Sponsored in loving memory of Joseph and Shirley Goldwasser by Avraham and Joyce Litzman, their children and grandchildren.
Day Six
The Principles of Teshuvah Elyonah ~ Supernal Repentance
Before we enter the sweet waters of the Tomer Devorah’s elucidation of Teshuvah Elyonah, it’s worthwhile to expound upon the following six primary principles. Doing so will greatly facilitate understanding the Ramak’s terminology and concepts.
1. Trust in HaShem Is the Key to Successful Teshuvah.
2. The Merciful One Preserves the Sanctity of Our Souls.
3. Binah Is the Source of Trust in HaShem.
4. Joy Opens the Gates of Teshuvah.
5. “Intention” Guarantees a Successful Outcome.
6. New Dimensions of the Divine Image.
1. Trust in HaShem is the Key to Successful Teshuvah.
The Primacy of Trust
The key to successful Teshuvah springs from Man’s pure and robust Trust in the irrefutable truth of HaShem’s absolute and unbounded compassion. Although the Holy One shows infinite compassion in general to all of His creations, He reveals new dimensions of compassion and forgiveness to those souls who hope in Him and engage in Teshuvah. The level of Trust in HaShem and His compassion to accept our Teshuvah is the highest level of Trust in HaShem.
Chavakuk the Prophet expresses the primacy of Trust, exclaiming (Chavakuk 2:4): וצדיק באמונתו יחיה, The righteous person shall live by his faith. In this light, our steadfast faith in HaShem and His supreme compassion is truly a gift of life, for through Teshuvah we are renewed as if we’d been freshly born!
Underscoring Hope in HaShem
The Ramchal, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, z”l, writes (Essay on the Topic of Hope, Otz’ros HaRamchal):
“If one hopes )i.e., the highest level of Trust) in HaShem, then even if his good deeds are negligible, he will not be ashamed. As the Torah states (Yeshayahu 49:23): And you shall know that I am HaShem, in Whom those who trust shall not be ashamed. From this we learn that even one impoverished of deeds should still retain hope in HaShem, for through this hope, HaShem will reveal Himself to the person and cleanse his transgressions. And indeed, it is from such hope that the ultimate rectification shall spring: the stalwart hope that all Israel has maintained through the protracted exile, and their unwavering faith in the belief in their final redemption. And this ultimate hope is expressed by the Prophet (Zecharia 3:19): I will remove sin from the Earth; and this is the meaning and fulfillment of the verse (Bereisheis 49:18): For Your redemption I hope, HaShem! Indeed, the ultimate honor of our King is reflected in the trust that His subjects place on Him. As the Talmud states (Makos 24a): “Chavakuk came and condensed the Torah into one principle, as it states (Chavakuk 2:4): The righteous person shall live by his faith: faith in HaShem – this is hope.”
Moshe Rabeinu’s Prayers
One of Moshe Rabeinu’s outstanding traits was his steadfast faith in the endless depths of HaShem’s compassion. Whenever B’nei Yisrael — the Children of Israel — sinned in the Wilderness, Moshe prayed to awaken the Merciful One’s compassion upon His children. Nowhere was this more evident than regarding the sin of the Golden Calf. Since Moshe Rabeinu knew that HaShem is infinitely merciful, he intuited that He would reveal ever greater levels of compassion even after such a grievous incident; or perhaps even more correctly, precisely because of it!
He therefore prayed (Shemos 33:13), If I have found favor in Your eyes, make known to me Your ways!. The Eternal One accepted his supplication and responded (Shemos 33:19), I shall be graceful to whom I choose to grace, and compassionate to whom I choose to be compassionate. Indeed, as a result of this entreaty HaShem revealed the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy to Moshe Rabeinu. (Based on Da’as Torah of Rav Yerucham HaLevi).
The Lesson of the Rock
The Bat Eiyin presents a novel commentary on the Waters of Striving over which Moshe Rabeinu was deprived entrance to Eretz Yisrael — The Land of Israel — (Bamidbar 20:7-13). In the course of his exposition, the Bat Eiyin cites two fundamental principles from the Zohar that underscore the importance of Trust in the Holy One. First, HaShem’s very purpose in creating the Universe was to be known as the paradigm of Compassion and Kindness. Second, He created Teshuvah before He brought the Creation into existence. Therefore, it behooves us to unwaveringly trust in the Almighty’s unbounded mercy, and take inspiration in the sure knowledge that He accepts our Teshuvah at all times.
Miriam died in this episode; and as a result, the rock that had supplied the people with water in her merit dried up. Moshe was then faced with the inconceivable pressure of desperate myriads clamoring to him for life-giving water in the burning desert heat. A shock of anguished vexation jolted him, and he cried out, Rebellious ones! Shall water issue from a rock?
The instant the words left his lips, Moshe deeply regretted his outburst and performed complete Teshuvah. However, due to his intense humility, he was “sure” HaShem would not forgive his momentary expression of negativity, no matter how “justified” and brief. More than that, he assumed that since he had corrupted his faculty of speech, he no longer had the merit to draw water from the rock through mere speech. Therefore, he concluded there was no other alternative than to strike it with his staff.
The Bat Eiyin explains that Moshe’s primary transgression was that he did not believe that HaShem, in His unbounded compassion, would immediately forgive his expression of anger and repair the blemish in his faculty of speech.
Summary: How awesome an endeavor it is to internalize this lesson, and strengthen our Trust that the Almighty, in His unbounded compassion, will always accept our Teshuvah and immediately forgive our misdeeds, for “He created the world with kindness” (Tehillim 89:3)!
