9). And the man who does not set his heart on the words of God, Blessed be He, this too will be added to his wrongs. As it is said, "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments" (Jer. 36:24). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "He who studies but does not fulfill (the commandments), it would have been better for him to have died at birth (T.P. Berakoth 1:5). And it is said, "Though I write for him ever so many things of My Law, they are accounted as a stranger's" (Hos. 8:12). And it is said, "How do ye say: 'We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is with us?' Lo, certainly in vain hath wrought the vain pen of the scribes" (Jer. 8:8).
הַחֲמִישִׁי – כַּאֲשֶׁר יַגִּיעוּ עֲשֶׂרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָה, אָז כָּל אָדָם יְעוֹרֵר לִבּוֹ וְיִזְדַּעֲזַע נֶגֶד יוֹם הַדִּין. כִּי יַחֲשֹׁב כִּי כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו בַּסֵּפֶר נִכְתָּבִין, וּבָעֵת הַהִיא הָאֱלֹהִים יָבִיא בְּמִשְׁפָּט אֶת כָּל מַעֲשֶׂה וְכָל נֶעְלָם אִם טוֹב וְאִם רָע. כִּי הָאָדָם נִדּוֹן בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, וּגְזָר דִּין נֶחְתָּם בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים (ראש השנה טז א). הֲלוֹא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּבִיאִין הָאָדָם לְמִשְׁפָּט לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם – הֲלוֹא יֶחֱרַד חֲרָדָה גְּדוֹלָה, וְיָשִׁית עֵצוֹת בְּנַפְשׁוֹ, וְלֹא יַעֲלֶה עַל לִבּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת שׁוּם דָּבָר אַחֵר זוּלָתִי לִמְצוֹא זְכוּת אֵיךְ יִנָּצֵל מִן הַמִּשְׁפָּט. לָכֵן מָה נוֹאֲלוּ וּמָה נִשְׁתַּטּוּ אֵלּוּ שֶׁאֵינָן יוֹדְעִים אֵיךְ יִהְיֶה מִשְׁפָּטָם, וְעוֹסְקִים בִּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים זוּלָתִי הַתְּשׁוּבָה לִמְצוֹא חֵן לִפְנֵי הַדַּיָּן הַגָּדוֹל.
The fifth way in which repentance can be aroused is when the Ten Days of Repentance draw near, then every man should arouse his heart and tremble as he goes to meet the Day of Judgment, for he should ponder that all of his deeds are written in a book, and that at this time God will bring to judgment every deed and every hidden thing, whether it be good or bad. For a man is judged on Rosh Hashanah, and his decree is sealed on the Day of Atonement (Rosh Hashana 16a). Now, if a man were to be brought for judgment before a king of flesh and blood would he not tremble with a great trembling, and would he not take counsel with his soul? And it would not occur to him to do any other thing, than to find some merit that might save him from that judgment. Therefore, how foolish and stupid are those who do not know what their judgment will be, and yet they occupy themselves with idle things other than the repentance that would find favor before the Great Judge!
לָכֵן רָאוּי לְכָל יְרֵא שָׁמַיִם לְמַעֵט עֲסָקָיו, וְלִהְיוֹת רַעֲיוֹנָיו נְחִתִּים, וְלִקְבֹּעַ בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה עִתִּים, לְהִתְבּוֹדֵד בַּחֲדָרָיו וּלְחַפֵּשׂ דְּרָכָיו וְלַחֲקֹר, וְלִקְדֹּם בְּאַשְׁמֹרֶת וּלְהִתְעַסֵּק בְּדַרְכֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה. וְלֹא שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה כְּעִנְיְנֵי הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁמִּתְעַנִּין וּמַקְדִּימִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל, אֲבָל אֵינָן עוֹרְכִין מַעֲרָכוֹת נֶגֶד הָעֲווֹנוֹת לְסַלֵּק מֵהֶן כָּל דָּבָר מְכֹעָר. כִּי כָל אִישׁ שֶׁמִּתְפַּלֵּל וּמִתְעַנֶּה וּמִתְוַדֶּה, וְאוֹחֵז דְּרָכָיו הָרִאשׁוֹנִים – אֵין זֶה דֶּרֶךְ הַתְּשׁוּבָה. אֶלָּא יִתְעוֹרֵר הָאָדָם לָשׁוּב בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה בַּעֲשֶׂרֶת יְמֵי תְּשׁוּבָה, שֶׁהֵם עֵת רָצוֹן וְהַתְּפִלָּה נִשְׁמַעַת בָּהֶם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו מט ח): ״בְּעֵת רָצוֹן עֲנִיתִיךְ, וּבְיוֹם יְשׁוּעָה עֲזַרְתִּיךְ״. וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (ראש השנה יח א): ״דִּרְשׁוּ יְיָ בְּהִמָּצְאוֹ״ (ישעיהו נה ו) – אֵלּוּ עֲשָׂרָה יָמִים שֶׁבֵּין רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים. וְאָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (יומא פה ב) כִּי יוֹם כִּפּוּר מְכַפֵּר עִם הַתְּשׁוּבָה, עַל כֵּן הִזְהִירָנוּ הַכָּתוּב שֶׁנָּשׁוּב וְנִטָּהֵר לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּתְשׁוּבוֹתֵינוּ, וִיכַפֵּר עָלֵינוּ בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה לְטַהֵר אוֹתָנוּ.
Therefore, it is proper that everyone who reveres God should lessen his usual occupations and let his thoughts be calm, and let him fix hours, during the day and a night, when he can sit alone in his rooms and examine his ways and search them out, and arise even before the watches of the morning to occupy himself with the paths of repentance. And let him not do as in most cases where people fast, or rise early to pray, but they do not actually wage war against the sins in order to remove from themselves every ugly thing. For if a man prays and fasts, and confesses, and still clings to his former ways — this is not the path of repentance. But a man should arouse himself to do complete repentance during the Ten Days of Repentance, for this is a time when God accepts his plea and his prayer is heard, as it is said, "In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee" (Is. 49:8). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Seek the Lord while He may be found" (Is. 55:6) — these are the ten days that are between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (Rosh Hashana 18a). And they also said that the Day of Atonement, together with repentance, atones. Therefore Scripture has warned us that we should repent and make ourselves pure before God, Blessed be He, in our ways of repentance. As it is said, "From all your sins shall ye be clean before the Lord" (Lev. 16:30). And then he will atone for us with this day, to purify us (Yoma 85b).
הַשִּׁשִּׁי – לְעוֹלָם יִרְאֶה אָדָם עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא נוֹטֶה לָמוּת. וְלֹא יֹאמַר ״כְּשֶׁאַזְקִין אָשׁוּב״, שֶׁמָּא יָמוּת קֹדֶם שֶׁיַּזְקִין. עַל כֵּן בְּכָל עֵת יְכַוֵּן לִקְרַאת אֱלֹהָיו, כִּי אֵין אָדָם יוֹדֵעַ עִתּוֹ. עַל כֵּן יְעוֹרֵר אֶת נַפְשׁוֹ לִהְיוֹת טָהוֹר לְהָשִׁיב רוּחוֹ בְּטָהֳרָה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ בּוֹ. וִיחַפֵּשׂ מַעֲשָׂיו בְּכָל רֶגַע, כְּמַאֲמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר (שבת קנג א): שׁוּב יוֹם אֶחָד לִפְנֵי מִיתָתְךָ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַּלְמִידָיו: רַבֵּינוּ, וְכִי אָדָם יוֹדֵעַ מָתַי יָמוּת? אָמַר לָהֶם: יָשׁוּב הַיּוֹם שֶׁמָּא יָמוּת לְמָחָר, וְנִמְצָא כָּל יָמָיו בִּתְשׁוּבָה, וְיִהְיֶה מִתְקַשֵּׁט בְּכָל שָׁעָה כְּאִלּוּ עַתָּה יָבוֹא לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל.
The sixth means of arousing the heart to repentance is this, for a man should always regard himself as though he were about to die. And he should not say, "When I grow old, I will repent," lest he die before he grows old. Thus, at all times he must be prepared to meet his God, for no man knows when his time will come. Therefore, he should arouse his soul to be pure, to return his spirit in purity to God who gave it within him. And he should examine his deeds at every moment, in accordance with the saying of Rabbi Eliezer, "Repent one day before your death" (Shabbath 153a and Eccl. Rabbah 9:8, letter 6). His pupils said to him, "Oh, our teacher, does a man know on what day he will die?" And he said to them, "All the more so! Let him return today, lest he die tomorrow, and if he does so, then all of his days will be spent in repentance, and let him adorn himself at every hour, as though at this very moment he will come before the Great King" (See Eccl. Rabbah, ad. loc.).
לָכֵן יִדְאַג אָדָם לְעוֹלָם, אֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁהוּא שָׁלֵו וְשָׁקֵט. וְיִרְעַד מִיּוֹם הַמָּוֶת, שֶׁאָז צָרִיךְ לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן, וְיִתְוַדֶּה בְּכָל עֵת בְּלֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכָּא כְּאִלּוּ עַתָּה יָמוּת, וִיהֵא מוֹרָא שָׁמַיִם עָלָיו. וְיֵשׁ לָאָדָם לְחַדֵּשׁ מִצְוָה בְּכָל יוֹם, אוּלַי הִגִּיעָה עֵת מוֹתוֹ, וְאִם יַעֲשֶׂה כָּךְ אָז אֵינוֹ חָסֵר מִכָּל הַמִּצְווֹת אֲפִילּוּ אַחַת. כִּי אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (קהלת רבה ג כד): כָּל הָעוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה אַחַת סָמוּךְ לְמִיתָתוֹ – דּוֹמֶה לְמִי שֶׁקִּיֵּם כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כֻּלָּהּ. לָכֵן יָקִיץ הָאָדָם מִשְּׁנַת תַּרְדֵּמָתוֹ וְיִתְעוֹרֵר לְהָבִין אַחֲרִיתוֹ, לְקַשֵּׁט עַצְמוֹ בְּתַכְשִׁיטֵי הַמִּצְווֹת, לִהְיוֹת לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים בְּכָל רֶגַע.
Therefore a man should always worry, even when he is secure and at ease, and he should tremble on account of the day of death, for then he will have to render an account. And he should confess at all times, with a broken and a contrite heart, as though he were now about to die, and the fear of Heaven should be upon him. And a man should renew another precept each day, for perhaps the time of his death has come, and if he does so, he will not be lacking even one of all the commandments. For our Sages said, "Everyone who fulfills one commandment near the time of his death, it is as though he fulfilled the whole Torah" (Eccl. Rabbah 3:18, letter 24). Therefore should a man awaken from his deep slumber and arouse himself to understand his final end, to adorn himself with the ornaments of the precepts and to be before God at every moment.
אַרְבַּע מִינֵי תְּשׁוּבוֹת הֵן: תְּשׁוּבַת הַבָּאָה, תְּשׁוּבַת הַגָּדֵר, תְּשׁוּבַת הַמִּשְׁקָל, וּתְשׁוּבַת הַכָּתוּב.
There are four kinds of repentance: repentance by conquering a temptation that comes towards him; repentance by building of a fence between himself and temptation; repentance by the weighing of values, and repentance by following what is written.
תְּשׁוּבַת הַבָּאָה כֵּיצַד? אִם חָטָא בְּאִשָּׁה אוֹ בִּגְנֵבָה, וּבָאָה הָאִשָּׁה אוֹ אוֹתוֹ עָוֹן לְיָדוֹ, וְהָיָה יָכוֹל לַחֲטֹא כְּבָרִאשׁוֹנָה, וְהוּא עֲדַיִן בְּחֹזֶק תַּאֲוָתוֹ וּבְחֵשֶׁק יִצְרוֹ, וְלִבּוֹ בּוֹעֵר אַחֲרֶיהָ וְהִיא מִתְרַצֵּית לוֹ, וְעוֹצֵר רוּחוֹ וּמְנַתֵּק תַּאֲוָתוֹ מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם לְבַד – זֶהוּ תְּשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה.
Repentance by conquering a temptation that comes towards him — what is meant by this ? If he sinned with a woman, or through the commission of a theft, and this woman comes, or that opportunity to steal comes once again to his hand, and he might have sinned like the previous time, for he is still in the strength of his lust and in the full eagerness of his desire, and his heart burns after her, and she is willing, but he withholds his spirit from committing the sin, and tears away his lust because of his reverence for God alone — this is a complete repentance.
תְּשׁוּבַת הַגָּדֵר כֵּיצַד? לֹא יִרְאֶה שְׂחוֹק נָשִׁים וּבְתוּלוֹת, וְלֹא יִסְתַּכֵּל בְּאִישָׁהּ בְּפָנֶיהָ אוֹ בֵּין דַּדֶּיהָ, וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ בְּעוֹד שֶׁלֹּא טָבְלָה. וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה גָּדֵר לְכָל הַמִּצְווֹת. וְכָתַב הָרַאֲבָ״ד זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה: וְרָאִינוּ לְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁהָיוּ חֲסִידִים גְּמוּרִים, וְהָיוּ גּוֹדְרִים עַצְמָם בְּכַמָּה גְּדֵרִים. וְהָיָה מֵהֶם מִי שֶׁפָּרַשׂ מֵאִשְׁתּוֹ אַחֲרֵי שֶׁקִּיֵּם מִצְוַת פְּרִיָּה וּרְבִיָּה. וְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד הָיָה גּוֹדֵר עַצְמוֹ, לְפִי מָה שֶׁהָיָה מַכִּיר אֶת עַצְמוֹ. יֵשׁ אָדָם שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ תַּאֲוָה לַעֲבֵרָה אַחַת וְאֵין לוֹ תַּאֲוָה לַעֲבֵרָה אַחֶרֶת, כְּגוֹן לְאֶחָד יֵשׁ תַּאֲוָה לִזְנוֹת וְלֹא לִגְנֹב, וְלַשֵּׁנִי יֵשׁ תַּאֲוָה לִגְנֹב וְלֹא לִזְנוֹת. לָכֵן כָּל אֶחָד יַעֲשֶׂה גְּדֵרִים לְפִי מָה שֶׁרוֹאֶה שֶׁיִּצְרוֹ מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו: אִם דַּעְתּוֹ נִמְשָׁךְ לִגְנֵבָה – יִתְרַחֵק מִלְּקַבֵּל פִּקְדוֹנוֹת וּלְהִשְׁתַּדֵּל בְּשֶׁל אֲחֵרִים; וְכֵן בְּעִנְיַן הַזְּנוּת – יִגְדֹּר עַצְמוֹ גַּם בַּמֻּתָּר לוֹ; וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה גְּדֵרִים לְכָל דָּבָר. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה עַל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם, שֶׁהַיֵּצֶר הִשְׁלִים עִמּוֹ, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (משלי טז ז): ״בִּרְצוֹת יְיָ דַּרְכֵי אִישׁ – גַּם אוֹיְבָיו יַשְׁלִם אִתּוֹ״. דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ עָשָׂה מִלְחָמָה עִם יִצְרוֹ, וְרָאָה שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה יִצְרוֹ רַךְ וְטִבְעוֹ נוֹחַ, וְלֹא הָיָה יָכוֹל לוֹ; וְעָמַד וַהֲרָגוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קט כב): ״וְלִבִּי חָלַל בְּקִרְבִּי״. פֵּרוּשׁ: אַבְרָהָם הָיָה יִצְרוֹ רַךְ וְטִבְעוֹ נוֹחַ וְעָרֵב, וְלֹא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמּוֹ מִלְחָמָה, כִּדְאָמְרִינַן (נדרים לב ב): בַּתְּחִלָּה לֹא הָיָה אַבְרָהָם מֶלֶךְ אֶלָּא עַל מָאתַיִם אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁלוֹשָׁה אֵיבָרִים, וּלְבַסּוֹף הִמְלִיכוֹ עַל מָאתַיִם אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמוֹנָה אֵיבָרִים, וְהוֹסִיף לוֹ מֶמְשָׁלָה עַל שְׁתֵּי עֵינַיִם וּשְׁתֵּי אָזְנַיִם וְרֹאשׁ הַגְּוִיָּה. אֲבָל דָּוִד הָיָה לְעוֹלָם יִצְרוֹ קָשֶׁה וְחָזָק, וְהָיָה צָרִיךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמּוֹ מִלְחָמָה בְּכָל יוֹם, וְכַאֲשֶׁר רָאָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד בּוֹ – עָמַד עָלָיו וַהֲרָגוֹ. יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁהֲרָגוֹ בְּתַעֲנִית, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ מִן הָאִשָּׁה לְגַמְרֵי, כִּי רָאָה שֶׁמִּתּוֹךְ הַהֶתֵּר הֱסִיתוֹ אֶל הָאִסּוּר; בֵּין כְּדִבְרֵי זֶה וּבֵין כְּדִבְרֵי זֶה, אַחֲרֵי שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁיִּצְרוֹ מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו – שָׂם פָּנָיו לְהַכְרִיעוֹ וּלְהִלָּחֵם עִמּוֹ עַד שֶׁהִכְנִיעוֹ וְהִכְרִיעוֹ.
What do we mean by repentance in which one builds a fence between himself and his temptation? A man should not look at the laughing amusements of matrons and virgins and he should not look directly in the face of a woman or between her breasts, and not even at his own wife before she has immersed herself after the period of prohibition. And thus should he make a fence around all the commandments. And our teacher, Abraham ben David, of blessed memory, wrote: "And we have seen in connection with our Sages that they were completely pious men and they used to build many fences to protect themselves from temptation. And there was among them even one who separated himself from his wife after he had fulfilled the commandment of "Be fruitful and multiply!" And each of them would fence himself off from temptation according to the manner of man he knew himself to be. For there is a man who has a lust to commit one sin but not another. For example, one may have a desire to commit fornication but not to steal, and another may have the lust to steal but not to commit the sin of fornication. Therefore every one must make fences according to what he sees in himself, against those temptations wherein his evil inclination is gaining strength. If his mind is drawn to theft, let him refrain from receiving pledges in trust or from managing the property of others. And thus must one make fences for everything wherein he is tempted. And thus our Sages said concerning Abraham, that his desire made peace with him (Gen. Rabbah 54a). And concerning this it is said, "When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7). And King David waged war against his desire, and when he saw that his desire was not mild and his nature gentle, and when he realized that he could not overcome it, he stood up and slew it, as it is said, "And my heart is wounded within me" (Ps. 109:22). And the meaning of it is that Abraham had a desire that was gentle, and his nature was easy and pleasant, and it was not necessary for him to wage war against it. As they said (Nedarim 32b): At first, the Holy One, Blessed be He, caused Abraham to rule over two hundred and forty-three limbs. But later God caused him to rule over two hundred and forty-eight limbs, by giving him dominion over his two eyes, his two ears, and his membrum (i.e., because of his willingness to undergo circumcision, he achieved complete control over any sex impluse). But as for David, his desire was always hard and strong, and he had to wage war against it every day, and when he saw that he could not withstand it, he arose up against his evil desire and slew it. There are those who say that David slew his desire by fasting, and there are those who say he kept away from women altogether, for he feared lest that which was permitted might seduce him into doing something that was forbidden. Whichever version is correct (they both agree that) after David saw that his desire was gaining mastery over him, he set himself to make it yield, to fight against it, until he succeeded in subduing it.
הַגָּדֵר הַמּוֹעִיל לְהַכְנָעַת הַיֵּצֶר הוּא רַעֲבוֹן הַנֶּפֶשׁ, לְמַעֵט הַתַּעֲנוּגִים וְהַהֲנָאוֹת בְּמַאֲכָל וּבְמִשְׁתֶּה, רַק שֶׁיֵּהָנֶה מִן הָרֵיחַ הַטּוֹב; וּמִן רְחִיצַת חַמִּין לְמִי שֶׁהַחַמִּין עֲרֵבִין עָלָיו. וְהַמַּאֲכָל הַמּוּעָט יִהְיֶה מְתֻבָּל וּמְתֻקָּן יָפֶה, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיֶּעֱרַב עָלָיו וְתִהְיֶה נַפְשׁוֹ מְקַבַּלְתּוֹ וּמִתְפַּיֶּסֶת בִּמְעַט מִמֶּנּוּ. וּלְעוֹלָם יַנִּיחַ מְעַט מִכְּדֵי צָרְכּוֹ וּמֵהַשְׁלָמַת תַּאֲוָתוֹ, וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן כִּי אִם מָזוּג, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁתַּכֵּר. וְעַל זֶה אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (גיטין ע א): סְעוּדָה שֶׁהֲנָאָתְךָ מִמֶּנָּה – מְשֹׁךְ יָדְךָ מִמֶּנָּה. וּשְׁנֵי תַּקָּנוֹת יֵשׁ בָּעִנְיָן: הָאֶחָד – שֶׁלֹּא תַּזִּיקֶנּוּ אֲכִילָתוֹ, וְהַשֵּׁנִי – הִיא כְּנִיעַת הַיֵּצֶר וּשְׁבִירַת הַתַּאֲוָה.
The best fence with which to subdue the evil inclination is to learn to bear physical hunger — that is, to lessen the pleasures and the delights of eating and drinking, but not to refrain from enjoying the pleasure of aromatic odors and from washing with warm water for he gets pleasure from its warmth. And the little food that he eats should be well seasoned and well prepared so that it will be pleasing to him and so that his soul will accept it and be appeased with a little of it. And a man should always take a little less food than he needs and that would satisfy his desire. And he should not drink wine unless it is diluted, in order that he should not become drunk. And concerning this, our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Do not indulge too freely in a meal which you enjoy" (Gittin 70a). There are two advantages in this. First, his eating will have no harmful effects. And, secondly, there is the subduing of the evil inclination and the breaking of lust.
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁבֵּאַרְנוּ בַּסְּעוּדָה, כֵּן הַדֶּרֶךְ בְּכָל הַהֲנָאוֹת וְתַעֲנוּגִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁלֹּא יְמַלֵּא אָדָם כָּל תַּאֲוָתוֹ. וְאֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר שֶׁיִּשְׁמֹר אָדָם עַצְמוֹ מִן הַמַּאֲכָלִים שֶׁהוּא מַכִּיר שֶׁהֵם מַזִּיקִים אוֹתוֹ, כִּי הָאוֹכֵל דְּבָרִים שֶׁמַּזִּיקִים אוֹתוֹ וְאֶפְשָׁר לוֹ בְּמַאֲכָל אַחֵר – הֲרֵי הוּא פּוֹשֵׁעַ בְּגוּפוֹ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוֹלֵךְ אַחַר תַּאֲוָתוֹ וְאֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ עַל אֲבֵדַת גּוּפוֹ. וַהֲרֵי זֶה דֶּרֶךְ יֵצֶר הָרַע וַעֲצָתוֹ, שֶׁמְּסִיתוֹ מִדֶּרֶךְ הַחַיִּים אֶל דֶּרֶךְ הַמָּוֶת.
And just as I have explained concerning the meal, so should this be the way of treating all the pleasures and delights of the world : a man should never satisfy his desire completely. And, needless to say, a man should guard himself against foods that he knows are harmful to him, for a man who eats things that harm him, even though he can get other food, commits a crime against his own body, because he goes after his lust and does not care about the loss of his body. And this is the way of the evil inclination and its counsel : it seduces him from the way of life, to the way of death.
וְיֵדַע כָּל חַי שֶׁאֵין דֶּרֶךְ לַיֵּצֶר הָרַע אֶלָּא דֶּרֶךְ הֲסָתָה: מִתְּחִלָּה מְסִיתוֹ אֶל הַמֻּתָּר לְמַלֵּא תַּאֲוָתוֹ, וְאַחַר שֶׁהֻרְגַּל לְמַלֵּא תַּאֲוָתוֹ מִן הַהֶתֵּר, וְהִרְעִיב נַפְשׁוֹ לִהְיוֹת שׁוֹקֵקָה בְּכָל עֵת לְמַלֹּאת תַּאֲוָתוֹ – אָז מְסִיתוֹ אֶל הָאִסּוּר הַקַּל, וּמִן הַקַּל אֶל הֶחָמוּר. עַל כֵּן הִזָּהֵר בַּהֶתֵּר לַעֲשׂוֹת גָּדֵר לְמַעֵט הַתַּאֲוָה מִן הַמֻּתָּר, וְאָז אִם יַעֲלֶה בְּלִבְּךָ הָאִסּוּר, מִזֶּה אַתָּה נוֹשֵׂא קַל וָחֹמֶר בְּעַצְמְךָ, וּמֻבְטָח לְךָ שֶׁאַתָּה פּוֹרֵשׁ מִן הַהִרְהוּר וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן מִן הַמַּעֲשֶׂה.
Every living being should know that there is no way that the evil inclination can triumph except through seduction. At first, it seduces him to do what is permitted in order to satisfy his desire, and after he has become accustomed to satisfying his desire with what is permitted and has accustomed his soul always to hunger after the satisfaction of his desire, then the evil inclination seduces him to violate a minor prohibition. And then from the minor prohibition to the major. Therefore, be very careful in what is permitted, to erect a fence which will lessen the desire even for what is permitted. And then if it should come to your mind to partake of what is forbidden, you yourself will apply Kal va-homer (an inference "from minor to major"), i.e., if you refrain even from what is permitted, you will surely put out of your mind any thought of violating a clear prohibition, not to mention committing the deed itself.
וְאַל יִתְעַנֶּה אָדָם עִנּוּיֵי נֶפֶשׁ, פֶּן יֵחָלֵשׁ לִבּוֹ וְיִתְעַרְבֵּב מוֹחוֹ. וְיִהְיֶה הֶפְסֵדוֹ מְרֻבֶּה מִשְּׂכָרוֹ, כִּי יִבָּטֵל מִן הַתּוֹרָה; שֶׁיֵּלֵךְ בָּטֵל מִן הַחַלָּשׁוּת, וַאֲפִלּוּ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁלּוֹמֵד לֹא יוּכַל לְדַקְדֵּק כָּרָאוּי וּלְהָבִין הָעִנְיָנִים, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין תּוֹרָה נִקְנֵית אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ שִׂמְחָה (שבת ל ב).
A person should not make a practice of fasting, lest his heart grow weak and his mind become befuddled, and his loss will be greater than his gain, for he will neglect the study of the Torah on account of his weakness. And even when he does study the Torah, he will not be able to distinguish every point as clearly as he should or to understand the matters fully, because the Torah can be acquired only in a spirit of joy.
וְאַל יִמְנַע עַצְמוֹ מִכָּל שִׂמְחַת מִצְוָה וּמִכָּל הֲנָאַת מִצְוָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ עֵינָיו פְּקוּחוֹת כְּנֶגֶד הַיֵּצֶר הָרַע וְיִהְיֶה נִזְהָר עָלָיו, פֶּן יְמַלֵּא כָּל תַּאֲוָתוֹ. וְאִם יֵחָלֵשׁ לִבּוֹ עַל מִעוּט אֲכִילָתוֹ, טוֹב לוֹ שֶׁיֹּאכַל שְׁתֵּי פְּעָמִים בַּיּוֹם מְעַט מְעַט, וְלֹא יְמַלֵּא כְּרֵסוֹ בְּפַעַם אַחַת. וְאִם לֹא יִזְדַּמֵּן לֶאֱכֹל שְׁתֵּי פְּעָמִים, יִהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ מִן הַמִּרְקַחַת הַמְּשַׂמַּחַת הַלֵּב, וְיֹאכַל מִמֶּנָּה מְעַט וְיִתְחַזֵּק לִבּוֹ. גַּם אִם יִרְאֶה בְּעֵינָיו שֶׁיִּהְיֶה צָרִיךְ לְהִתְעַנּוֹת יוֹם אוֹ יוֹמַיִם בְּשָׁבוּעַ, יִתְעַנֶּה לְפִי תַּקָּנָתוֹ, כִּי הַיּוֹשֵׁב בְּתַעֲנִית וְהוּא צָרִיךְ לוֹ – נִקְרָא ״קָדוֹשׁ״, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יִתְבַּטֵּל מִן הַתּוֹרָה וּמִן הַמִּצְוֹת עֲבוּרָהּ.
Nor should a man hold himself back from any joy arising out of the performance of a percept of the Torah, so that his eyes may be open against (desires stimulated by) the evil inclination. And he should always be on guard not to satisfy all of his desire. And if his heart grows weak because of the small amount of food he eats, it is better that he eat a little bit twice a day and not fill his stomach at one time. And if he does not have an opportunity to eat twice, he should keep at hand some jam that makes the heart rejoice, and eat a little of that, and his heart will be strengthened. Also, if he sees clearly that he must fast one or two days of the week, let him fast according to the requirement of such a fast, for he who sits fasting when he needs it is called "holy," provided however, that he does not neglect the Torah and the commandments on this account.
כָּל אָדָם יָכוֹל לָדַעַת בְּעַצְמוֹ אֵיךְ יִגְדֹּר לְפִי עִנְיָנָיו. וְהָרֹאשׁ לְכָל הַגְּדֵרִים שֶׁיִּשְׁמֹר עֵינָיו מִמָּה שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ. וְאִם יְמַעֵט רְאִיָּתוֹ מִמָּה שֶׁאֵינוֹ שֶׁלּוֹ, נִקְרָא ״צָנוּעַ״ וּ״בַיְשָׁן״, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ (שבת נג ב) עַל אוֹתָהּ אִשָּׁה שֶׁהָיְתָה גִּדֶּמֶת, וְלֹא הִכִּיר בָּהּ בַּעֲלָהּ עַד יוֹם מוֹתָהּ. וְאָמְרוּ עָלָיו: כַּמָּה צָנוּעַ אִישׁ זֶה, שֶׁלֹּא הִכִּיר בְּאִשְׁתּוֹ. וְאִם יִשְׁמֹר עֵינָיו – נִמְצָא שֶׁלִּבּוֹ שָׁמוּר; וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁלִּבּוֹ וְעֵינָיו שְׁמוּרִים – נִמְצָא כֻּלּוֹ שָׁמוּר.
Every man is in a position to know for himself, just what kind of a fence he should build, in accordance with his own requirement. But the best of all fences is that he should guard his eyes from longing for what does not belong to him. And if he lessens his eyeing of things that are not his, he will be called modest, and bashful. As was said concerning the woman who had one arm amputated and yet her husband was not aware of this until the day of her death. And they said of him, "How modest is this man that he was not aware of this in his wife!" (Shabbath 53b). And if he guards his eyes, his heart will also be well-guarded. And since his eyes and his heart are well-guarded, he will be well-guarded through and through.
תְּשׁוּבַת הַמִּשְׁקָל כֵּיצַד? כְּפִי הֲנָאָה שֶׁנֶּהֱנָה מִן הָעֲבֵרָה – יַעֲשֶׂה לוֹ צַעַר בְּתַעֲנִית וּבְמִעוּט אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה; בְּעִנְיַן הַמִּשְׁכָּב וּבְעִנְיַן כָּל הַהֲנָאוֹת – יְמַעֵט.
Repentance through the weighing of values — what is meant by that ? This means that he should suffer pain in proportion to the pleasure that he derived from the sin. He should afflict himself by fasting and by the lessening of food and drink, and in cohabitation and in all manner of pleasures, he should reduce the amount.
תְּשׁוּבַת הַכָּתוּב כֵּיצַד? אִם בָּא עַל הַנִּדָּה וְיֵשׁ לוֹ בָּזֶה כָּרֵת, אוֹ שֶׁעָבַר עַל חַיָּבֵי מִיתוֹת בֵּית דִּין אוֹ מַלְקוּת – יְקַבֵּל עָלָיו לְהִצְטַעֵר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת צַעַר לְעַצְמוֹ כָּעִנְיָן הַכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה. וְהִנֵּה הָרוֹקֵחַ כָּתַב אֵיךְ יַעֲשֶׂה צַעַר לְעַצְמוֹ עַל כַּמָּה עֲבֵרוֹת. וְכֵן מָצִינוּ בַּתַּלְמוּד, שֶׁהָיוּ רְגִילִים בְּתַעֲנִית אֲפִלּוּ עַל חֵטְא קַל מְאוֹד, אֲפִלּוּ בְּדִבּוּר בְּעָלְמָא. כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר חָכָם אֶחָד (חגיגה כב ב): ״בּוֹשַׁנִי מִדִּבְרֵיכֶם בֵּית שַׁמַּאי״ – וְעַל זֶה יָשַׁב בְּתַעֲנִית עַד שֶׁהֻשְׁחֲרוּ שִׁנָּיו. וְכֵן מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַב חִסְדָּא שֶׁאָמַר לְרַב הוּנָא (בבא מציעא לג א): תַּלְמִיד וְרַבּוֹ צָרִיךְ לוֹ, מַהוּ שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד לְפָנָיו? אָמַר לוֹ רַב הוּנָא לְרַב חִסְדָּא: ״חִסְדָּא! חִסְדָּא! לָא צְרִיכְנָא לָךְ!״ וְעַל זֶה יָשְׁבוּ בְּכַמָּה תַּעֲנִיּוֹת. וְכֵן מָצִינוּ בְּדָוִד, שֶׁנִּסְתַּלְּקָה שְׁכִינָה וְרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה, וּבְכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם הָיָה מוֹרִיד דְּמָעוֹת, וְהָיָה אוֹכֵל פִּתּוֹ בְּאֵפֶר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קב י): ״כִּי אֵפֶר כַּלֶּחֶם אָכָלְתִּי״. אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! קַבְּלֵנִי בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁתְּזַכֶּה הָרְשָׁעִים בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם נא טו): ״אֲלַמְּדָה פֹשְׁעִים דְּרָכֶיךָ״
Repentance by following what is written — what is meant by that ? If he had intercourse with his wife during her unclean period, for which transgression the penalty is that he be cut off from his people, or if he committed any of the sins for which he must be sentenced to death by a court of law, or to be lashed, let him accept it upon himself to suffer pain and let him inflict pain upon himself, as it is written in the Torah. Now, the Rokeah ** Eleazar of Worms (died 1238). has written how one may inflict pain upon himself for various sins. And we also find in the Talmud that they were accustomed to fast even for a very minor sin, even for mere talk. As in the case of the Sage who said, "1 am ashamed of your words, oh House of Shammai." And because of this remark he sat fasting until his teeth became black (Hagigah 22b). And there is also a story concerning Rabbi Hisda who said to Rabbi Huna on the question of respect due to another, "What of a disciple whom his teacher needs (because the disciple possesses traditions received from other scholars and which the teacher does not know), does this disciple have to stand in honor of the teacher?" Rabbi Huna retorted to Rabbi Hisda, "I do not need you." And for this apparent slight each one sat fasting many times (Baba Mezi'a 33a). And so have we found, concerning David, that the Divine Presence and the Holy Spirit departed from him for twenty-two years and every day he would shed tears and eat his morsel of food dipped in ashes. As it is said (Ps. 102:10), "For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping." David said to God, "Master of the Universe, receive me as completely repentant before Thee, in order that I may purify the wicked in the world, as it is said (Ps. 51:15), "Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall return unto Thee" (Tana Debé Eliahu, chap. 2).
– כָּל אָדָם יִלְמַד מִדָּוִד בְּעִנְיַן הַתְּשׁוּבָה. וְכֵן אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן, כֵּוָן שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁנִּקְנְסָה מִיתָה עַל יָדוֹ – יָשַׁב מֵאָה וּשְׁלוֹשִׁים שָׁנָה בְּתַעֲנִית, וּפָרַשׁ מִן הָאִשָּׁה, וְהֶעֱלָה זִרְזֵי תְּאֵנִים עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ (ערובין יח ב).
Every man can learn from David in the matter of repentance. And so do we find with Adam. When Adam saw that the world was punished with death because of his deed he sat fasting one hundred and thirty years, and separated himself from his wife and covered his body with garlands of figs (to remind him constantly of his sin in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree) (Erubin 18b).
וְאִם אָדָם עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה וְחוֹזֵר לְסוֹרוֹ, אֲפִלּוּ עוֹשֶׂה כֵּן הַרְבֵּה פְּעָמִים – לְעוֹלָם יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה. אַךְ יֵשׁ לְהַחְמִיר בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁנִיָּה וּשְׁלִישִׁית יוֹתֵר מִבָּרִאשׁוֹנָה. וְגָרְסִינַן בַּיְּרוּשַׁלְמִי (פאה א א): מִי שֶׁהָיָה רָשָׁע כָּל יָמָיו וְעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה – הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְקַבְּלוֹ. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא כָּל עֲבֵרוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כִּזְכוּיוֹת. וּבְפֶרֶק ״יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים״ (יומא פו ב): אִם עָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה – זְדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כִּזְכוּיוֹת. מִיִּרְאָה – זְדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ כִּשְׁגָגוֹת. וְכָל אוֹתָן שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא וְנִדּוֹנִים בְּגֵיהִנָּם לְדוֹרֵי דּוֹרוֹת – דַּוְקָא אוֹתָן שֶׁמֵּתוּ בְּרִשְׁעָתָם; אֲבָל אִם עָשׂוּ תְּשׁוּבָה – אֵין לְךָ דָּבָר שֶׁעוֹמֵד בִּפְנֵי בַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה. וְלֹא יַחֲשֹׁב אָדָם: ״הוֹאִיל וְחָטָאתִי, וְהֶחֱטֵאתִי אֲחֵרִים – לֹא אוּכַל לָשׁוּב״, וּמְרַפֶּה יָדוֹ מִן הַתְּשׁוּבָה – חָלִילָה מֵעֲשׂוֹת זֹאת! כִּי אָמְרוּ בְּפֶרֶק ״חֵלֶק״ (סנהדרין קב א): אֲפִלּוּ יָרָבְעָם שֶׁחָטָא וְהֶחֱטִיא – הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לוֹ ״עַתָּה תָּשׁוּב״, וְלֹא רָצָה.
If a man has repented and then returned to his former wrongdoing, even if he has repeated this many times, he can nevertheless still repent. But it is necessary to make repentance more severe the second and third time than it was the first time. We have learned in the Jerusalem Talmud: he who has been wicked all his days and has repented, the Holy One, Blessed be He, receives him. Rabbi Johanan said, "Not only this, but all his transgressions, now that he has overcome them, are considered as merit" (T.P. Peah 1:1). And in the chapter (of the Babylonian Talmud) entitled, "Yom Kippur Atones" we read (Yoma 86b) that if he repented out of love of God, the intentional sins that he committed become merit; if he repented out of fear of God, then his intentional sins become as sins committed unknowingly. And as for all those that have no portion in the world to come and are condemned to Gehenna for generations — they are the ones who died in their wickedness. But if they repented, nothing can stand in the face of repentance. And a man should not think, "Since I sinned and caused others to sin I cannot repent," for he thereby weakens his hand from doing repentance. God forbid that he should do this, for the Sages said in the chapter entitled, "A share in the World to Come" (Sanh. 102a), even Jeroboam who sinnned and caused others to sin — even to him the Holy One, Blessed be He, said, "Now you must repent." And he did not want to (Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. 43; Menorat Hamaor, item 254; and see T.P. Sanh. 10:2).
צֵא וּלְמַד מֵאַחְאָב מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁגָּזַל וְחָמַד וְרָצַח, וְקָרָא לִיהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וְנָתַן לוֹ מַלְקוּת בְּכָל יוֹם שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. וְהָיָה מַשְׁכִּים וּמַעֲרִיב בְּצוֹם וּבִתְפִלָּה לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְהָיָה עוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה כָּל יָמָיו, וְלֹא שָׁב אֶל מַעֲשָׂיו הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים א כא כט): ״הֲרָאִיתָ כִּי נִכְנַע אַחְאָב מִלְּפָנָי? יַעַן כִּי נִכְנַע מִפָּנַי לֹא אָבִיא הָרָעָה בְּיָמָיו״.
Go forth and learn from the example of Ahab, king of Israel, who robbed and coveted and murdered. And he called for Jehoshaphat, the king of Judea who lashed him three times each day. And Ahab would pray and fast early and late before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and he never returned to his past evil deeds, and his repentance was accepted as it is said, "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me? Because he humbleth himself before Me I will not bring the evil in his days" (I Kings 21:29).
וְאָמְרוּ בַּפְּסִיקְתָּא: אִם הָיָה רָגִיל לֶאֱכֹל בְּשָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁעוֹת – הָיָה אוֹכֵל בְּשִׁשָּׁה שָׁעוֹת. אִם הָיָה רָגִיל בְּשִׁשָּׁה שָׁעוֹת – הָיָה אוֹכֵל בְּתֵשַׁע שָׁעוֹת. וּמַהוּ ״וַיְהַלֵּךְ אַט״ (שם פסוק כז)? אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: שֶׁהָיָה הוֹלֵךְ יָחֵף. וּמִמֶּנּוּ יִלְמַד כָּל אָדָם. וְעוֹד צֵא וּלְמַד מִמְּנַשֶּׁה בֶּן חִזְקִיָּה, שֶׁעָשָׂה הַתּוֹעֵבוֹת הָרָעוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, וְקִבְּלוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּתְשׁוּבָה (פרקי דרבי אליעזר מג). וְתָנֵי תַּנָּא קַמֵּהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מְנַשֶּׁה עָשָֹה תְּשׁוּבָה שְׁלוֹשִׁים וְשָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנָה, וְקִבְּלוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (סנהדרין קג א).
And they said in the Pesikta (of Rab Chana, Piska Deshuva Cant. Rabbah 1:5, letter 36. Yerushalmi ibid. And see Ta'anith 28b and Rashi ad. loc.) : If he was accustomed to eating after three hours let him eat after six, and if he used to eat after six hours let him eat after nine. And what is meant by, "And went softly" (I Kings 21:27)? Rabbi Joshua, the son of Levi, said that he walked barefoot, and from him (Ahab) every man should learn. Moreover (Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer, chap. 43), go forth and learn from Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who did all the evil abominations in the world, yet the Holy One, Blessed be He, received him when he repented. Moreover (Sanh. 103a), Rabbi Johanan said, "Anyone who says that Manasseh has no share in the world to come weakens the hands of those who would repent. As a Tanna taught before Rabbi Johanan," Manasseh repented for thirty-three years and the Holy One, Blessed be He, received him.
וְעַתָּה בַּדּוֹרוֹת הָאֵלֶּה, אֲשֶׁר בְּנֵי אָדָם חַלָּשִׁים מְאוֹד בְּגוּפָם, וְאֵין לָהֶם כֹּחַ כְּבָרִאשׁוֹנָה – מָה יַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם שֶׁחָטָא כָּל יָמָיו בְּלָשׁוֹן הָרַע וּבַחֲנִיפוּת וּבְכָל הַמִּדּוֹת כֻּלָּן? וְלֹא נִזְהָר כָּל יָמָיו בְּגוּפֵי הַמִּצְווֹת, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה מְקַיֵּם אוֹתָן מֵחֲמַת שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה אָדָם מְקַיֵּם אוֹתָן שֶׁיִּלְמַד מִמֶּנּוּ, וְלֹא חָשׁ כָּל יָמָיו לְהִתְפַּלֵּל וּלְבָרֵךְ הַבְּרָכוֹת, וְכֵן בְּכָל הַמִּצְווֹת – אֵיךְ יִסְבֹּל צַעַר לְפִי מָה שֶׁעָבַר? כִּי הֲלוֹא אֵין חֵקֶר וְאֵין מִסְפָּר לְרֻבֵּי הָעֲבֵרוֹת לְאָדָם שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְדַקְדֵּק בְּמַעֲשָׂיו.
And now in these generations, when men are physically very weak and they have not the strength of the earlier generations, what should man do who has sinned all his days through gossip, flattery, and all other bad qualities, and he was not careful all his life about the precepts themselves for he never saw a man fulfill the commandments so that he might learn from him. And he did not hasten all his days to pray or say the benedictions, and so he did with all the commandments — how such a one can bear the pain according to his transgressions, for there is no reckoning the multitude of sins which are committed by a man who is not careful about his deeds.
לָכֵן יֵשׁ לָשׂוּם דֶּרֶךְ לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם הַמִּתְנַדְּבִים לָשׁוּב. וְיֵשׁ חִלּוּק בֵּין אָדָם לְאָדָם. כֵּיצַד? אִם זֶה הַחוֹטֵא בַּעַל תּוֹרָה, וְאִם יַכְבִּידוּ עָלָיו בְּעִנְיְנֵי הַצַּעַר וּבְתַעֲנִית, אָז לֹא יוּכַל לְתַקֵּן מִדּוֹתָיו הָרָעִים – יֵשׁ לְהָקֵל עָלָיו בְּמִינֵי הַתַּעֲנִיּוֹת וְהַצַּעַר, וְיֵשׁ לְהוֹרוֹת לוֹ שֶׁיַּעֲסֹק בַּתּוֹרָה בְּעֵסֶק גָּדוֹל. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ בְּוַיִּקְרָא רַבָּה (כה א): אִם נִכְשַׁל אָדָם בַּעֲבֵרָה וְנִתְחַיֵּב מִיתָה בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם, מָה יַעֲשֶׂה וְיִחְיֶה? אִם הוּא לָמוּד לִהְיוֹת קוֹרֵא דַּף אֶחָד – יִקְרָא שְׁנֵי דַּפִּין; לִשְׁנוֹת פֶּרֶק אֶחָד – יִשְׁנֶה שְׁנֵי פְּרָקִים. אַלְמָא יֵשׁ כַּפָּרָה בְּרֹב לִמּוּד. וְיַעֲשֶׂה חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת, וּבָזֶה יִתְכַּפְּרוּ עֲוֹנֹתָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי טז ו): ״בְּחֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְכֻפַּר עָוֹן״. וְיִטְרַח לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל מִצְוָה וּמִצְוָה כְּמַאֲמָרָהּ; וְיִטְרַח לְזַכּוֹת הָרַבִּים, וְלִגְמֹל חֲסָדִים לִבְנֵי אָדָם, וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה וּבְהַכְנָעָה וּבִקְרִיעַת הַלֵּב, וּלְבַקֵּשׁ מְחִילָה מֵאֵת הַשֵּׁם עַל כָּל פְּשָׁעָיו. וְיִמְנַע עַצְמוֹ מִשְּׂחוֹק וְטִיּוּלִים וּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, וּמִלִּשְׁמֹעַ חִדּוּשֵׁי הָעוֹלָם. וְכֵן יִמָּנַע מִכָּל הַדְּבָרִים. וִישַׁעֵר בְּעַצְמוֹ בְּשִׁעוּר מְכֻוָּן אֵיזֶה דָּבָר יוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת וּמָה יוּכַל לִסְבֹּל עִם עֵסֶק הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְווֹת. וְיִשְׁתַּדֵּל לְעוֹלָם שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִכְנָע לֵאלֹהִים, וּלְכָל הַפָּחוֹת יוֹם אֶחָד בְּשָׁבוּעַ יִתְעַנֶּה; וּבְאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם יְפַנֶּה עַצְמוֹ מִכָּל דָּבָר שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, וְיֵשֵׁב יָחִיד לְבַדּוֹ, וְיַעֲרֹךְ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת בְּלִבּוֹ לֵאלֹהִים לְהִדָּבֵק בּוֹ, וְלִהְיוֹת מַר רוּחַ עַל שֶׁעָמַד בְּמֶרֶד נֶגֶד הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל. וְיִבְכֶּה וְיִתְאַבֵּל בְּשִׁבְרוֹן הַלֵּב, וְיַרְבֶּה בְּתַחֲנוּנִים, וְיַרְבֶּה בְּתִשְׁבָּחוֹת. וְיַלְקֶה עַצְמוֹ בְּאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁמַּלְקִין אוֹתוֹ יֹאמַר: ״וְהוּא רַחוּם יְכַפֵּר עָוֹן וְלֹא יַשְׁחִית...״ עַד ״כָּל חֲמָתוֹ״ (תהלים עח לח); וְכֵן יֹאמַר בְּכָל מַלְקוּת וּמַלְקוּת שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה כָּל הַיָּמִים, עַד שֶׁיִּמְצָא חֵן לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ הָעֶלְיוֹן.
Therefore, it is important to make a path before the people who are eager to repent. And there is a difference between people. How so? If the one who sinned is well-versed in the Torah and if the anguish and the fasting are too difficult for him, he will not be able to correct his evil qualities, and so it is best to lighten the burden of the various pains and fasting that have been laid upon him, and he should be instructed to occupy himself with great effort in the study of Torah. And thus did they say (Lev. Rabbah 25:1): "If a man went astray and sinned and is deserving of death at the hands of Heaven, what can he do and live? If he was accustomed to read one page in the Talmud let him read two, if he was accustomed to study one chapter of the Mishnah let him study two, since there is atonement in much study. And let this man do kindness and truth, and through these means his sins will be atoned for, as it is said, "By mercy and truth, iniquity is expiated" (Prov. 16:6). And he should exert himself to perform every single precept as it is set forth, and he should trouble himself to cause the many to have merit, to do kind deeds to people, to pray with serious intent and with submission to God and with a rending of the heart, and he should ask forgiveness from the Lord for all his sins. And he should avoid frivolous laughter and aimless strolling about and idle things, and from hearing "the latest news." Similarly, he should avoid all the things that are only for this world, and he should set a definite plan of what he can do and what he can bear in the way of repentance together with his occupying himself with Torah and the commandments. And he must always try to be submissive to God, and he should fast at least one day a week and on that day he should free himself of everything in the world and sit by himself and arrange thoughts in his heart towards God — to cleave to Him and to be sad of spirit because he has raised himself in rebellion against the Great King. And he should weep and mourn with broken heart and multiply pleadings and multiply praises of God and should receive a lashing three times on that day and when they lash him he should say, "But he, being full of compassion forgiveth iniquity and destroyeth not; yea, many a time doth He turn His anger away" (Ps. 78:38). And so must he say three times at every lashing and so should he continue to do until he finds favor before the King, Most High.
וְאִם הַחוֹטֵא הַבָּא לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה הוּא אָדָם שֶׁאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִלְמֹד, אוֹ שֶׁהוּא מְטֻפָּל, אוֹ שֶׁהוּא עַם הָאָרֶץ, אוֹ שֶׁהוּא לַמְדָן אַךְ אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לָכֹף עַצְמוֹ לִשְׁמֹר אֵת כָּל דִּבְרֵי הַסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה – לְכָל אֵלֶּה יֵשׁ לְהַחְמִיר לִסְבֹּל יִסּוּרִין קָשִׁין. וְאֵין הַיִּסּוּרִין שָׁוִין לְכָל אָדָם, כִּי יֵשׁ אָדָם שֶׁהוּא בָּרִיא מְאוֹד, וְיֵשׁ שֶׁהוּא חָלוּשׁ. הֲלוֹא בִּהְיוֹת בֵּית דִּין בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם בְּלִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית, וְהָיוּ דָּנִין דִּינֵי נְפָשׁוֹת וּמַלְקוּיוֹת, הָיוּ אוֹמְדִים בַּמַּלְקוּיוֹת כְּפִי כּוֹחַ הָאִישׁ הַנִּלְקֶה. וְכָךְ יֵשׁ לַעֲשׂוֹת עַכְשָׁו הַכֹּל לְפִי עִנְיַן הָאִישׁ: יֵשׁ אָדָם אִם מַחֲמִירִין עָלָיו בְּעִנְיַן הַצַּעַר – יַעֲזֹב לְגַמְרֵי וְלֹא יַעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה. לָכֵן צָרִיךְ הֶחָכָם לַחְקֹר עִנְיָן הָאִישׁ, וּלְהוֹרוֹת לְפִי רְאוּת עֵינָיו.
And if the sinner who comes to do penance is a man who cannot study, or is burdened with a large family, or is an ignorant man, or he is learned but cannot constrain himself to follow everything in this book — all such as these must increase their ability to bear difficult afflictions. And these afflictions are not the same for every man, for one man is very healthy and another is weak. When there was a court of law in Jerusalem in the Chamber of Hewn Stone and when they sat in judgment in capital cases or those punishable by lashing; they would, in the case of lashing, estimate the number of lashes the condemned man should receive according to his strength to endure it. And so we should do now : everything according to the condition of the man. There is a man who, if we make his pain too severe, will abandon the matter altogether and will not do penance. Therefore the wise man should search out the condition of the man and decide as he sees fit.
וְעַתָּה יֵשׁ לִכְתֹּב עִנְיְנֵי הַצַּעַר לְפִי כָּל עֲבֵרָה וַעֲבֵרָה: הַבָּא עַל הַגּוֹיָה – יִתְעַנֶּה וְיִלְקֶה, וְלֹא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן לְכָל הַפָּחוֹת אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם; אוֹ יִתְעַנֶּה שְׁלוֹשָׁה יָמִים לַיְלָה וָיוֹם, שָׁלוֹשׁ שָׁנִים פַּעַם לְשָׁנָה. וְאִם אַחַר הַתְּשׁוּבָה יַחֲזֹר לְסוֹרוֹ, יַחְמִיר יוֹתֵר עָלָיו: בִּימוֹת הַחַמָּה יֵלֵךְ בִּמְקוֹם נְמָלִים הַרְבֵּה וְיֵשֵׁב בֵּינֵיהֶם עָרוּם, וּבִימוֹת הַחֹרֶף יְשַׁבֵּר הַקֶּרַח וְיֵשֵׁב בַּמַּיִם עַד הַחֹטֶם. וְאִם עוֹד יַחֲזֹר לְסוֹרוֹ יַחְמִיר עָלָיו יוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר.
And now we must write down the details of how one should afflict oneself to atone for particular transgressions. A man who had intercourse with a gentile woman should fast and be lashed, and he should not eat meat or drink wine for at least forty days, or he should fast three days, night and day, in three successive years. And, if after the repentance, he returns to his evil conduct, he must place a heavier burden upon himself. In the summer, he should go to a place where there are many ants, and he should sit among them naked, and in the winter, he should break the ice on top of the water and sit in the water up to his nose, and if he reverts to his evil ways, then he should make the anguish more and more severe.
הַמּוֹצִיא שִׁכְבַת זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה – יִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, וַאֲפִלּוּ אֵינָם רְצוּפִין. וְיֵשֵׁב בַּמַּיִם בִּימוֹת הַחֹרֶף כְּדֵי צְלִיַּת בֵּיצָה וּגְמִיעָתָהּ כָּל הָאַרְבָּעִים יוֹם; וְלֹא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן וְדָבָר חַם, לְבַד מִשַּׁבָּתוֹת וְיָמִים טוֹבִים. וְיִרְחַץ הָרֹאשׁ מְעַט בְּמַיִם פַּעֲמַיִם אוֹ שָׁלוֹשׁ, כָּל אוֹתָן אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם.
He who pours out his seed for nothing (i.e. masturbates), should fast for forty days, though they need not be consecutive and he should sit in water in the days of winter for as long as it takes to roast an egg and swallow it, all those forty days, and he should not eat meat and should not drink wine or any warm thing, except on Sabbaths and festivals, and he should wash his head a little with water two or three times during all those forty days.
אִם חִבֵּק אוֹ נִשֵּׁק אִשְׁתּוֹ נִדָּה – יִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם. הַבָּא עַל אִשְׁתּוֹ נִדָּה – יִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם רְצוּפִים וְיִלְקֶה בְּכָל יוֹם; וְלֹא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן וְלֹא יֹאכַל מַאֲכָל חַם לְבַד מִשַּׁבָּתוֹת וְיָמִים טוֹבִים. וְלֹא יִרְחַץ כָּל אוֹתָם הַיָּמִים, וְיִתְוַדֶּה בְּכָל יוֹם. הַמְּנַשֵּׁק שְׁאָר נָשִׁים אוֹ מְחַבְּקָם – יִתְעַנֶּה שֵׁנִי וַחֲמִישִׁי, וְיִרְחַק מִפֶּתַח בֵּיתָהּ. רָבַע בְּהֵמָה, חַיָּה אוֹ עוֹף – יִתְעַנֶּה וְלֹא יִרְחַץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, וְלֹא יִסְתַּכֵּל בִּבְהֵמָה חַיָּה וָעוֹף בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁנִּזְקָקִים זֶה לָזֶה.
If he embraced or kissed his wife during her unclean period he should fast forty days, and if he had marital relations with his wife during the time of her separation, he should fast for forty consecutive days and should receive a lashing each day, and should not eat meat or drink wine, nor eat any warm food, except on Sabbaths and festivals, and he should not wash himself all those days, and he must confess his sin every day. One who has kissed or embraced a woman other than his wife should fast each Monday and Thursday, and should keep away from the doorway of her house. One who has copulated with an animal or a bird should fast and not wash himself for forty days, and should not look at an animal or a bird when it is in heat.
רוֹצֵחַ – יֵלֵךְ בַּגּוֹלָה שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים, וְיִלְקֶה בְּכָל עִיר וְעִיר וְיֹאמַר ״רוֹצֵחַ אֲנִי״. וְלֹא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן, וְלֹא יְגַלַּח שְׂעַר רֹאשׁוֹ וּזְקָנוֹ אֶלָּא פַּעַם אַחַת בְּחֹדֶשׁ. וְיִקְשֹׁר יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר רָצַח בָּהּ וּזְרוֹעוֹ בְּבַרְזֶל וּבְצַוָּארוֹ, וְיֵלֵךְ יָחֵף, וְיִבְכֶּה עַל חַטָּאתוֹ, וְיִתְעַנֶּה בְּכָל יוֹם עַד שֶׁיִּגְמֹר תַּעֲנִיתוֹ וְגָלוּתוֹ. וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִתְעַנֶּה שָׁנָה אַחַת שֵׁנִי וַחֲמִישִׁי וְשֵׁנִי. אִם יְחָרְפוּהוּ – יִשְׁתֹּק. וְאוֹתָן שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים לֹא יֵלֵךְ בְּטִיּוּל וּשְׂחוֹק. וּכְשֶׁיִּגְלֶה, יַשְׁכִּיב עַצְמוֹ לִפְנֵי פֶּתַח בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת; וְיַעַבְרוּ עָלָיו הָעוֹבְרִים וְשָׁבִים, אַךְ לֹא יִדְרְכוּהוּ.
A murderer should wander in exile for three years, and he should be lashed in every city, and he should say, "I am a murderer," and he should not eat meat and he should not drink wine and he should shave the hair of his head and his beard only once a month. And he should bind the hand with which he committed the murder to his upper arm and neck (in the fashion of a sling,) and he should walk barefoot and he should weep because of his sin, and he should fast every day until he completes his fast and his exile. And afterwards he should fast on Mondays and Thursdays for one year. If people revile him, he should be silent, and during those three years, he should not go strolling or engage in laughter. And when he wanders in exile, he should lie down before the doorway of the synagogue and all those who come and go should pass over him, they should not step upon him.
מְשֻׁמָּד – יָסִיר מַלְבּוּשָׁיו הַנָּאִים, וְיִתְאַבֵּל וְיִבְכֶּה וְיִצְטַעֵר כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו, וְיַשְׁפִּיל רוּחוֹ וְגַאֲוָתוֹ, וְיִתְוַדֶּה שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בְּכָל יוֹם. וְלֹא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן כִּי אִם בְּשַׁבָּתוֹת וְיָמִים טוֹבִים. וְיִרְחַץ מְעַט, וְלֹא יָחוֹף רֹאשׁוֹ כִּי אִם פַּעַם אַחַת אוֹ פַּעֲמַיִם בְּחֹדֶשׁ. וְלֹא יֵלֵךְ לִשְׂחוֹק וְלֹא לְנִשּׂוּאִין, כִּי אִם בְּבִרְכַּת נִשּׂוּאִין לְבַדָּהּ. וְיִרְחַק מֵעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וּמֵעוֹבְדֶיהָ, וְלֹא יֵשֵׁב אֵצֶל גַּלָּחִים וּכְמָרִים, וְלֹא בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁמְּדַבְּרִים דִּבְרֵי מִינוּת; וְיִתְרַחֵק מִפֶּתַח בֵּיתָם וְלֹא יֵהָנֶה מֵהֶם. וּמִיָּד כְּשֶׁיָּשׁוּב – צָרִיךְ טְבִילָה. וְיִסְבֹּל צַעַר וְיִסּוּרִין כְּנֶגֶד חֲטָאָיו: כִּי כָּפַר בָּעִקָּר, וְחִלֵּל שַׁבָּתוֹת, וּבָעַל נָכְרִיּוֹת, וְעָבַר כָּרֵתוֹת וּמִיתוֹת בֵּית דִּין. לָכֵן צָרִיךְ יִסּוּרִים גְּדוֹלִים וּתְשׁוּבָה גְּדוֹלָה.
An apostate should remove his nice clothes, and he should mourn and weep and afflict himself all the days of his life, and he should lower his spirit and his pride and he should confess three times a day, and he should not eat meat or drink wine, except on Sabbaths and holidays, and he should wash but little, and he should not wash his head more than once or twice a month, and he should not go to any place of entertainment or to a wedding (but he may be present when the marriage blessings are recited), and he should keep away from idolatry and from those who serve it, and he should not sit with priests or church officials, and he should not sit in a place where people speak heresy, and he should stay far from the entrance to their houses, and he should derive no profit from them. Immediately upon repentance he must immerse himself, and he must bear the pain and the afflictions that are prescribed for one who has committed his sin, for he has denied God, and he has profaned the Sabbaths, and he has had intercourse with heathen women, and he has committed transgressions that are punishable by being cut off from his people, or by capital punishment at the hands of a court of law. Therefore, he requires great affliction and great repentance.
הַבָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ אוֹ נַעֲרָה הַמְאֹרָסָה – הֲרֵי זֶה אוֹסְרָהּ עַל בַּעֲלָהּ כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּתְרַצֵּית, וְחַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִיתַת בֵּית דִּין. לָכֵן יִסְבֹּל צַעַר הַקָּשֶׁה כַּמָּוֶת: בִּימוֹת הַחֹרֶף יֵשֵׁב בְּשֶׁלֶג אוֹ בְּקֶרַח בְּכָל יוֹם שָׁעָה אַחַת, כֵּן יַעֲשֶׂה כָּל הַחֹרֶף, פַּעַם אַחַת אוֹ פַּעֲמַיִם אוֹ שָׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים. וּבִימוֹת הַחַמָּה יֵשֵׁב לִפְנֵי זְבוּבִים אוֹ לִפְנֵי הַדְּבוֹרִים, אוֹ שְׁאָר יִסּוּרִים הַקָּשִׁים כַּמָּוֶת, וְיִתְוַדֶּה בְּכָל זֶה בִּבְכִי וַאֲנָחָה. וְשָׁנָה תְּמִימָה לֹא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן, לְבַד מִשַּׁבָּתוֹת וְיָמִים טוֹבִים וּפוּרִים. וְלֹא יֹאכַל מַאֲכָל חַם, וְלֹא יִרְחַץ כִּי אִם בְּעַרְבֵי שַׁבָּתוֹת וְיָמִים טוֹבִים מְעַט. וְלֹא יִרְאֶה שׁוּם שְׂחוֹק, רַק לִשְׁמֹעַ בִּרְכַּת חֲתָנִים. וְלֹא יְעַדֵּן עַצְמוֹ בְּשׁוּם דָּבָר. וְיִלְקֶה בְּכָל יוֹם, וְיִשְׁכַּב עַל הָאָרֶץ אוֹ עַל דַּף אֶחָד בְּלֹא כַּר וָכֶסֶת, כִּי אִם בְּשַׁבָּתוֹת וְיָמִים טוֹבִים יִשְׁכַּב עַל תֶּבֶן וְקַשׁ וְכַר בְּרֹאשׁוֹ, עַד כִּי יָסִיר הָרוּחַ הַגַּסָּה שֶׁבּוֹ וְיָמִית הַתַּאֲוָה. וְחַיֵּי צַעַר יִחְיֶה, וְיִלְבַּשׁ שַׂק עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ. וְלֹא יְדַבֵּר מֵעִנְיַן תַּאֲוַת נָשִׁים, וְלֹא יִסְתַּכֵּל בַּנָּשִׁים וּבְתַכְשִׁיטֵיהֶן אֲפִלּוּ כְּשֶׁאֵינָן עֲלֵיהֶן, וְלֹא יִשְׁמַע קוֹל נִגּוּנָן. וְלֹא יִהְיֶה עִם הַנָּשִׁים כְּלָל, לֹא בִּרְמִיזָה וְלֹא בְּשׁוּם דָּבָר; וַאֲפִלּוּ עִם אִשְׁתּוֹ כְּשֶׁהִיא נִדָּה – לֹא יִתְיַחֵד עִמָּהּ בְּשׁוּם יִחוּד.
If a man has had intercourse with another man's wife or with a betrothed maiden, this, of course, prohibits her to her husband or to her betrothed, inasmuch as she consented, and for this sin he is liable to death at the hands of a court. Therefore, he must bear a pain which is as difficult as death. In the winter, he should sit in snow or ice, every day once or twice or three times, and in the summertime he should sit in front of flies or bees, or he should endure other sufferings which are as difficult as death. And he should confess all that he has done with weeping and sighing, and for a whole year he should not eat any warm food, and he should not wash except a little on the eve of the Sabbaths, and festivals. And he should not see any kind of amusement, except to hear the blessings of bridegroom, and he should not adorn himself with anything, and he should be lashed every day, and he should lie down upon the earth or upon one board without a pillow or cushion (and only on Sabbaths and festivals may he lie down upon straw and hay with a pillow under his head), until he removes the vulgar spirit and the lust that is within him. He should live a life of anguish and he should wear sackcloth on his flesh, and he should not speak of the desire for women and he should not look at women or their ornaments even when the ornaments are not upon the women. He should not listen to the sound of their song — and he should not be with women at all, not even to converse with them through gestures and not for any reason, and even as regards his own wife he should not be alone with her during her unclean period, he should not be close to her with any sort of nearness.
הַנִּשְׁבָּע לַשֶּׁקֶר אוֹ מָעַל בְּחֵרֶם – יֵשׁ לוֹ לִלְקוֹת כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו, וְיִתְוַדֶּה יָמִים רַבִּים. וּלְאַחַר כֵּן יִזָּהֵר לְבִלְתִּי הִשָּׁבַע אֲפִלּוּ בֶּאֱמֶת, לֹא בַּתּוֹרָה וְלֹא בְּנִשְׁמוֹת אֲבוֹתָיו, אַךְ יִדֹּר בְּחַיֵּי רֹאשׁוֹ. אֲבָל יִשָּׁבַע לְקַיֵּם אֶת הַמִּצְווֹת. וְיִזָּהֵר שֶׁלֹּא יוֹצִיא שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם לְבַטָּלָה מִפִּיו, וְיִזְדַּעְזְעוּ אֵיבָרָיו כְּשֶׁיַּזְכִּיר אֶת הַשֵּׁם בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְיִזָּהֵר בִּבְרָכָה לְבַטָּלָה; וְאִם שָׁגַג וּבֵרַךְ בְּרָכָה לְבַטָּלָה, יֹאמַר אַחֲרָיו: ״בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד״ (ירושלמי ברכות ו א). וְאוֹתָם הַמַּרְגִּילִים בְּפִיהֶם וּבְפִי זַרְעָם לְהַזְכִּיר שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם בְּמֶרְחֲצָאוֹת וּבִמְקוֹם הַטִּנֹּפֶת וּלְהַזְכִּיר שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם לְבַטָּלָה – אוֹי לְנַפְשָׁם וּלְזַרְעָם כִּי כֵן לִמְּדוּ לְשׁוֹנָם. לָכֵן יִשְׁמֹר וְיִגְדֹּר עַצְמוֹ וְזַרְעוֹ וַחֲבֵרָיו הַנִּשְׁמָעִים לוֹ, מִלְּהַזְכִּיר שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם לְבַטָּלָה. וְאִם הֻצְרַךְ זֶה הַשָּׁב לַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁבוּעָה לְבַעַל חוֹבוֹ אֲפִלּוּ בֶּאֱמֶת – יִתְעַנֶּה אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בְּכָל שָׁנָה.
One who has sworn falsely or has trespassed against a consecrated object must be lashed several times all the days of his life, and he should confess for many days. And after this he should be very careful not to swear even to a truth — not by the Torah, and not by the soul of his ancestors — but he may make a vow by the life of his own head, and he may swear to observe the commandments. He must be very careful not to utter the name of God in vain, and his limbs should tremble when he mentions the Name of God, Blessed be He, and he should be careful not to utter any blessing without purpose. And if he has made an error and did utter a blessing for nothing, then he must say after it at once, "Blessed is the glorious name of His Kingdom forever and ever." And as for those who accustom their mouths and the mouths of their children to mention the Name of God for nothing, woe to their souls and to their children that they have so taught their tongues. Therefore he should guard and set up a fence for himself and for his children and for his companions who listen to him, so that he will not mention the Name of God in vain. And if the penitent is compelled to make an oath to his creditor, even though it is a true oath, he must fast that day every year.
אִם הֻרְגַּל לְדַבֵּר בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת שְׂחוֹק וְקַלּוּת רֹאשׁ – מֵעֵת שֶׁיָּשׁוּב יִזָּהֵר שֶׁלֹּא יְדַבֵּר בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת שׁוּם דָּבָר שֶׁל חוֹל, וַאֲפִלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה. וְיֵשֵׁב בְּמוֹרָא גָּדוֹל וְיִתְפַּלֵּל בְּהַכְנָעָה. וְיִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, בֵּין רְצוּפִים בֵּין מֻפְלָגִים, וְיִלְקֶה בְּצִנְעָה בְּכָל יוֹם.
If he has got in the habit of talking in the synagogue and engaging in jocularity and frivolity, from the time he becomes a penitent he should take care not to speak in the synagogue about any secular thing, even when the congregation is not engaged in prayer, and he should sit in great fear, and he should pray with great humility. And he should fast for forty days, either consecutively or intermittently, and he should be lashed in private every day.
גָּנַב אוֹ לָקַח רִבִּית – יָשִׁיב, וִיבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה. וְיִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם אוֹ יוֹתֵר, וְיִתְוַדֶּה בְּכָל יוֹם. וְיִזָּהֵר מִלְּקַבֵּל פִּקְדוֹנוֹת, וְלֹא יַרְגִּיל לָלֶכֶת אֶל מָמוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ. וְיַעֲשֶׂה גְּמִילוּת חֶסֶד בְּגוּפוֹ וּבְמָמוֹנוֹ, וִיוַתֵּר מִשֶּׁלּוֹ לַעֲמֵלֵי תּוֹרָה יִרְאֵי שָׁמַיִם. וְזֶה שֶׁלָּקַח רִבִּית, אִם הָיָה יָכוֹל שֶׁלֹּא לִטֹּל רִבִּית אֲפִלּוּ מִן הַגּוֹי – הָיָה טוֹב.
If he has stolen or taken usury, he must ask forgiveness from the man he has injured, and he must fast for forty days, and he must be very careful not to receive any pledges, and he should not get in the habit of going to the money of his companion, and he should do kindly deeds with his person and with his money, and he should be liberal with what belongs to him for the benefit of those who labor in the Torah and revere God, Blessed be He. And as for the One who has taken usurious interest, if he can manage not to take interest, even from a heathen, it would be good.
הַמַּלְשִׁין חֲבֵרוֹ – הֲרֵי זֶה מַשְׂנִיאוֹ בְּעֵינֵי הַשַּׂר. וּמַעֲלִיל עָלָיו, וְלוֹקֵחַ מָמוֹנוֹ, וּמֵמִית רֵעֵהוּ, וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּבָנָיו הַתְּלוּיִים בּוֹ – יִפְרַע לַחֲבֵרוֹ כָּל מָה שֶׁהִפְסִיד וִיבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה. וְיִלְקֶה וְיִתְעַנֶּה יוֹתֵר מִשְּׁנָתַיִם, וְיִתְוַדֶּה כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו, כִּי נֶחְשָׁב כְּאִלּוּ הָרַג חֲבֵרוֹ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּבָנָיו, וְכַמָּה עֲבֵרוֹת עָשָׂה – עַל כֵּן יִשְׁבֹּר רוּחוֹ. וְאִם אֵין לוֹ מַה לְשַׁלֵּם – יַרְבֶּה עָלָיו רֵעִים וִיבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה, וִיצַמְצֵם וְיִפְרַע לוֹ אוֹ לְיוֹרְשָׁיו.
He who informs on a fellow man thereby makes him hateful in the eyes of the ruler, causes him ill and deprives him of his money, and enslaves him and his wife and his sons. Such a man should reimburse the other for all that he has lost, and should beg forgiveness of him, and he should be lashed, and he should fast more than two years, and he should confess all the days of his life, for it is reckoned as if he had slain his companion and his wife and his children. How many sins he has committed by his act! Therefore, he should break down his spirit. And if he has nothing with which to pay, he should send intercessors and beg his companion's forgiveness, and he should live very frugally so that he will be able to reimburse his companion or his heirs.
הוֹלֵךְ רָכִיל – כַּיּוֹצֵא בוֹ. וְאֵין לוֹ רְפוּאָה [אם לא] יְבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה. וְיִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם אוֹ יוֹתֵר, וְיִלְקֶה בְּכָל יוֹם, וְיִתְוַדֶּה כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו. וְיִהְיוּ כָּל עֲסָקָיו בַּמִּצְווֹת, וּבְעֵסֶק הַשָּׁלוֹם בֵּין כָּל אָדָם וּבֵין אִישׁ לְאִשְׁתּוֹ.
He who goes about tale-bearing has a similar penance to fulfill, and there is no remedy for him unless he begs forgiveness of his injured companion. And he should fast for forty days or more and be lashed every day, and he should confess his sin all the days of his life. And he should spend all of his time in the fulfillment of the commandments, and in making peace between men and between man and wife.
הַמַּכֶּה חֲבֵרוֹ וְצִעֲרוֹ, בֵּין בְּמָמוֹן בֵּין בְּאוֹנָאַת דְּבָרִים – אֵין לוֹ כַּפָּרָה אִם לֹא יְרַצֶּה אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ. וְאֵין יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפֵּר אֶלָּא עֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁבֵּינוֹ וּבֵין הַמָּקוֹם, אֲבָל שֶׁבֵּינוֹ וּבֵין חֲבֵרוֹ – צָרִיךְ לְפַיְּסוֹ (יומא פה ב). הַמַּגְבִּיהַּ יָדוֹ עַל חֲבֵרוֹ נִקְרָא ״רָשָׁע״ (סנהדרין נח ב) – וִיבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה וְיִתְכַּפֵּר.
He who smites his companion and causes him pain, whether it be in money matters or through fraudulent words, there is no atonement for him unless he can appease his companion. And the Day of Atonement atones only for sins that are between man and God. But as for sins between him and his fellow man, he must first appease him (Yoma 85b). He who lifts his hand against his companion, even though he did not smite him, is called a wicked man (Sanh. 58b), and he must ask forgiveness of him: only thus can he do atonement.
הַמַּלְבִּין פְּנֵי חֲבֵרוֹ – יִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם אוֹ יוֹתֵר, וְיִלְקֶה בְּכָל יוֹם, וְיִתְוַדֶּה כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו. הַמְכַנֶּה שֵׁם לַחֲבֵרוֹ – יְבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה בִּפְנֵי רַבִּים, וְיִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, וְיִתְוַדֶּה בְּצִנְעָה בְּכָל יוֹם.
He who shames his companion should fast for forty days or more, and he should be lashed every day, and he should confess his wrong all the days of his life. He who calls his companion by a derogatory nick-name must beg him for forgiveness in the presence of many, and he must fast forty days and he must confess privately every day.
הַמְאַנֶּה אֶת הַגֵּר – יְבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה; וְיִלְקֶה, וְיִתְוַדֶּה, וְיִתְעַנֶּה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם.
He who deceives a proselyte must beg his forgiveness, and must be lashed and must confess and must fast for forty days.
הַמַּקְנִיט אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ – יָבִיא שָׁלוֹשׁ שׁוּרוֹת שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם, וְיֹאמַר: ״חָטָאתִי וְיָשָׁר הֶעֱוִיתִי, וְלֹא שָׁוָה לִי״ (ע״פ איוב לג כז). וִיבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים וְלֹא יוֹתֵר. וְאִם מֵת – יוֹלִיךְ עֲשָׂרָה בְּנֵי אָדָם עַל קִבְרוֹ, וְיֹאמַר: ״חָטָאתִי לַיְיָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלִפְלוֹנִי זֶה שֶׁהִקְנַטְתִּי אוֹתוֹ (יומא פז א).
He who provokes his companion must bring three groups of three people, as it is said, "He cometh before men and saith" (Job 33:27), and he must say in their presence, "I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not." But he does not have to ask him for forgiveness more than three times. If the man whom he provoked dies, he should take ten men to his grave and say, "I have sinned to the Lord, the God of Israel and to this person, for I have provoked him" (Yoma 87a).
וּמִתְּחִלָּה יֵלֵךְ הַמַּקְנִיט לְמִי שֶׁהִקְנִיטוֹ, וְיֹאמַר: ״פָּשַׁעְתִּי בְּךָ״. וְאִם אֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל – יָבִיא עֲשָׂרָה בְּנֵי אָדָם, וִיבַקֵּשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ מְחִילָה בִּפְנֵיהֶם. וְדַוְקָא שֶׁלֹּא בִּזָּהוּ בָּרַבִּים, אֲבָל בִּזָּהוּ בָּרַבִּים, לֹא דַּי לוֹ מְחִילָה בְּבַקָּשַׁת פִּיּוּס בֵּינוֹ לְבֵינוֹ. וְלֹא יְהֵא הַמּוֹחֵל אַכְזָרִי (בבא קמא צב א). וְאִם הִקְנִיטוֹ וְהוֹצִיא עָלָיו שֵׁם רַע – אֵין לוֹ מְחִילָה עוֹלָמִית (ירושלמי בבא קמא ח ז), אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן יִתְעַנֶּה וְיִלְקֶה בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין עַצְמוֹ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם אוֹ יוֹתֵר.
But to begin with, before he does these forms of penance, one who has grieved his companion should go to him and say, "I have sinned against you," and if he does not accept his apology, he should bring three people and ask for forgiveness in their presence. All this applies where he has not shamed his companion publicly, but if he did shame him publicly, it is not sufficient that he should ask of him forgiveness by appeasing him privately. But the one who is asked to forgive should not be cruel (Baba Kamma 92a). And if he provoked him by spreading an evil report concerning him, there is no forgiveness for him ever (T.P. Baba Kamma 9:10), unless he fasts and is lashed privately forty days or more.
הַמְחַלֵּל אֶת הַשֵּׁם – חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם הוּא עָווֹן גָּדוֹל מְאוֹד. וּמַהוּ חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם? אָמַר רַב (יומא פו א): כְּגוֹן אֲנָא, דְּאָזִילְנָא לְבֵי טַבָּחָא, וְשָׁקֵלְנָא בִּשְׂרָא, וְלָא יָהֵבְנָא דְּמֵי לְאַלְתַּר. פֵּרוּשׁ: מֵבִיא עַצְמוֹ לִידֵי זִלְזוּל דְּגָזֵל, וְהָעוֹלָם לוֹמְדִים מִמֶּנּוּ וּמְזַלְזְלִים יוֹתֵר. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: כְּגוֹן אֲנָא, דְּמַסְגֵּינָא אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת בְּלֹא תּוֹרָה וּבְלֹא תְּפִלִּין. [פירוש:] וְהָעוֹלָם מְזַלְזְלִים וְלוֹמְדִים מִמֶּנּוּ לְהָקֵל יוֹתֵר. דְּבֵי רַבִּי אָמֵי אָמְרִי: כָּל שֶׁחֲבֵרָיו בּוֹשִׁים מֵחֲמַת שְׁמוּעָתוֹ. פֵּרוּשׁ: שֶׁאוֹמְרִים עָלָיו מַעֲשִׂים שֶׁאֵינָם מְהֻגָּנִים, וּבְנֵי אָדָם לוֹמְדִים מִמַּעֲשָׂיו, וְנוֹשְׂאִים קַל וָחֹמֶר מִמֶּנּוּ, וּמוֹרִים הֶתֵּר עַל גּוּפֵי עֲבֵרוֹת. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי חֲנִינָא (קידושין מ א): נוֹחַ לוֹ לָאָדָם שֶׁיַּעֲבוֹר עֲבֵרָה בַּסֵּתֶר, וְאַל יְחַלֵּל שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא. פֵּרוּשׁ: שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמְדוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם מִמַּעֲשָׂיו.
One who profanes the Name of God — profanation of the name of God is an exceedingly great sin. And what is profanation of the name of God? Rav said, "For example, if I go to a butcher and buy meat and I haven't the money to pay for it at once." The meaning of this is that if one makes light of dishonesty or robbery, then people will learn very quickly from him and will make even lighter of such a wrong (Yoma 86a). Rabbi Johanan said, "As far as I am concerned, if I walk four cubits without speaking words of the Torah or wearing Tefillin, I am guilty of profaning God's name." And the meaning of this statement is that from his example people may learn to regard these sacred things very lightly. Isaac, of the school of Rabbi Yannai said, "Profanation of God's Name is anything which causes shame to a person's companions when they hear of it, that is to say, when it is said of him that he has done unworthy deeds, people will learn from his deeds and will think, "If he can do these things, then we certainly can" — and permit themselves to commit transgressions which otherwise they would not. Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Haninah (Kiddushin 40a), "It is better that a man should commit a transgression secretly, so that he should not profane the Name of God publicly." And the meaning of this is that other people should not learn of his bad deeds.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי אִלְעַאי הַזָּקֵן: אִם רוֹאֶה אָדָם שֶׁיִּצְרוֹ מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו – יֵלֵךְ לְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין מַכִּירִים אוֹתוֹ, וְיִלְבַּשׁ שְׁחוֹרִים וְיִתְעַטֵּף שְׁחוֹרִים, וְיַעֲשֶׂה מָה שֶׁלִּבּוֹ חָפֵץ, וְאַל יְחַלֵּל שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא. וּפֵרֵשׁ רַבֵּנוּ חֲנַנְאֵל: חַס וְשָׁלוֹם שֶׁהֻתַּר לוֹ לַעֲבֹר עֲבֵרָה, אֶלָּא חֲכָמִים עָמְדוּ כְּנֶגֶד יֵצֶר הָרַע, שֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְאַוֶּה אֶלָּא אֶל הָאִסּוּר וּלְמַלֹּאות תַּאֲוָתוֹ, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהוֹלֵךְ לְמֵרָחוֹק וְלוֹבֵשׁ שְׁחוֹרִים – אָז לִבּוֹ יִשְׁתַּבֵּר וְיִמָּנַע מִן הַחֵטְא. אֲבָל לַעֲשׂוֹת אִסּוּרִים – כְּלָל וּכְלָל לָא. אַךְ מַעֲשִׂים הַלָּלוּ מְשַׁבְּרִים רֹעַ יֵצֶר הָרַע, וּמוֹנְעִים אוֹתוֹ מִלַּעֲבֹר. כִּדְאָמַר רַבִּי אִלְעַאי, כִּי יְגִיעַת דְּרָכִים וְאַכְסַנְיוֹת, וּלְבִישַׁת שְׁחוֹרִים – מְשַׁבְּרִים יֵצֶר הָרַע, וּמוֹנְעִים אוֹתוֹ מִן הָעֲבֵרוֹת. וְאָמְרוּ: כָּל שֶׁלֹּא חָס עַל כְּבוֹד קוֹנוֹ – רָאוּי לוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בָּא לָעוֹלָם (חגיגה יא ב). וְאָמְרוּ בַּגְּמָרָא: אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: זֶה הָעוֹבֵר עֲבֵרָה בַּסֵּתֶר. וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: כָּל הָעוֹבֵר עֲבֵרָה בַּסֵּתֶר – כְּאִלּוּ דּוֹחֵק רַגְלֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה.
Rabbi Ilai, the Elder, said, "If a man sees that his desire is strengthening itself over him, he should go to a place where nobody knows him, and let him put on dark clothes, and let him wrap himself in dark garments, and then let him do what his heart desires, but let him not profane the Name of God publicly." And Rabbi Hananel explained this as follows : "God forbid that a man is permitted to commit a sin! But the wise men stood firmly against the evil inclination and believed that one lusts only for that which is forbidden and in order to gratify his lust, and that if a man were to go a long distance and put on dark garments, then his heart would be broken and thus he would refrain from sin. But as far as doing something which is forbidden (even in a distant place), absolutely not. It is just that this type of conduct breaks the grip of the evil inclination and restrains one from sinning." As Rabbi Ilai said, "The weariness caused by long journeys and stopping at inns and putting on of black garments, breaks the evil inclination and restrains a man from transgression." And they said, "Whosoever takes no thought for the honor of his maker, it were a mercy if he had not come into the world" (Hagigah 11b). And in the Gemara, Rabbi Joseph said, "It refers to one who commits a transgression in secret" (Hagigah 16a). And Rabbi Issac said, "Everyone who commits a sin in secret, it is as though he restricted the Divine Presence."
חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם הִיא עֲבֵרָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ פֵּרוֹת. כִּי כְּשֶׁעָשָׂה דָּבָר רַע – אָז אֲחֵרִים לוֹמְדִים מִמֶּנּוּ. וּמִזֹּאת הָעֲבֵרָה יֵשׁ לְכָל אָדָם לִירֹא מְאוֹד מְאוֹד, כִּי חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם יֶשְׁנוֹ בְּכַמָּה דְּרָכִים וְאֵין לוֹ שִׁעוּר, כִּי כָל הַמְבַזֶּה מִצְוָה אַחַת וּמֵקֵל בִּכְבוֹד שָׁמַיִם נִקְרָא ״מְחַלֵּל הַשֵּׁם״, כִּי אֲחֵרִים יִלְמְדוּ מִמֶּנּוּ וְיָקֵלּוּ יוֹתֵר. לָכֵן צָרִיךְ אָדָם לִזָּהֵר מְאוֹד מְאוֹד בְּכָל מַעֲשָׂיו, שֶׁלֹּא יִלְמְדוּ מִמֶּנּוּ לְהָקֵל וּלְזַלְזֵל.
Profanation of the Name of God is a transgression that bears bitter fruit, for when a man has done this evil thing, others learn from him. And a man ought to be very, very fearful of committing this sin, for profanation of the Name of God can occur in many ways and there is no limit to it. For everyone who belittles one precept or takes the glory of God lightly is called "one who profanes the Name," for others will learn from him, and they will treat the matter even more lightly. Therefore a man must be on guard exceedingly in all his deeds, so that people will not learn from him to take lightly and despise what is sacred.
עָבַר אָדָם עַל כָּרֵתוֹת וּמִיתוֹת בֵּית דִּין – תְּשׁוּבָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים מְכַפֵּר מֶחֱצָה, וְיִסּוּרִים מְכַפְּרִים מֶחֱצָה. אֲבָל נִתְחַלֵּל שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם עַל יָדוֹ – אֵין כֹּחַ בַּתְּשׁוּבָה לִתְלוֹת, וְלֹא יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים לְכַפֵּר, וְלֹא בְּיִסּוּרִים לְמָרֵק. אֶלָּא הַכֹּל תּוֹלִין, וּמִיתָה מְמָרֶקֶת (יומא פו א). עַל כֵּן יִזָּהֵר כָּל אָדָם מֵחִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם, וְיִתְרַחֵק מִן הַכִּעוּר וּמִן הַדּוֹמֶה לוֹ (חולין מד ב). וְעִקַּר תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁל חִלּוּל הַשֵּׁם – שֶׁיּוֹדֶה חֲטָאָיו כְּנֶגֶד רַבִּים, וְיֹאמַר לָהֶם: ״אַל תִּלְמְדוּ מִמֶּנִּי, כִּי אֲנִי חָטָאתִי, עָוִיתִי וּפָשַׁעְתִּי, חִלַּלְתִּי הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּאִוַּלְתִּי.״ וְיִתְעַנֶּה כַּמָּה תַּעֲנִיּוֹת, וְיִתְוַדֶּה בְּכָל יוֹם עַד יוֹם מוֹתוֹ.
If a man has committed transgressions for which he is liable to be cut off from among his people or to be condemned to death by the court, then repentance and the Day of Atonement atone for half of his sin, while afflictions that come upon him atone for half. "But if he has been guilty of the profanation of the Name, then penitence has no power to suspend punishment, nor the day of Atonement to procure atonement, nor suffering to finish it, but all of them together suspend the punishment and only death finishes it" (Yoma 86a, and see T.P. Yoma 8:8). Therefore, a man should guard himself exceedingly from profaning the Name of God, and he should keep away from ugly conduct and from that which resembles it. And the principal requirement in repenting for profaning the Name of God is that he should make known his sins in the presence of many, and he should say, "Do not learn from me, for in my folly I have sinned, I have perverted, I have trespassed, I have profaned the Name of God, Blessed be He." And he should keep many fasts and he should confess every day until the day of his death.
עַל כָּל עֲבֵרָה וַעֲבֵרָה שֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה, בֵּין בְּשׁוֹגֵג בֵּין בְּמֵזִיד, כְּגוֹן שֶׁנָּגַע בְּנֵר אוֹ הִדְלִיק וְאֵינוֹ זוֹכֵר שֶׁהוּא שַׁבָּת, אוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה בְּלֹא יְדִיעָה – יֵשׁ לוֹ לְהִתְוַדּוֹת וּלְהִתְעַנּוֹת לְכָל הַפָּחוֹת שְׁנֵי יָמִים: שֵׁנִי וַחֲמִישִׁי. וְכֵן עַל כָּל עֲבֵרוֹת, גְּדוֹלוֹת וּקְטַנּוֹת, שֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה – יִתְעַנֶּה. וּבָזֶה יֵשׁ שְׁתֵּי טוֹבוֹת: הָאַחַת – שֶׁהַתַּעֲנִית מְכַפֶּרֶת. וְהַשֵּׁנִית – שֶׁיִּמָּנַע מֵעֲבֵרוֹת, כִּי יַחְשֹׁב: ״אִם אֶעֱשֶׂה זֶה אֶצְטָרֵךְ לְהִתְעַנּוֹת״, וְיִמָּנַע מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ מִן הָעֲבֵרָה. וְזֶהוּ הַגָּדֵר הַגָּדוֹל לִפְנֵי כָּל הָעֲבֵרוֹת, שֶׁיִּקְנֹס עַצְמוֹ: אוֹ לִתֵּן צְדָקָה אוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת צַעַר בְּגוּפוֹ כְּשֶׁעוֹבֵר. וְכֵן יַעֲשֶׂה לְכָל הָעֲבֵרוֹת שֶׁהוּא רָגִיל בָּהֶם, כְּגוֹן שִׂנְאָה וְקִנְאָה, וְשָׂמֵחַ לְאֵיד חֲבֵרוֹ, וּדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, וְלָשׁוֹן הָרַע; אוֹ שֶׁלֹּא הִתְכַּוֵּן בַּבְּרָכוֹת וּבַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁזָּרַק הַבְּרָכוֹת מִפִּיו בְּלֹא כַּוָּנַת הַלֵּב, וְכָל כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּאֵלּוּ. הַרְבֵּה מְאוֹד יִבְדֹּק עַצְמוֹ בְּכָל יוֹם בְּאֵלֶּה הָעִנְיָנִים, אִם פָּגַע בְּאֶחָד מֵאֵלּוּ וְעָבַר עֲלֵיהֶם – יְמַהֵר לְהִצְטַעֵר וּלְהִתְאַבֵּל וּלְהִתְוַדּוֹת עַל אֵיזֶה עָווֹן שֶׁעָשָׂה, וּלְבַקֵּשׁ מְחִילָה מֵאֵת הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּלֵב נִשְׁבָּר.
For every single sin that a man does, whether it be done unwittingly or intentionally, for example, if he touched a lamp or kindled a fire, not remembering that it was the Sabbath, or if he did this without knowing that he did it, he must confess and fast for at least two days, on Monday and on Thursday. And, similarly, for all transgressions, that a man commits, great or small, he should fast. There are two virtues in this. The first is that the fast atones for what he has already done, and the second is that he will be restrained from further transgressions, for he will think, "If I do this, I will have to fast," and so he will hold himself back from transgressing. And this is the high fence that one can place in the way of all transgressions : he should afflict himself or give alms, or cause pain to his body when he transgresses. And thus should he do with respect to all the sins of which he is guilty, for example : hatred, envy, rejoicing at another's misfortune, idling, engaging in gossip, failure to pay attention to the blessings or to the prayers (but he merely cast the blessings from his mouth without any intention of the heart), and the like. One should examine oneself exceedingly in these matters daily and if he has transgressed in any one of them he should hasten to cause himself anguish and to mourn and to confess the sin which he committed and to ask forgiveness from God, Blessed be He, with a broken heart.
וְעִנְיָן גָּדוֹל הוּא הַוִּדּוּי. כִּי שָׁנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין מג ב): הָיָה רָחוֹק מִבֵּית הַסְּקִילָה כְּעֶשֶׂר אַמּוֹת, אוֹמְרִים לוֹ: ״הִתְוַדֵּה!״ שֶׁכֵּן דֶּרֶךְ הַמּוּמָתִין – מִתְוַדִּין, שֶׁכָּל הַמִּתְוַדֶּה יֵשׁ לוֹ חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. שֶׁכֵּן מָצִינוּ בְּעָכָן, שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: ״בְּנִי שִׂים נָא כָבוֹד לַיְיָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְתֶן לוֹ תוֹדָה, וְהַגֶּד נָא לִי מֶה עָשִׂיתָ, אַל תְּכַחֵד מִמֶּנִּי. וַיַּעַן עָכָן אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיֹּאמַר: אָמְנָה אָנֹכִי חָטָאתִי לַיְיָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכָזֹאת וְכָזֹאת עָשִׂיתִי״ (יהושע ז יט-כ). וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁכִּפֵּר לוֹ הַוִּדּוּי? דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מֶה עֲכַרְתָּנוּ? יַעְכֳּרְךָ יְיָ בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה!״ (שם פסוק כה) – ״בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה״ אַתָּה עָכוּר, וְאֵין אַתָּה עָכוּר לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. וְאִם אֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ לְהִתְוַדּוֹת, אוֹמְרִים לוֹ: אֱמֹר: ״תְּהֵא מִיתָתִי כַּפָּרָה עַל כָּל עֲוֹנֹתַי״.
Confession is a matter of great importance, for our Sages, of blessed memory, taught (Sanh. 43b) : When a man condemned to death was a distance of ten cubits from the place of stoning, they would say to him, "Confess." For it is the way of all who are about to be slain that they do confess, and every man who confesses has a share in the world to come. For thus have we found in the case of Achan. When Joshua said to him, "My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and confess unto him, and tell to me now what thou hast done, hide nothing from me." And Achan answered Joshua, and said, "It is true, I sinned to the Lord, the God of Israel and thus and like thus have I done" (Josh. 7:19—20). And how do we know that his confession atoned for him ? Because it is said, "And Joshua said, 'Why hast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day' " (Jos. 7:25). This day you will be troubled, but you will not be troubled in the world to come. And if he does not know how to confess, they say to him, "Say these words : 'May my death be an atonement for all my sins'."
כָּל הַמִּצְווֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה, בֵּין עֲשֵׂה וּבֵין לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, אִם עָבַר אָדָם עַל אַחַת מֵהֶן, בֵּין בְּזָדוֹן בֵּין בְּשׁוֹגֵג, כְּשֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה תְּשׁוּבָה וְיָשׁוּב מֵחֶטְאוֹ – חַיָּב לְהִתְוַדּוֹת לִפְנֵי הָאֵל בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר : ״אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה כִּי יַעֲשׂוּ מִכָּל חַטֹּאות הָאָדָם לִמְעֹל מַעַל בַּיְיָ, וְאָשְׁמָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִוא. וְהִתְוַדּוּ אֶת חַטָּאתָם אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ״ – זֶה וִדּוּי דְּבָרִים. וְכָל בַּעֲלֵי חֲטָאוֹת וַאֲשָׁמוֹת, וְכָל חַיָּבֵי מִיתוֹת בֵּית דִּין אוֹ מַלְקוּת – אֵין מִתְכַּפֵּר לָהֶם בְּמִיתָה אוֹ בְּמַלְקוּת אוֹ בְּקָרְבָּן, עַד שֶׁיַּעֲשׂוּ תְּשׁוּבָה וְיִתְוַדּוּ. וְכֵן הַחוֹבֵל בַּחֲבֵרוֹ וּמַזִּיק מָמוֹן חֲבֵרוֹ, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁשִּׁלֵּם לוֹ – אֵין מִתְכַּפֵּר לוֹ עַד שֶׁיִּתְוַדֶּה וְיָשׁוּב מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת כָּזֶה לְעוֹלָם. וְכֵיצַד מִתְוַדֶּה? יֹאמַר: ״אָנָּא הַשֵּׁם! חָטָאתִי עָוִיתִי פָּשַׁעְתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, וְעָשִׂיתִי כָּךְ וְכָךְ. וַהֲרֵי נִחַמְתִּי וּבֹשְׁתִּי בְּמַעֲשַׂי, וּלְעוֹלָם אֵינִי חוֹזֵר לְדָבָר זֶה״. זֶהוּ עִקָּרוֹ שֶׁל וִדּוּי, וְכָל הַמַּרְבֶּה לְהִתְוַדּוֹת וּמַאֲרִיךְ בְּעִנְיָן זֶה – הֲרֵי זֶה מְשֻׁבָּח. וְגַם זֶה עִקַּר הַוִּדּוּי: ״אֲבָל אֲנַחְנוּ חָטָאנוּ״.
All the commandments of the Torah, whether positive or negative commandments, if a man has transgressed one of them, either intentionally or unintentionally, when he repents and returns from his sinfulness, he must confess it before God, Blessed be He. As it is said, "When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to commit a trespass against the Lord, and that soul shall be found guilty then they shall confess their sin which they have done" (Num. 5:6). This is confession by words. And as for all men who have sinned or trespassed and all who are liable to death by the court, or to lashing, their sins are not atoned for by death or by lashing, or by sacrifice until they do repentance and confess. And anyone who injures another, or who causes him monetary loss, even though he paid him, there is no atonement for the offender until he confesses and resolves never to do a similar act. And how does he confess? He should say, "Pray, O God, I sinned, I dealt perversely, I trespassed before You, and I did thus and thus, and now, behold, I am repentant and I am ashamed of my deeds, and I shall never repeat such a thing." This is the essence of confession. And he who confesses at length and dwells upon this matter deserves praise. Also it is an important part of confession for him to say : "But we have sinned."
וְטוֹב מְאוֹד לְפָרֵשׁ הַחֵטְא שֶׁלּוֹ בְּתוֹךְ הַוִּדּוּי. כְּגוֹן אִם אָכַל נְבֵלוֹת וּטְרֵפוֹת אוֹ שְׁאָר דָּבָר אָסוּר, כְּשֶׁיֹּאמַר ״אָשַׁמְתִּי״ – יֹאמַר ״אָכַלְתִּי דָּבָר אָסוּר״. וְאִם חָטָא בִּזְנוּת, כְּשֶׁיֹּאמַר ״בָּגַדְתִּי״ – יֹאמַר ״בָּעַלְתִּי בְּעִילַת זְנוּת״, וִיפָרֵשׁ בָּהּ אִם בָּעַל גּוֹיָה אוֹ נִדָּה. וְאִם גָּנַב, כְּשֶׁיֹּאמַר ״גָּזַלְתִּי״ – אָז יֹאמַר ״מִפְּלוֹנִי וּמִפְּלוֹנִי גָּנַבְתִּי וְגָזַלְתִּי״. וְאִם הוֹצִיא שֵׁם רַע עַל חֲבֵרוֹ, אוֹ לָשׁוֹן הָרַע אוֹ שׁוּם נִדּוּי – יֹאמַר עָלָיו ״דִּבַּרְתִּי דֹּפִי״. וְאִם הוֹצִיא שִׁכְבַת זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה, כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לְ״הֶעֱוִיתִי״ – אָז יֹאמַר ״הוֹצֵאתִי שִׁכְבַת זֶרַע לְבַטָּלָה״. וְאִם זָנָה עִם עֲרָיוֹת, כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לְ״זַדְתִּי״ – יֹאמַר ״זָנִיתִי״. וְאִם חִלֵּל שַׁבָּתוֹת, כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ לְ״חָמַדְתִּי״ – אָז יֹאמַר ״חִלַּלְתִּי שַׁבָּתוֹת״; וְאִם חָמַד – יֹאמַר ״חָמַדְתִּי״. וְכֵן לְכָל אַלְפָא־בֵּיתָא, לְכָל אוֹת וְאוֹת שֶׁבַּוִּדּוּי – יֹאמַר מֵעֵין אוֹתָהּ עֲבֵרָה שֶׁעָשָׂה. וְיֹאמַר בִּבְכִי: ״יַעֲזֹב רָשָׁע דַּרְכּוֹ, וְאִישׁ אָוֶן מַחְשְׁבֹתָיו, וְיָשֹׁב אֶל יְיָ וִירַחֲמֵהוּ, וְאֶל אֱלֹהֵינוּ כִּי יַרְבֶּה לִסְלוֹחַ״ (ישעיהו נה ז); וְאָז יוֹעִיל לוֹ.
It is very good to specify in his confession the sin he has committed. For example, if he has eaten carrion or flesh torn by beasts or other forbidden things, then after he says, "I have trespassed," he should say, "I ate a forbidden thing." And if he sinned in fornication, when he says, "I have rebelled," he should say, "I committed fornication," and he should specify in his confession if he had intercourse with a gentile woman or with his wife during her unclean period. And if he stole, then when he says, "I have robbed," then he should also say, "I stole from such and such a person," and if he poured out his seed for nothing (i.e., if he masturbated), then when he comes to the words, "I have dealt perversely," he should say, "I brought forth seed for nothing." And if he committed incest, when he reaches the part where he says, "I have dealt impudently," he should say, "I have fornicated." And if he has profaned the Sabbaths, where he comes to the phrase, "I have done violence," he should say, "I have profaned Sabbaths." And if he has coveted, he should say, "I have coveted." And thus with all the letters of the alphabet which are found in the confession; for every single letter in the confession, he should declare the sort of sin he has committed. And he should say with weeping, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have compassion upon him" (Is. 55:7), and then it will avail him.
וּבְסוֹף הַוִּדּוּי: ״סַרְתִּי מִמִּצְווֹתֶיךָ וּמִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ הַטּוֹבִים וְלֹא שָׁוָה לִי. וְאַתָּה צַדִּיק עַל כָּל הַבָּא עָלַי, כִּי אֱמֶת עָשִׂיתָ וַאֲנִי הִרְשַׁעְתִּי״. וְאָז יֹאמַר כָּךְ: ״עָבַרְתִּי עַל מִצְווֹת עֲשֵׂה וְעַל מִצְווֹת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה; עָבַרְתִּי עַל חַיָּבֵי כָּרֵתוֹת וּמִיתוֹת בֵּית דִּין; עָבַרְתִּי עַל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב, עָבַרְתִּי עַל הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה; שָׁכַחְתִּי שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל, שָׁכַחְתִּי עֹל מַלְכוּתְךָ וְיִרְאָתְךָ; וְאַתָּה צַדִּיק עַל כָּל הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ״. וְאִיתָא בַּיְּרוּשַׁלְמִי (ירושלמי יומא ח ז): כֵּיצַד מִתְוַדֶּה? ״רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים! הָרַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ עָשִׂיתִי, וּבְדֶרֶךְ רַע הָיִיתִי עוֹמֵד, וּבִשְׁרִירוּת לִבִּי הָלַכְתִּי, וְתוֹכְחוֹתֶיךָ לֹא שָׁמַעְתִּי. וְשׁוּב אֵינִי עוֹשֶׂה כֵן. יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ הַשֵּׁם אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי, שֶׁתְּכַפֵּר לִי עַל כָּל פְּשָׁעַי, וְתִמְחַל לִי עַל כָּל עֲוֹנֹתַי, וְתִסְלַח לִי עַל כָּל חַטֹּאתַי״.
At the end of the confession, he should say, "I have transgressed the positive commandments and the negative commandments; I have committed transgressions which make me liable to being cut off from my people or to death by order of the court. I have transgressed against the Written Torah and against the Oral Torah. I forgot Thy Great Name. I forgot the yoke of Your kingdom and the reverence due You, and You, O God, are just in everything that comes upon us." And it has been said in the Jerusalem Talmud (T.P. Yoma 8:9): How does he confess? "Master of all worlds, I have done what is evil in Thine eyes, and I have stood in evil ways, but I shall not do so again. May it be Thy will, O Lord my God and God of my fathers, that You will grant atonement to me for all my sins, and forgive me for all my wrong-doings, and pardon me for all my errors."
כְּלָלוֹ שֶׁל דָּבָר: יָשׁוּב אָדָם מִכָּל הַמִּדּוֹת הָרָעוֹת. וְהַמִּדּוֹת הָרָעוֹת הֵן צְרִיכוֹת חִזּוּק רַב וְגָדוֹל מְאוֹד, כִּי כְּבָר אָדָם מֻרְגָּל בָּזֶה וְקָשֶׁה לוֹ לִפְרֹשׁ מֵהֶן. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר: ״יַעֲזֹב רָשָׁע דַּרְכּוֹ, וְאִישׁ אָוֶן מַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו״ (ישעיהו נה ז). וְאַל יַחֲשֹׁב בַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁהוּא מְרֻחָק מִמַּעֲלוֹת הַתְּשׁוּבָה, מִפְּנֵי הַחֲטָאִים וְהָעֲווֹנוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה – אֵין הַדָּבָר כֵּן. אֶלָּא הוּא אָהוּב וְנֶחְמָד לִפְנֵי הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ, כְּאִלּוּ לֹא חָטָא מֵעוֹלָם. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁשְּׂכָרוֹ הַרְבֵּה, שֶׁהֲרֵי טָעַם טַעַם חֵטְא, וּפֵרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ וְכָבַשׁ יִצְרוֹ. וְאָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים (ברכות לד ב): בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁבַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה עוֹמְדִים – אֵין צַדִּיקִים גְּמוּרִים יְכוֹלִים לַעֲמֹד בּוֹ. כְּלוֹמַר: מַעֲלָתָם גְּדוֹלָה מִמַּעֲלָתָם שֶׁל אֵלּוּ שֶׁלֹּא חָטְאוּ מֵעוֹלָם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵן כּוֹבְשִׁים אֶת יִצְרָם יוֹתֵר מֵהֶם. וְכָל הַנְּבִיאִים כֻּלָּם צִוּוּ עַל הַתְּשׁוּבָה (ברכות שם), וְאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל נִגְאָלִין אֶלָּא בִּתְשׁוּבָה (סנהדרין צז ב). וּכְבָר הִבְטִיחָה הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁסּוֹף יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה בְּסוֹף גָּלוּתָם, וּמִיָּד הֵם נִגְאָלִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ל א-ג): ״וְהָיָה כִי יָבֹאוּ עָלֶיךָ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל לְבָבֶךָ... וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ... וְשָׁב יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת שְׁבוּתְךָ וְרִחֲמֶךָ, וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים...״.
The general rule of the matter is that a man should repent of all bad qualities, and one who does repent his evil qualities needs very great strengthening, for when a man is already used to them it is very difficult for him to abandon them, and on this subject it is said, "Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts" (Is. 55:7). And let not a man who is truly repentant think that he is far away from the status of the righteous because of the sins and the wrongs which he has committed. It is not so, for he is as beloved and dear before the Creator, Blessed be He, as though he had never sinned. Not only this, but his reward is great, for he has tasted the taste of sin, and yet abandoned it and conquered his evil inclination. Our Sages said, "In the place where penitents stand, even the wholly righteous cannot stand" (Berakoth 34b), that is to say, their status is even higher than that of those who never sinned, for they subdue the evil inclination more than the others. All of the prophets without exception commanded us concerning repentance (ibid.), and it is only through repentance that Israel is redeemed (see Yoma 86b, Sanh. 97b). And the Torah has already assured us that Israel will ultimately repent at the end of their exile, and they will immediately be redeemed. As it is said, "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessings and the curse which I have set before thee and thou shalt bethink thyself… and shalt return unto the Lord thy God… that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples" (Deut. 30:1—3).
גְּדוֹלָה תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁמְּקָרֶבֶת אֶת הָאָדָם לַשְּׁכִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע יד ב): ״שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ״ (יומא פו א), וְנֶאֱמַר (עמוס ד ו): ״וְלֹא שַׁבְתֶּם עָדַי נְאֻם יְיָ״. וְנֶאֱמַר (ירמיהו ד א): ״אִם תָּשׁוּב יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם יְיָ – אֵלַי תָּשׁוּב״; כְּלוֹמַר: אִם תַּחֲזֹר בִּתְשׁוּבָה – אֵלַי תִּדְבַּק. הַתְּשׁוּבָה מְקָרֶבֶת אֶת הָרְחוֹקִים. אֶמֶשׁ הָיָה זֶה שָׂנוּא לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, מְשֻׁקָּץ וּמְרֻחָק וּמְתֹעָב, וְהַיּוֹם הוּא אָהוּב וְנֶחְמָד וְקָרוֹב וְיָדִיד. וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא: בַּלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְרַחֵק אֶת הַחוֹטְאִים – בּוֹ מְקָרֵב אֶת הַשָּׁבִים, בֵּין יָחִיד בֵּין רַבִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (הושע ב א): ״וְהָיָה בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יֵאָמֵר לָהֶם לֹא עַמִּי אַתֶּם, יֵאָמֵר לָהֶם בְּנֵי אֵל חָי״.
Great is repentance, for it brings man near to the Divine Presence, as it is said, "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. 14:2; and see Yoma 86a). And it is said, "Yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the Lord God" (Amos 4:6). And it is said, "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, Yea, return unto Me" (Jer. 4:1), that is to say, "If you will return with repentance, you will cleave to me." Repentance brings near those who are far off. Last night this man was hated before God, Blessed be He, — defiled, far removed, an abomination — but today he is loved and precious and near and dear. And so you find this clearly shown in the language with which the Holy One, Blessed be He, thrusts away the sinners and the language with which He receives those who are repentant, whether it be one person or whether it be many, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass that instead of that which was said, unto them 'Ye are not my people', it shall be said unto them 'Ye are the children of the living God' " (Hos. 2:1).
עַל יְכָנְיָה בְּרִשְׁעָתוֹ נֶאֱמַר (ירמיהו כב ל): ״כִּתְבוּ אֶת הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה עֲרִירִי גֶּבֶר לֹא יִצְלַח בְּיָמָיו...״; ״אִם יִהְיֶה כָּנְיָהוּ בֶן יְהוֹיָקִים מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה חוֹתָם עַל יַד יְמִינִי, כִּי מִשָּׁם אֶתְּקֶנְךָּ...״ (שם פסוק כד). וְכֵיוָן שֶׁשָּׁב בְּגָלוּתוֹ, נֶאֱמַר בִּזְרֻבָּבֶל בְּנוֹ (חגי ב כג): ״בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם יְיָ צְבָאוֹת, אֶקָּחֲךָ זְרֻבָּבֶל בֶּן שְׁאַלְתִּיאֵל עַבְדִּי נְאֻם יְיָ, וְשַׂמְתִּיךָ כַּחוֹתָם״.
Concerning Coniah in his wickedness, it is said, "Write ye this man childless, a man shall not prosper in his days" (Jer. 22:30), and, "Though Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim, King of Judah, were the signet upon My right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence" (Jer. 22:24). And inasmuch as he repented when he was in exile, it is said of Zerubbabel, his son, "In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, My servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and I will make thee as a signet" (Hag. 2:23).
כַּמָּה מְעֻלָּה מַעֲלַת הַתְּשׁוּבָה! אֶמֶשׁ הָיָה זֶה מֻבְדָּל מֵהַשֵּׁם אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו נט ב): ״עֲוֹנֹתֵיכֶם הָיוּ מַבְדִּלִים בֵּינֵכֶם לְבֵין אֱלֹהֵיכֶם״; צוֹעֵק וְאֵינוֹ נַעֲנֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם א טו): ״גַּם כִּי תַרְבּוּ תְפִלָּה אֵינֶנִּי שֹׁמֵעַ״; וְעוֹשֶׂה מִצְווֹת וְטוֹרְפִין אוֹתָן בְּפָנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם א יב): ״מִי בִקֵּשׁ זֹאת מִיֶּדְכֶם רְמֹס חֲצֵרָי״; ״מִי גַם בָּכֶם וְיִסְגֹּר דְּלָתַיִם״ (מלאכי א י); ״עֹלוֹתֵיכֶם סְפוּ עַל זִבְחֵיכֶם וְאִכְלוּ בָשָׂר״ (ירמיהו ז כא). וְהַיּוֹם הוּא מֻדְבָּק בַּשְּׁכִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ד ד): ״וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּיְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם״; צוֹעֵק וְנַעֲנֶה מִיָּד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיהו סה כד): ״וְהָיָה טֶרֶם יִקְרָאוּ וַאֲנִי אֶעֱנֶה״; וְעוֹשֶׂה מִצְווֹת וּמְקַבְּלִים אוֹתָן בְּנַחַת וּבְשִׂמְחָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת ט ז): ״כִּי כְבָר רָצָה הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת מַעֲשֶׂיךָ״. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁמִּתְאַוֶּה לָהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג ד): ״וְעָרְבָה לַיְיָ מִנְחַת יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם, כִּימֵי עוֹלָם וּכְשָׁנִים קַדְמֹנִיּוֹת״.
How excellent is the quality of repentance. Last night this one was separated from the Lord, the God of Israel, Blessed be He. As it is said, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God" (Is. 59:2). He cried and he was not answered, as it is said, "Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear" (Is. 1:15). And he fulfilled precepts and they were torn up before his face, as it is said, "Who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts" (Is. 1:12), and, "Oh that there were even one among you that would shut the doors" Mal. 1:10), and, "Hold your burnt offerings unto your sacrifices and eat ye flesh" (Jer. 7:21). Yet today he is closely attached to the Divine Presence, as it is said, "But you, who hold fast to the Lord your God" (Deut. 4:4). He cries out and is answered at once, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer" (Is. 65:24). He fulfills the commandments and they are received with pleasure and with joy, as it is said, "For the Lord hath already accepted thy works" (Eccl. 9:7). Moreover, his commandments are desired, as it is said, "Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in days of old and in ancient years" (Mal. 3:4).
בַּעֲלֵי תְּשׁוּבָה דַּרְכָּן לִהְיוֹת שְׁפָלִים וַעֲנָוִים בְּיוֹתֵר. וְאִם יְחָרְפוּ אוֹתָם הַכְּסִילִים בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, וְיֹאמְרוּ לָהֶם ״אֶמֶשׁ הָיִיתָ עוֹשֶׂה כָּךְ וְכָךְ״ – אַל יַרְגִּישׁ לָהֶם, אֶלָּא שׁוֹמְעִים וּשְׂמֵחִים, וְיוֹדְעִים שֶׁזֶּהוּ זְכוּת לָהֶם, וְשֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁבּוֹשִׁים מִמַּעֲשֵׂיהֶם שֶׁעָבְרוּ וְנִכְלָמִים מֵהֶם – זְכוּתָם מְרֻבָּה וּמַעֲלָתָם מִתְגַּדֶּלֶת. וְחֵטְא גָּדוֹל הוּא לוֹמַר לְבַעַל תְּשׁוּבָה: ״זְכֹר מַעֲשֶׂיךָ הָרִאשׁוֹנִים״, אוֹ לְהַזְכִּירָם לְפָנָיו כְּדֵי לְבַיְּשׁוֹ. וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (ויקרא כה יז): ״וְלֹא תוֹנוּ אִישׁ אֶת עֲמִיתוֹ״.
It is the way of those who repent to be lowly and exceedingly modest, and if fools revile them because of their prior deeds and say to them, "Only last night you did so and so and only last night you said so and so," they do not feel any resentment, but they listen and they rejoice and they know that this is merit to them, that so long as they are ashamed of the sins that they committed their merit is very great and their virtue increases. And it is a great sin to say to a repentant person, "Remember your prior deeds" or to mention his sins in his presence in order to shame him. And on this subject is it said, "And ye shall not wrong one another" (Lev. 25:17).
וּמִי שֶׁהוּא בַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה יֵשׁ לוֹ לִדְרֹשׁ בְּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, וּלְהִתְרַחֵק מִן עֶשְׁתּוֹנוֹת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וּלְהַרְהֵר בַּעֲצַת הַשֵּׁם וְלַחֲסוֹת בְּצִלּוֹ. וְלָשֵׂאת עוֹל תּוֹרַת הַשֵּׁם וְחֶרְפַּת אֱוִילִים וּבִזָּיוֹן, וְלִהְיוֹת כְּחֵרֵשׁ וּכְעִוֵּר וּכְמֵת, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים סט ח-יד): ״כִּי עָלֶיךָ נָשָׂאתִי חֶרְפָּה... וָאֶתְּנָה לְבוּשִׁי שָׂק... וַאֲנִי תְפִלָּתִי לְךָ יְיָ עֵת רָצוֹן״.
He who is a true penitent should seek to do good deeds, and to remove himself from thoughts of this world, and to strengthen himself in the counsel of God, Blessed be He, and to take shelter in His shadow, and bear the yoke of the Torah of God, Blessed be He, and bear the revilement of fools, and to be like one who is deaf, blind, and dead against their attacks, as it is said, "Because for thy sake I have borne reproach… I make sackcloth also my garment… but as for me, let my prayer be unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time" (Ps. 69:8—14).