The Excellence of Repentance \ The Ways of the Righteous
Rabbi Levi said, "Great is repentance for it ascends to the Throne of Divine Glory, as the verse says, 'Return O Yisrael to HaShem, your G-d'" (Yoma 86a).
When Moshe Rabenu ascended to the first level of Heaven, a group of angels opened a Torah scroll and read what occurred on the first day of Creation. Then they sang the praises of the holy Torah.
Moshe then ascended to the second level of Heaven where a group of angels recounted what took place on the second day of Creation. They proceed to sing the praises of Torah and Klal Yisrael. He ascended to the third level of Heaven and saw a group of angels who recounted what took place on the third day of Creation. They began to sing the praises of Jerusalem.
Moshe Rabenu then ascended to the fourth level of Heaven and saw angels recounting what took place on the fourth day of Creation. They sang the praises of the Meshiach. Moshe ascended to the fifth level of Heaven where groups of angels recounted what occurred on the fifth day of Creation. They began to express the sorrow of Gehinom.
He went to the sixth level of Heaven and saw angels relating what took place on the sixth day of Creation. The angels sang the praise of Gan Eden and beseeched HaShem to grant Klal Yisrael their share in Gan Eden.
Moshe Rabenu ascended to the seventh level of Heaven and he saw many groups of angels. Moshe grasped the Throne of Divine Glory and the angels recounted what took place on the seventh day of Creation. They began to sing the praise of repentance! We understand from this passage that repentance reaches the Throne of Divine Glory.
When a person engages in repentance, he is not merely correcting his past. The performance of repentance is the highest -- and most beloved -- aspect of Divine Service. His efforts to rectify the past ascends to the highest level of Heaven. It affects the universe with the ultimate goodness, heals his soul, and evokes countless blessings of compassion, holiness, and forgiveness.
(Based on Orchos Tzadikim, Chapter 25)
