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The Joy of Repentance\Guilt-Free
Based on Tomer Devorah by the Holy Ramak
Authored and Published by the Salant Foundation
Distributed by Feldheim
Purification by a Different Process
In his discourse on Teshuvah Elyonah (Exalted Repentance), Chapter Four, the Ramak doesn’t mention the concept of “forgiveness.” However, in the first chapter on Keter (Crown), where he discusses the “Thirteen Attributes of Compassion,” the Ramak does speak of this concept. Particularly in the Attribute of And He Forgoes Transgression (Attribute 3) the Ramak explains that the Creator Himself forgives the penitent by “washing away his sin.”
In contrast, Teshuvah Elyonah involves a different process of purification. The penitent intends to ascend to his holy root in Binah (Divine Enlightenment). As a result, Binah shines upon him and assists him in his endeavor. He transforms to pure goodness and he himself purifies his actions. He emerges before God like a person “filled with Mitzvot like a pomegranate,” with no trace of sin whatsoever.
Detaching and Reattaching
When Moshe approached the Burning Bush on Mount Sinai, the Eternal said to him (Shemos 3:5), “Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you are standing is holy ground.”
In his commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Moshe Dovid Valli writes: God intended to inspire Moshe to detach himself from the physicality of “this world,” since he was fit and ready to attach to the spirituality of the Shechinah (Divine Presence). Like a bride modestly inviting her husband to be with her for the rest of his life, so did God lovingly beckon to Moshe.
The “shoes” alludes to the body which is the “vessel” of the soul. We could suggest that the Shechinah lovingly summons each and every one of us, pleading, “Detach yourself from physical temptation! Ascend to the holy root of your soul and unite with Me!”
The uncorrupted Sanctity of the soul remains faithfully preserved in Binah, and through the wonder of Teshuvah (Repentance), a person ascends to true completeness. Before engaging in Teshuvah Elyonah one is like a developing embryo. Afterwards, Binah shines its radiance upon him and births him to holiness.
Indeed, his true essence already exists in Binah, and by ascending to his holy root, he is merely re-discovering his true self. His sanctification depends on his desire and free-will choice to heed the Shechinah’s message and ascend to his soul’s holy root. Again, we find that in His boundless kindness, God “prepares the remedy before the affliction” (Megilah 13b), for He established Binah as the repository for Man’s soul prior to creating the “flaw” that is its earthly receptacle, i.e., the body.
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