A Teshuvah Meditation with Yitzhak Bronstein

Ret urning wit h Joy A Teshuvah Medit at ion Yitzhak Bronstein – bronstein@hadar.org ‫א‬:‫ הלכות תשובה א‬,‫משנה תורה‬

1. Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repent ance 1:1 How does one confess: one states: "I implore You, God, I sinned, I transgressed, I committed iniquity before You by doing the following. Behold, I regret and am embarrassed for my deeds; I will never repeat this act." This is the essence of confession. Whoever confesses profusely and elaborates on these matters is worthy of praise.

2. Mishnah Ta’anit 4:8 Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as joyous for the people of Israel as the fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur.

3. Talmud Bavli Yoma 86b

� ‫אתי‬ ִ ָ‫�כֵּיצַ ד � ִמ ְתו ִַדּיןﯿ �אוֹמֵ ר �אָ נָּא �הַ ֵשּׁם �חָ ט‬ � ‫יתי �כָּ� ְוכָ� �וַהֲ ֵרי‬ ִ ‫ִיתי �פָּ ַשׁﬠְ ִתּי � ְלפָ נֶי� וְﬠָ ִשׂ‬ ִ ‫ﬠָ ו‬ � ‫וּלעוֹלָ ם �אֵ י ִני �חוֹזֵר‬ ְ � ‫ֲשׂי‬ ַ ‫נִחַ ְמ ִתּי �וּב ְֹשׁ ִתּי � ְבּמַ ﬠ‬ � ‫ְל ָדבָ ר �זֶהﯿ � ְוזֶהוּ ﬠִ ָקּרוֹ ֶשׁל �וִדּוּיﯿ � ְוכָל‬ � ‫הַ מַּ ְרבֶּ ה � ְל ִה ְתוַדּוֹת �וּמַ אֲ ִרי� ְבּﬠִ ְניָן �זֶה �הֲ ֵרי‬ ‫זֶה � ְמשֻׁ בָּ חﯿ‬

‫ח׳‬:‫משנה תענית ד׳‬ � ‫טוֹבים � ְלי ְִשׂ ָראֵ ל‬ ִ � ‫אָ מַ ר � ַרבָּ ן � ִשׁ ְמעוֹן �בֶּ ן �גּ ְַמ ִליאֵ לﻵ �ל ֹא �הָ יוּ י ִָמים‬ ‫פּוּרים‬ ִ ִ‫כַּחֲ ִמ ָשּׁה �ﬠָ ָשׂר � ְבּאָ ב �וּכְ יוֹם �הַ כּ‬

‫ﻶ‬ � ‫תלמוד �בבלי �יומא �פו‬

Reish Lakish said: Great is teshuvah, as the person’s intentional � ‫אמר �ריש �לקיש �גדולה �תשובה �שזדונות‬ � ‫נעשות �לו �כשגגותﯿﯿﯿ �איני �והאמר �ריש‬ sins are counted as unintentional sins…But didn’t Reish Lakish � ‫לו‬ � ‫לקיש �גדולה �תשובה �שזדונות �נעשות‬ himself say: Great is teshuvah, as one’s intentional sins are � ‫כזכיותﯿﯿﯿ �לא �קשיא �כאן �מאהבה �כאן‬ counted as merits? This is not difficult: Here it refers to teshuvah ‫מיראה‬ through love; there it refers to teshuvah from fear.

4. Maimonides, Guide for t he Perplexed 3:36

‫לו‬:‫ חלק ג‬,‫מורה נבוכים‬

It should be understood that teshuvah also belongs in this � ‫�ומבואר �הוא �שה�תשובה� �גם �כן �מזה‬ group of ideas without which followers of the Torah cannot � ‫הכלל � �� רצוני �לומר �מן �הדעות �אשר �לא‬ � ‫יסודר �מציאות �אנשי �התורה �אלא �בהאמין‬ be well-grounded, unless one believes in them. For it is � ‫אותם � �� שאי �אפשר �לשום �אדם �שלא �יחטא‬ impossible for any person not to sin, either through � ‫ויפשעﻵ �אם �שיסכול �בדעת �שיבחרהו �או‬ ignorance—by professing an opinion or a moral quality that � ‫מדה �והיא �בלתי �נבחרת �באמת �או‬ is not preferable in truth—or else because he is overcome by � ‫האדם‬ � ‫האמין‬ � ‫לתגבורת �תאוה �או �כעסﻷ �ולו‬ desire and anger. If then the individual believed that the � ‫היה‬ � ‫לעולם‬ � ‫שלא �יוכל �לתקן �זה �המעות‬ fracture can never be repaired, they would persist in their � ‫מוסיף‬ � ‫שהיה‬ � ‫מתמיד �על �טעותו �ואפשר‬ error, and perhaps disobey even more because of the fact � ‫במריו �אחר �שלא �נשארה �לו �תחבולהﻷ �אך‬ that no tool remains at their disposal. If, however, they � ‫עם �אמונת �התשובה �יתקן �וישוב �לטוב‬ believe in teshuvah, they can correct themself and return to a � ‫שבעניינים �ויותר �שלם �ממה �שהיה �קודם‬ better and more complete state than one was in before they � � ‫שיחטאﯿ‬ had sinned.

5. R. Nachman of Breslov, Likut ei Moharan, 282:2

Likewise, a person must find this within themselves… It may be that when a person begins examining themselves, he sees that he possesses no good whatsoever and is filled with sin, and that as a result the Evil One wants to push him into depression and a dark sorrow, God forbid. Even so, it is forbidden to fall on account of this. Rather, he must search until he finds in himself some little bit of good. For how is it possible that throughout his life he never once did some mitzvah or good deed? And even if when he begins examining this good thing he sees that it, too, is filled with flaws and contains no purity—meaning he sees that the mitzvah or holy deed that he merited doing is itself comprised of impure motives, external thoughts and numerous faults—nevertheless, how is it possible that this mitzvah or holy deed contains not even a little bit of good?

For in any case, despite this there must have been some good point in the mitzvah or good deed that one did…

Thus, a person has to search and seek to find in himself some little bit of good in order to revive himself and to attain joy…

‫ב‬:‫ליקוטי מוהר"ן רפב‬ ‫� ְוכֵן �צָ ִרי� הָ אָ ָדם � ִל ְמצ ֹא �גַּם � ְבּﬠַ צְ מוֹ… וַאֲ ִפלּוּ‬ ‫כְּ ֶשׁמַּ ְת ִחיל � ְל ִה ְס ַתּכֵּל � ְבּﬠַ צְ מוֹ וְרוֹאֶ ה � ֶשׁאֵ ין �בּוֹ‬ � ‫שׁוּם �טוֹבﻵ �וְהוּא �מָ לֵ א �חֲ טָ ִאיםﻵ �וְרוֹצֶ ה �הַ בַּ ﬠַ ל‬ � ‫ָדּבָ ר � ְלהַ ִפּילוֹ ﬠַ ל �י ְֵדי � ֶזה � ְבּﬠַ צְ בוּת �וּמָ ָרה‬ ‫ל־פּי־כֵן �אָ סוּר �לוֹ‬ ִ ַ‫ְשׁלוֹםﻵ �אַ ף־ﬠ‬ ָ ‫חוֹרהﻵ �חַ ס �ו‬ ָ ‫ְשׁ‬ ‫צָרי� ְלחַ פֵּ שׂ ו ְִל ְמצ ֹא � ְבּﬠַ צְ מוֹ‬ ִ � ‫ִל ֹפּל � ִמזֶּהﻵ � ַרק‬ � ‫אֵ יזֶה � ְמﬠַ ט �טוֹבﻵ �כִּ י �אֵ י� אֶ ְפ ָשׁר � ֶשׁלּ ֹא �ﬠָ ָשׂה‬ � ‫ִמיָּמָ יו �אֵ יזֶה � ִמצְ וָה �אוֹ ָדּבָ ר �טוֹבﻵ �וְאַ ף‬ � ‫ֶשׁכְּ ֶשׁמַּ ְת ִחיל � ְל ִה ְס ַתּכֵּל � ְבּאוֹתוֹ הַ ָדּבָ ר �הַ טּוֹבﻵ‬ ‫הוּא �רוֹאֶ ה � ֶשׁהוּא �גַּם �כֵּן �מָ לֵ א � ְפּצָﬠִ ים �וְאֵ ין �בּוֹ‬ � ‫ְמתֹםﻵ �הַ יְנוּ ֶשׁרוֹאֶ ה � ֶשׁגַּם �הַ ִמּצְ וָה �וְהַ ָדּבָ ר‬ � ‫ֶשׁ ִבּ ְקדֻ ָשּׁה � ֶשׁ ָזּכָה �לַ ﬠֲשׂוֹתﻵ �הוּא �גַּם �כֵּן �מָ לֵ א‬ � ‫וּפג ִָמים �הַ ְרבֵּ הﻵ �ﬠִ ם‬ ְ � ‫ְפּנִיּוֹת �וּמַ חֲ ָשׁבוֹת �זָרוֹת‬ � ‫אוֹתהּ הַ ִמּצְ וָה‬ ָ ‫כָּל �זֶה �אֵ י� אֶ ְפ ָשׁר � ֶשׁלּ ֹא �י ְִהיֶה � ְבּ‬ � ‫וְהַ ָדּבָ ר � ֶשׁ ִבּ ְקדֻ ָשּׁה �אֵ יזֶה � ְמﬠַ ט �טוֹבﻵ �כִּ י �ﬠַ ל �כָּל‬ � ‫פָּ ִנים �אֵ י� ֶשׁהוּאﻵ �ﬠַ ל־כָּל־פָּ ִנים �הָ יָה �אֵ יזֶה‬ � ‫ְנ ֻק ָדּה �טוֹבָ ה � ְבּהַ ִמּצְ וָה �וְהַ ָדּבָ ר �טוֹב � ֶשׁﬠָ ָשׂהﻵ �כִּ י‬ ‫וּלבַ ֵקּשׁ ִל ְמצ ֹא � ְבּﬠַ צְ מוֹ‬ ְ ‫צָ ִרי� הָ אָ ָדם � ְלחַ פֵּ שׂ‬ ,‫אֵ יזֶה � ְמﬠַ ט �טוֹבﻵ �כְּ ֵדי � ְלהַ חֲ יוֹת �אֶ ת �ﬠַ צְ מוֹ‬ � ‫ידי � ִשׂ ְמחָ ה ﻸ‬ ֵ ‫וְלָ בוֹא � ִל‬