The Road Back

Our Sages teach us (Yoma 86a),“R’ Levi said: Great is repentance as it reaches the Heavenly Throne, as it says (Hoshe’a 14:2), ‘Return Israel to the L-rd, Hashem…’” It is asked why the Talmud does not cite the positive commandment in the Torah (Devarim 30:2),“Return to Hashem with all your heart and all your soul,” as does the Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 7:5).

We are presented here with a novel concept that even when one repents merely because he is afraid of punishment it is sufficient to reach the Heavenly Throne. Furthermore, it is noted that the concluding words of the pasuk in Hoshe’a are: “…for you have stumbled in your iniquity.” The pasuk is referring to a sin that was committed deliberately. How could we say that one stumbled, i.e. he erred? Our Sages derive that even when one does teshuvah because of his fear of punishment, his deliberate sins are transformed into involuntary sins, and even that repentance reaches the Heavenly Throne.

We do learn, though, that doing teshuvah out of love, not out of fear, eliminates the need for a person to suffer hardship. Often, the commission of a sin leaves behind an imprint. However, when one does teshuvah out of love, the sin is erased completely, including any identifying mark.

HaGaon R’ Ovadiah Yosef noted that the subsequent pasuk (14:3)reads, “Take the words with yourselves and return to Hashem…” He explains that an individual who carries the words of Torah within himself, and allows the Torah to help him do teshuvah, is able to repent from love and achieve an atonement that is complete and obliterates the most severe sins.

The question is asked: After a person has already fallen into sin how does he rectify it? How does he become meritorious? We all seek the antidote that will cleanse us from our sins and transgressions.

A person can purify himself and receive atonement by doing teshuvah. Without repentance a person cannot remove the scourge of sin. Teshuvah accompanied by fasting, prayer and charity can achieve forgiveness. This may sometimes be a difficult and unpleasant path.

On the other hand, our Sages do put forward some other ways a person can be forgiven. For instance, it says (Shabbos 118b)that whoever guards the Shabbos – even if he has worshipped idolatry (as in the generation of Enosh) – Hashem forgives his sins.

We also learn (Shabbos 119b)that whoever answers Amen Yehei Shmei Rabbah with all his might, his gzar din (sentence) is torn up, even if he has a trace of idolatry.

Also, if one cries over the loss of a tzaddik or a tzaddekes, he attains complete atonement for all his sins.

The Sefer Chareidim cites the following incident.

A prince, accompanied by his entourage, went out hunting for a fox, as was the custom of royalty who sought entertainment and pleasure. However, the fox was too quick for the prince and bit him on the leg. The prince didn’t give much thought to the bite, but as the hours passed his leg became inflamed and throbbed painfully.

A local doctor, who looked at the leg, said that the bite could be fatal but there was no cure. The entourage rode back quickly to the palace so that the royal doctor could treat the prince’s leg. He too said there was no cure. The hours passed and the situation was becoming dire.

News of the prince’s accident spread quickly throughout the countryside. One of the villagers who heard about the prince’s predicament came running to the palace. He told the guard that his grandmother had a remedy for the bite of a fox, and he could get hold of that special herb. The guard became very irate and shouted at him, “You ignorant villager! The best doctors are caring for the prince and have thrown up their hands in resignation. And you want to convince me that there is a cure, telling over old wives’ tales? Are you not embarrassed?” The guard quickly sent the villager on his way.

A wise person who was standing nearby said to the guard, “Our beloved prince is lying ill in bed. The doctors have given up on his recovery. In such a desperate situation should we not at least consider the suggestion of a remedy that could possibly save the prince? We can’t be sure that it won’t help, and it certainly can’t harm him. Why did you throw out the villager?”

The guard pursued the villager until he caught up with him. He begged the villager to bring the herb back quickly so that they could administer it to the prince, and hopefully it would save his life.

The villager was very happy to be of help and ran to get the herb. When he returned, he put some drops into the prince’s mouth, and miraculously, within a short time the prince began to exhibit signs of improvement. Soon, the prince was completely healed and back on his feet.

The villager was certainly not smarter than the greatest doctors who had studied medicine for many years. The villager had not learned anything; he couldn’t even read and write. The difference was that the doctors followed medical protocols to care for their patient, whereas the villager only knew remedies that he had seen his grandmother use – effective methods that had been passed down through the generations.

The Sefer Chareidim points out that a person who sins is spiritually sick. There are ways that he can be healed from his sickness. The tried and true remedy is teshuvah. Fasting, charity and regret accompanying the teshuvah are very effective. But it is not an easy path for many. Our Sages have therefore given us other segulos that one can implement in order to be healed.

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