Shabbat Shuva

The significance of Yom Kippur is that God set aside one day for Israel, when their repentance is readily accepted and their sins can easily be erased. This rectifies all the spiritual damage caused by these sins, and removes the darkness that strengthened itself as a result of them. Individuals who repent on this day can therefore return to the levels of holiness and closeness to God from which they were cast as a result of their sins, for it is on this day that a Light shines forth that can complete this entire concept. In order to receive this Light, Israel must keep all the commandments associated with this day. This is particularly true of the fast, since this causes each individual to be greatly divorced from the physical and elevated, to some degree, toward the aspect of the angels. Other details of this day depend on the particulars of this rectification.

Moshe Chayyim Luzzatto (18^th Century)

Rabbi Simcha Bunam of Psyscha was asked by his Chasidim, “How can we tell when a sin we have committed has been pardoned?” “We can tell,” he said, “by the fact that we no longer commit the sin.”

As told by Martin Buber (20^th Century)

Rabbi Shimon ben lakhish said: “Repentance induced by fear of consequences causes willful sins to be treated as unwitting. Repentance that springs from a nobler motive – love of God – causes willful sins to be treated as righteous deeds.”

Yoma 86b (7^th Century)

A group of businessmen, traveling on a train, pushed one man who refused to participate in their game of cards out of the car, forcing him to stand in the cold until the train reached the station. Upon learning that this man was the Brisker rebbe, a Jewish businessmen who had participated in the prank, approached him and begged forgiveness. The rebbe declined, saying, “I would like to forgive you, but I can’t.” The salesman could find no peace, and approached the rebbe again, saying, “Rebbe, I’m not a rich man, I have, however, savings of three hundred rubles, I will give them to you for charity if you will forgive me.” The rebbe refused. He later explained to his son, “I cannot forgive him. He never insulted me. He did not know who I was. Had he had any idea who I was, he never would have acted as he did. He wants forgiveness? Let him go find a poor anonymous Jew sitting on a train reading a book and ask him for forgiveness.”

Abraham Joshua Heschel (20^th Century)

In the Talmud we find a controversy between Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Abbahu, as to who is greater, the “righteous person” who has never sinned, or the “ba’al teshuvah”, the one who has repented of sin. Rabbi Yochanan said, “All the prophets prophesied only concerning the “ba’alei teshuvah” but no eye has seen the reward that awaits the wholly righteous. Rabbi Abahu opined the opposite. “In the place where the masters of return stand, the wholly righteous cannot stand.”

Abraham Isaac Kook (20^th Century)