| The text of Tomer Devorah, written by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (HaRamak). Teshuvah Elyonah ~ Exalted Repentance. Chapter Four, Binah (Divine Enlightenment). Presented in the original Hebrew text and accompanied with the English translation. The English text is annotated with the commentary of “Laughter Will Fill Our Mouths.”
(ב) וכמו שדרך הבינה למתק כל הדינים ולבטל מרירותם, כך האדם ישוב בתשובה ויתקן כל פגם. ((2 Just as Binah (Divine Enlightenment) functions to “sweeten all the Judgments” and to neutralize their bitterness; so too, man engages in Teshuvah (Repentance) and rectifies every flaw.
Binah Sweetens the Judgment
In the Earthly court system, legal proceedings follow a rigorously prescribed procedure. When a case comes before the judges, they listen to the litigants’ claims, examine the witnesses’ testimony, and evaluate the evidence. Finally, they pronounce a verdict of innocent or guilty and pass sentencing. And although it might seem obvious, it’s vital to point out that if guilty, the litigant’s reaction, whether repentant or defiant, is immaterial to the fact of the conviction and its mark on his record.
In the Heavenly realm there are also two possible outcomes: meritorious or liable. However, even though Earthly justice is modeled upon Divine Justice, there is a vital difference between the two systems: Divine Justice, regardless of the actual Judgment, is always rooted in Compassion. Accordingly, when a person acknowledges his misdeed and engages in Teshuvah (Repentance), the Holy One awakens His attribute of Compassion. Now, this does not mean that He tips the scales of justice from liable to meritorious, for that would be a perversion of justice! Rather, when a person acknowledges his transgression and its resultant blemish, God causes Binah (Divine Enlightenment) to rectify the harsh Judgment by elevating it to its “sweet root.”
Binah Sweetens Every Judgement
Just like the tree that Moses cast into the bitter waters and the waters became sweet (Exodus 15:25), so too, “it is the way of Binah (Divine Enlightenment) to sweeten all of the Judgements and to neutralize their bitterness.” As the Ramak will explain in the upcoming pages “the secret of Binah sweetens all the Judgements.”
Teshuvah Rectifies Every Flaw
There are three main categories of Teshuvah (Repentance): a) Teshuvah motivated by the fear of God and b) Teshuvah inspired by the love of God. These first two categories of Teshuvah are classified as “conventional Teshuvah.” The third category is c) Teshuvah Elyonah (Exalted Teshuvah). Teshuvah Elyonah is initialized through Man’s intent to ascend to his soul’s holy root, which resides in the Realm of Binah (Divine Enlightenment). The Realm of Binah (Divine Enlightenment) is the elevated and sublime dimension of a perfectly spiritual domain. When a person successfully engages in Teshuvah Elyonah (Exalted Repentance), he transforms himself by uniting with his pure and inherent goodness. In turn, his past actions ascend with him and implant themselves in holiness, his misdeeds convert to Mitzvahs, and all negativity converts to positivity. This remarkable process will be explained in the upcoming pages.
We will also see that there are many differences that set Teshuvah Elyonah (Exalted Repentance) qualitatively apart from “conventional” Teshuvah – even though they share a connection on a more sublime level!
“I will bow towards the Sanctuary of Your Holiness”
Similarly, regarding our Patriarch Isaac, the Ramak writes (Tomer Devorah, Chapter 10): And I will bow towards the Sanctuary of Your holiness (Psalms 5:8). This refers to Isaac, who, for his part, bowed down (by submitting himself to be slaughtered at the “Binding of Isaac”) in order to bend his stature before the Attribute of Judgment and surrender himself to it. And as a result, the time of Judgment was deflected from him, for an abundance of compassion was drawn down upon it from Above in order to sweeten it.
Our Patriarch Isaac acknowledged that the Judgment he submitted himself to was rooted in an exalted level of sanctity, as it says, “I will bow down to your Holy Temple.” Therefore, he surrendered himself to the Holiness of the Divine Judgment.
Similarly, our Sages teach us that Nachum Ish Gam Zu met every adversity with the words, “This also is for the good!” The Ramak reveals that Nachum Ish Gam Zu trusted that every adversity springs from the Kindness of the Merciful One. By saying “This is also for the good” he unified the “hardship” with its root in Kindness. So too, when Man performs Teshuvah Elyonah, he ascends to his inherent goodness, and “rectifies every flaw.” | 
