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Discover a joyful and uplifting path to Repentance!
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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
This Is Also For the Good
וּכְמוֹ שֶׁדֶּרֶךְ הַבִּינָה לְמַתֵּק כָּל הַדִּינִים וּלְבַטֵּל מְרִירוּתָם, כָּךְ הָאָדָם יָשׁוּב בִּתְשׁוּבָה וִיתַקֵּן כָּל פְּגָם.
(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, 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 to rectify the harsh Judgment by elevating it to its “sweet root.”
Binah Sweetens Every Judgment
Just like the tree that Moshe “cast into the bitter waters and the waters became sweet” (Shemos 15:25), so too, “it is the way of Binah to sweeten all of the Judgments and to neutralize their bitterness.”
Teshuvah Rectifies Every Flaw
There are three main categories of Teshuvah: 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 Repentance). Teshuvah Elyonah is initialized through Man’s intent to ascend to his soul’s holy root, which resides in the Realm of Binah. The Realm of Binah is the elevated and sublime dimension of a perfectly spiritual domain. When a person successfully engages in Teshuvah Elyonah, 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 Mitzvos 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 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 Yitzchak the Ramak writes (Tomer Devorah, Chapter 10):
“And I will bow towards the Sanctuary of Your holiness” (Tehillim 5:8). This refers to Yitzchak, who, for his part, bowed down (by submitting himself to be slaughtered at the “Binding of Yitzchak”) 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 Yitzchak 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.
Nachum Ish Gam Zu
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 Holy One, Blessed Be He 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.”
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