| 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
The Lower Branches Strengthen the Roots
כִּי הִנֵּה אֹתָם הַפְּעֻלּוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה הָיוּ מְקַטְרְגוֹת מִסִּטְרָא דִשְׂמָאלָא, שָׁב בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה, הֲרֵי מַכְנִיס וּמַשְׁרִישׁ אוֹתָן הַפְּעֻלּוֹת לְמַעְלָה.
(17) For behold, those actions which he committed were prosecuting him from the Left Side (reflected in Judgment). [Yet] if he returns in perfect Teshuvah (Repentance) – behold, he brings and implants those actions on High.
The Lower Branches Strengthen the Roots
The Ramak writes: “[Yet] if he returns in perfect Teshuvah – behold, he brings and implants those actions on High.” Now, “perfect Teshuvah” is different — and less potent — than Teshuvah Elyonah (Exalted Repentance). Nevertheless, the Ramak alludes to another astounding phenomenon: in reality, all Teshuvah stimulates Teshuvah Elyonah! As he writes (Sidur Tefilot Moshe): “Those souls that are humbled through Teshuvah – they cause an arousal of Teshuvah Elyonah. For thus is the way of roots: to be influenced by the lower branches.29”
The “lower branches” of the tree are analogous to “those souls that are humbled through Teshuvah,” for both share the attribute of Lowliness. Tree roots indeed provide an apt analogy to those of the soul, for both are the agency through which life-force is transmitted to an entity. The “lower branches” are dependent on the life-giving power of the roots to flourish and blossom. Therefore, they signal and stimulate the roots to transmit this power to them. Similarly, when a person humbles himself to engage in Teshuvah, he awakens his holy root to stimulate the rectification and sanctification of his entire being.
The Ascending Dew
Avraham, our Patriarch, feared and said to God, “I sinned by worshipping idols all those years of my youth.” The Holy One responded, “’You possess the dew of your youth (Tehillim 110:3) — Just as the dew ascends, so too, your sins ascend’ (Midrash Raba Bereisheis, Lech Lecha 1).” The People of Israel sinned and requested that God be to them like rain. The Holy One responded, “I will be to you like the dew that coats the plants with a mist and then ascends.” Rain has the quality of soaking into the ground, suggesting that the rain will wash away the sin and restore the People of Israel to God. Whereas, the dew coats the plants with a mist and then ascends, symbolizing that the dew stimulates and awakens the soul’s inner essence. The phenomenon of returning to God is found in the innate power that every soul possesses. Once the soul performs penitence, the sin ascends to Heaven and transforms into a meritorious deed!
Avraham worshipped idols in his youth, and that very sin brought him to recognize the truth of Divine Service. Therefore, God likened his sin to “dew that ascends.” The Holy One declared, “Just as dew revitalizes the leaf and then ascends, so too, Avraham realized the falseness of idol worship and recognized the truth of Divine Service.” Avraham’s sin of idol worship transformed into his true faith in the One God and the performance of worthy deeds. He thus fulfilled the Will of the King of the Universe, as Scripture states (Devarim 4:39): You shall know today and place upon your heart that God is Elokim in the Heavens above and on the earth below — there is none other! (Based on the Shem Mishmuel30)
Holistic Versus Atomistic
Above in Day Fourteen, we discussed the difference between “conventional” Teshuvah and Teshuvah Elyonah. In light of the Ramak’s words here, let’s explore this idea a bit further. When a person engages in “conventional” Teshuvah, the best he can do is confront every misdeed and negative character trait individually, in order to uproot the evil that is at the source of each one. This technique can be termed as “atomistic.” From this perspective, it can be compared to a person who has fallen and suffered unrelated injuries all over his body: each particular wound must be treated separately, and what works for one injury doesn’t help any of the myriad remaining ones. This is certainly a valid way to view one’s imperfections and can certainly be effective. However, it is piecemeal, a long and tedious process.
In contrast, Teshuvah Elyonah views transgression in a different light, which we can characterize as “holistic,” in that the intent is to heal the very essence and entirety of one’s being. From this perspective it can be compared to a person who suffers from a crippling disease affecting his whole body. His treatment is to take a single medicine that will completely cure him. We find an example of this in the instantaneous healing of Miriam. After she was stricken with a spiritual skin disorder, Moshe prayed for her full recovery. Immediately, the Holy One, Blessed Be He healed her entire body (Ohr HaChaim). As the Ramak states: “[Yet] if he returns in perfect Teshuvah – behold, he brings and implants those actions on High.”
Binah (Divine Enlightenment) is the “Master Physician,” and its incandescent radiance is the “medicine” that completely heals a soul ravaged by the travails of transgression and negativity. The sanctity and splendor of the renewed soul in its pure and pristine state scintillates with wellness and holiness. Man’s free-will intention to perform Teshuvah Elyonah initiates this wondrous redemption, healing, and joy.
| 
