| NEW!
Discover a joyful and uplifting path to Repentance!
Click on the link to see the book:
The Joy of Repentance\Guilt-Free
Based on Tomer Devorah by the Holy Ramak
Authored and Published by the Salant Foundation
Distributed by Feldheim
Man’s True and Eternal Nature Is Good
וְיֻמְתְּקוּ הַדִּינִים וְיִשְׁקֹט הֶחָרוֹן וְיִנָּחֵם ה׳ עַל הָרָעָה.
(9) The Judgments are thereby sweetened, the flaring calmed, and God relents concerning the evil.
The Zohar quoted on Day Twenty-Five tells us that Noach’s Elevation offering reversed the attribute of Judgment to Compassion. His offering made a powerful rectification, reversing the Divine Wrath that destroyed the world to the polar opposite attribute of Divine Compassion. So too, if a person performs Teshuvah Elyonah (Exalted Repentance), he uplifts himself to his sweet root and converts himself and his past actions to goodness. Even “the intentional transgressions become like merits to him!”— as the Ramak writes ahead. More, Teshuvah Elyonah transmutes his Negative Impulse to goodness, as the Ramak writes, “Therefore, one purifies the Negative Impulse and gathers it into goodness, and he becomes implanted in Exalted holiness.”
Thus, a person’s Teshuvah Elyonah establishes a more powerful rectification than an Elevation offering! Since Noach was a holy and righteous man, his Elevation offering transformed Judgment into Compassion. He was like a sea captain who masterfully steers his ship through a fierce storm and brings it into peaceful waters. However, when someone performs Teshuvah Elyonah, his flaw awakens the diabolical schemes of the Negative Impulse to wage war against him.
The Advantage of Teshuvah Elyonah
This advantage of Teshuvah Elyonah is attributed to two tiers of uncompromising trust. Firstly, his acceptance of the Tomer Devorah’s revelation, that Man’s true and eternal nature is in fact good, despite the externally manifested negativity of his nature. This test requires a high level of Trust because the Negative Impulse will use our past indiscretions as “proof ” that we are not inherently good. Yet, we counter his “proof ” by saying, “Do not think that since you derive from the side of Evil there is no rectification for you - this is falsehood!” as the Ramak will write (Day Thirty-Five).
Why is this notion “falsehood?” The Ramak writes when he performs Teshuvah, “Man transforms the past [negative] actions into Goodness, and the intentional transgressions become like merits to him!” The truth is that you are inherently and eternally good, in the holy root of your soul, as the Ramak writes ahead, “For all bitterness is sweet in its Exalted root, and one can enter through his root in order to unite with his intrinsic goodness.” By performing Teshuvah Elyonah, man uplifts himself to the root of his soul, which is stationed in the pure, immutable goodness of Binah.
Trust in God’s Unbounded Compassion
The second tier is his Trust in God’s unbounded compassion, which is revealed especially to the person contemplating Teshuvah (Repentance). The Holy One showers infinite vistas of Compassion upon us when we engage in Teshuvah.
Please remember that both these tests require the highest level of Trust in the Creator because the Negative Impulse will do everything in its power to compromise our belief in our inherent goodness as well as our trust in the awakening of the Creator’s Compassion for the penitent. His most powerful weapon is to attack us by inciting a “guilt complex” within us that tears our hearts apart. This is an intense war and take note that Moshe himself, fell victim to despair at the Mei Mariva (the Waters of Striving) which deprived him entrance into the Land of Israel. Therefore, strengthen your trust both in your inherent Goodness as well as in God’s unbounded Compassion that is awakened for those engaged in Repentance!
Teshuvah Elyonah Impacts the Entire World
Just as Noach’s Elevation offering rectified the entire world, so too, Teshuvah Elyonah rectifies the individual and impacts the entire world. Even more, by engaging in Teshuvah Elyonah, we accomplish more than Noach’s Elevation offering. Why? On the merit of our exalted trust in the Holy One, Blessed Be He we merit two advantages over Noach. Firstly we overcome the Negative Impulse’s accusations and reminders of our past indiscretions, which did not challenge Noach with the same level as intensity. Secondly, we perform Teshuvah Elyonah giving us a firm grasp on our true and eternal Goodness and Holiness which resides in the firmament of Binah (Divine Enlightenment). We thereby awaken the Divine Light of Binah to sanctify and purify all of Mankind.
Extricated From the Depths
A wondrous sequence of rectifications was initiated through the impetus of Noach’s sacrifice. The Secret of the “pleasant aroma” was awakened, “the Judgments … thereby sweetened,” and as a result “God relented concerning the evil.”
The fiery waters of the Nahar Dinur (the River of Fire) retract up to their source in Binah and transform back into the cool, clear waters of the “Expanses of the River,” i.e., Binah. Indeed, this cooling of Divine wrath is so absolute that it extends even if a person has been sentenced to the fiery depths of Gehinom (Purgatory) for the severity of his transgressions. As the Ramak states: “And God relents concerning the evil,” and as the Talmud teaches (Nedarim 22a): “And evil is naught but a reference to Gehinom, as the verse states (Koheles 11:10): “And the wicked are destined for the day of evil.”
The Ramchal expounds on a similar concept in discussing the virtue of hope in God. He writes (Otzros HaRamchal, Essay on Hope): One who hopes in God, even if he has entered Gehinom, is liberated by virtue of his hope in God. As the verse states (Yeshiyahu 40:31): “Those who hope in God, their strength will be revived and eagle’s wings will uplift them.” Meaning, God will shine His light upon him, and a company of the most exalted Angels will uplift a person whose hope is in God. This is the intent of the words: “eagle’s wings will uplift them:” they will fly up with him. Verily, his hope is his purification!
| 
