Teaching Team

Making Teshuvah

By Brian Reed  | Comments (2) | Posted on July 16, 2008

As we prepare to enter the Three Weeks, the period beginning with the Fast of Tammuz and ending with Tisha b'Av which recalls the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the long bitter exile we are in, it seems appropriate to give a reminder on the essentials of repentance to better prepare ourselves for the coming of the Messiah and the rebuilding of the Temple, speedily in our days. Amen.

"Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance." (Ben Sirah 5:7 [Septuagint, Brenton translation]).

Approximately 200 years before our Master walked the earth, Simon the son of Joshua (who was a descendant of Ben Sirah in Jerusalem) wrote the aforementioned words of wisdom. Even into the days of the redaction of the Talmud, the Sages of Yavneh often referenced the book of Ben Sirah due to its wisdom and guidance. The influence of this work can be seen in the following quote from the Talmud:

Rabbi Eliezer said: Repent one day before your death. His disciples asked him, Does then one know on what day he will die? Then all the more reason that he repent today, he replied, lest he die tomorrow, and thus his whole life is spent in repentance. (b._Shabbat_ 153a [Soncino ed.])

We also see repentance almost always being stressed in the words of our Master when he says, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). Also, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent" (Revelation 2:5).

No matter where one turns in Jewish literature, the concept of repentance is either mentioned explicitly or alluded to within the concepts of any given book. The person who repents is always seen as a praiseworthy person.

Notice the beautiful words of our holy Master: "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:7). In this same light of the repentant being in a higher place than the tzaddik (righteous person) who needs no repentance consider the following:

Rabbi Abbahu said: In the place where penitents stand even the wholly righteous cannot stand, as it says: Peace, peace to him that was far and to him that is near -- to him that was far first, and then to him that is near. Rabbi Johanan, however, said: What is meant by 'far'? One who from the beginning was far from transgression. And what is meant by 'near'? That he was once near to transgression and now has gone far from it. (b._Berachot_ 34b [Soncino ed.])

With all these praisworthy statements regarding repentance one must wonder: "How do I make teshuvah; how do I do repentance?" The answer is actually quite simple. First, a person must stop the sin(s) he or she is involved in. He must realize that these actions are contrary to the will of God, blessed be he, and in order for him to have closeness with God he must abandon these ways. Second, he or she must confess to God verbally and audibly what he has done and implore God to extend forgiveness and mercy towards him. This person must come before God like a child goes before his earthly father or mother; like a child who has committed a wrong and he goes to his parents asking for a gift even though he doesn't deserve it due to his wrongful deed. But because of the parent's love for the child, the child's request will be granted. Third, a person must determine to not commit this sin again.

A person must build a fence for himself around a particular area in his life where he struggles. These fences are meant to keep a person distanced from the original source of his sin so as to not fall again into the same ways which he abandoned. If a person happens to fall into this sin again, God forbid, he must not despair but rather follow the same steps outlined above and resolve to try even harder to not fall into these same ways. Never let saddness (which comes from the yetzer hara, evil inclination) pull you down. Often the yetzer will say to you, "Look how many times you have failed. There is no hope for you; you'll never be able to cast this sin away." One should never give in to the voice of the yetzer. Rather, he should say, "I am a precious child of the Holy One, blessed be he. I know that if I come before him with sincerity, seeking his mercy that my prayers will be heard." May we all live lives full of repentance and good deeds, seeking always to imitate our Master.

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). For, as Paul says, "put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24).

About the Author: Brian Reed is a staff writer and researcher specializing in Messianic apologetics.

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