Rabbi Shay Tahan

in English

Rabbi Shay Tahan

Teshuvah: The Art of Finding the Way Back
Rambam
In Hilchot Teshuvah (2:2). The Rambam describes that teshuvah consists of several fundamental components. First, a person must have עזיבת החטא, abandon the sin and remove it from his thoughts and intentions. He must then have חרטה, regret what he has done. He must reach קבלה לעתיד, firmly resolve that he will not return to that sin again. And finally, he must perform וידוי, verbally confess before Hashem and express his regret and his commitment to change.
According to the Rambam teshuvah is not merely feeling bad about the past. It requires a person to leave the sin, regret it, resolve not to return to it, and verbalize his teshuvah through vidui.

Sefer HaChinuch
Sefer HaChinuch as explained by the Minchat Chinuch, understands that the torah’s mitzvah is only vidui, confession. However, in order to perform vidui properly, a person must first do teshuvah. According to his understanding, teshuvah itself consists primarily of regret—חרטה—over the sin.
According to this view teshuvah and vidui are not one and the same. Teshuvah is the internal process of regretting the sin, while vidui is a separate mitzvah that requires a person to express that teshuvah verbally before Hashem. Thus, one can do teshuva without vidui.
This is similar to the preparation required for other mitzvot. For example, a person must acquire a lulav before Sukkot in order to be able to perform the mitzvah of lulav. Similarly, a person must first do teshuvah—regret his actions—in order to be able to perform the mitzvah of vidui.


The Tanya
Another approach is found in the Tanya, in Iggeret HaTeshuvah. There, the Alter Rebbe explains that the essential element of teshuvah is עזיבת החטא—the abandonment of the sin. Once a person sincerely resolves to stop sinning and no longer intends to continue in his wrongdoing, he has already accomplished the fundamental act of teshuvah.
Interestingly, the Tanya does not mention regret or vidui as part of the definition of teshuvah itself. This probably seems to indicate that although regret and vidui are certainly important aspects of the process of teshuvah, they are not what constitutes the essential teshuvah. Rather, they serve to complete, strengthen, and elevate the person's teshuvah.
According to this approach, teshuvah begins with a decision: I will no longer continue on this path. The moment a person sincerely abandons the sin and resolves to return to the proper path, the essential mitzvah of teshuvah has been accomplished.


Rabbeinu Yonah
Then we come to the approach of Rabbeinu Yonah in Shaarei Teshuvah. Rabbeinu Yonah presents a remarkable and extensive discussion of teshuvah, outlining twenty different steps and levels through which a person can progress in his journey of repentance.
At first glance, this raises an obvious question. If the Rambam teaches that teshuvah involves several essential components, should we understand Rabbeinu Yonah as listing twenty requirements that a person must fulfill in order to perform the mitzvah of teshuvah?
It would seem that this is not the case.
Rather, Rabbeinu Yonah appears to be describing the proper path of teshuvah—the different thoughts, practices, and spiritual stages that guide a person toward genuine repentance and ultimately bring him closer to Hashem. The twenty levels are therefore not necessarily twenty separate conditions without which the mitzvah of teshuvah is incomplete. Rather, they are a roadmap for how a person should approach teshuvah and how he can elevate himself throughout the process.

Teshuvah: Cleansing or Command?
There is another fundamental point that is worth understanding. The Rishonim explain that teshuvah is not merely a mitzvah that a person is commanded to perform. It is also the means through which a person cleanses his neshamah from the spiritual damage caused by sin.
When a person sins, his soul gets damaged and stained. Teshuvah is the process through which that damage is removed and the person returns to his previous spiritual state. Rabbeinu Yonah develops this idea in Shaarei Teshuvah by comparing teshuvah to washing a garment that has become soiled. Just as a person washes a soiled garment to restore it to its proper state, so too, teshuvah cleanses a person from the spiritual effects of sin.
According to this approach, teshuvah is not simply about fulfilling a divine command. A person has a spiritual need to cleanse himself from the effects of his sins, and Hashem gave us the process of teshuvah as the way to accomplish that.
The Tanya, however, presents a fundamentally different perspective.
The Alter Rebbe explains that the essential obligation of teshuvah is the abandonment of sin. The fact that teshuvah cleanses a person's neshamah is not what defines the mitzvah, nor is it the reason for which the mitzvah was given. Rather we are commanded to do teshuvah, and when we do, Hashem Himself cleansed our neshamah as a result.
in english

Рав Реувен Фаерман

Заказать книги рава Реувена Фаермана: "Суть Молитвы", "Ясность веры. Рациональное объяснение еврейской веры"и "Жертвы искусства" в Израиле — 9973063@gmail.com
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на русском

Рав Реувен Фаерман

Заказать книги рава Реувена Фаермана: "Суть Молитвы", "Ясность веры. Рациональное объяснение еврейской веры"и "Жертвы искусства" в Израиле — 9973063@gmail.com
- Все уроки, статьи и многое другое на сайте https://meirtvru.com/
- Telegram - канал аудиоверсий уроков https://t.me/+rkXFbUBneOM3OTA0
- Facebook - события и новости https://www.facebook.com/ru.machonmeir/
- Подписывайтесь на наш канал https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgibz3537Mz5VMwllUjfVnA
на русском

Sharone Lankry

In this powerful session, we dive into the 10th and 11th Midot HaRachamim (Attributes of Mercy) — "Truth to Jacob" and "Kindness to Abraham" — just in time for the High Holidays. We explore how these attributes reveal two different Jewish spiritual paths: the simple, upright service of Yaakov and the boundless, generous service of Avraham.

What does it mean to live a life of strict justice versus a life that goes beyond the letter of the law? How do we activate Hashem’s mercy in our personal lives? And how can we elevate ourselves from being just "good Jews" to walking in the ways of the Avot?

Join us for a transformative class filled with deep Torah, practical application, and inspiration for Elul and the Days of Awe.

Dedicated in memory of Mashiach ben Moshe, may the merit of this learning elevate his soul.
in english

Sharone Lankry

A year-and-a-half in the making—this is our final Tomer Devorah class (SIYUM). We review the 13 Attributes of Mercy from source to practice: Moshe’s plea after the Golden Calf, Micah’s vision, and the Ramak’s masterpiece. Learn how to activate Divine mercy in Elul, emulate Hashem daily, and bring more light into a dark world.
Includes: heartfelt dedications, gratitude to our supporters, and a special birthday blessing for all viewers—health, livelihood, joy, and closeness to Hashem.
If this moved you, share it, leave a name for tefillah, and subscribe for the bonus session on living the 13 middot all year.

Key takeaways

The 13 middot as “master keys” to draw mercy for yourself and the world

Why emulating Hashem transforms relationships and destiny

Elul: “The King is in the field”—how to show up now
in english