Repent Ye Non Sinners

There are two levels of Teshuvah The lower level of Teshuvah with its focus on the remorse that we must feel for our past invariably evokes feelings of sadness and discontent. The higher level, by contrast, with its focus on our soul re- connecting with G-d, is punctuated with joy. It is akin to the feeling of a child that is reunited with its parents that it has not seen for a long time. SHUVAH SHUVAH

The Distinction of Shabbos Shuvah

Shabbos Shuvah (Shabbos of repentance or return) is the name accorded to this Sabbath. What do we mean when we refer to this Shabbos as one of Teshuvah? Aren’t all “Ten days of Teshuvah” dedicated to this theme? What distinguishes Shabbos Shuvah from all the other days that are associated with Teshuvah?.

The Real Meaning of Teshuvah

It has been pointed out frequently in past messages that Teshuvah does not mean repentance but rather return. But even this concept of return can be understood on two levels.

Let us take the example of the thief. For him to do Teshuvah, the first thing he must do is to return the stolen object. He must then ask the grieved party for forgiveness, SHUVAH confess his actions to G-d, express remorse and regret, resolve never to commit this crime again and to accept G- d’s authority in all matters of life. In this mode, one is indeed returning to the path of righteousness and goodness that is the norm. Judaism views the criminal act as the aberration and not the righteous act. Thus, Teshuvah is very plainly a return to the normal and natural path of goodness.

There is, however, a deeper understanding of the concept of return inherent in Teshuvah. When one does Teshuvah, the soul is returned to its original Divine source. The soul is a G-dly force that animates our bodies.

When we sin, we cause our souls to detach themselves from their true and natural state of existence which is Divine.

Furthermore, when we allow the soul to be instrumental in the commission of a transgression, we are, in effect, diverting the Divine energy that the soul possesses and channeling it into the evil act. There can be no greater alienation for the Divine essence of our soul.

Teshuvah, from this vantage point, is the return of our soul to its Divine source and the removal of the Divine energy from its involvement in behavior that is foreign and incongruous with the nature of the soul.

SHUVAH

Two Levels of Teshuvah

These two levels of Teshuvah are known as Teshuvah Tata’ah-the Lower Level of Teshuvah and Teshuvah Ila’ahthe Higher level of Teshuvah, respectively.

There are two salient differences between these two modes of Teshuvah.

First, the lower level of Teshuvah with its focus on the evil that we’ve performed and the remorse that we must feel, invariably evokes feelings of sadness and discontent. The higher level, by contrast, with its focus on our soul reconnecting with G-d, is punctuated with joy. It is akin to the feeling of a child that is reunited with its parents that it has not seen for a long time.

Second, for one to perform the lower level of Teshuvah, one must be a sinner. But everyone can and must perform the higher level of Teshuvah. Even the greatest Tzadik (righteous person) who has not sinned, must seek to return his/her soul to G-d. In other words, one does not have to be a rebel to re-connect. No matter how close we feel to G- d, we can never be as close to Him as we were before our soul “descended” into our physical bodies. Thus, even the most righteous person must do Teshuvah.

SHUVAH

Shabbos Shuvah: Teshuvah with Joy

This too is the message of Shabbos Shuvah:

Shabbos, as a day of joy, emphasizes the need for us to realize the higher, joyous level of re-connection and not be content with all of the remorse and resolve we expressed previously. While all that is necessary to correct our misdeeds, it does not suffice for us to reinforce our connection with G-d.

This too is what our Sages meant when they said that Moshiach will inspire even Tzadikkim (perfectly righteous people) to do Teshuvah. Moshiach, after inspiring all of us to divorce ourselves from evil, will continue to inspire us to realize the higher level of Teshuvah as well.

SHUVAH

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Haazinu by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.