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Shabbat-B'shabbato – Parshat Vayeilech (Shuvah) No 1644: 6 Tishrei 5777 (8 October 2016)

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Shabbat-B'Shabbato – Parshat Vayeilech (Shuvah) No 1644: 6 Tishrei 5777 (8 October 2016) AS SHABBAT APPROACHES “I belong to My Lover and My Lover belongs to Me” – Freely-Given Love - by Esti Rosenberg, Head of the Midrasha for Women, Migdal Oz A long journey of three Haftarot of rebuke and seven of consolation ends this Shabbat with the Haftarah “Return Yisrael to your G-d” [Hoshaya 14:2]. The masters of the Tosafot explain: “Three passages of rebuke are read before Tisha B’Av ... and seven of consolation after Tisha B’Av, including two that deal with repentance – Dirshu and Shuva.” [Megillah 31b]. The destruction of the Temple requires us to enter into a process of repentance. The journey of retribution and consolation ends with the subject of repentance. Let us delve more deeply into the two Haftarot that deal with “Teshuva” – repentance. (We will not go into the discussion in the Tosafot about exactly when the two Haftorot are read.) This discussion is based on ideas that I heard from Rabbi Moshe Lichtenstein. The Haftarah “Dirshu – Seek G-d when He is available” [Yeshayahu 55:6] is familiar to many of us from the Mincha prayers of public fast days. It is read during the Ten Days of Awe on the Fast of Gedalia. Yeshayahu tells the nation to seek G-d, and the nation rises enthusiastically to the challenge. Yeshayahu demands, “Seek G-d when He is available, call out to Him when He is close.” The nation responds, “Let the evil one abandon his ways and the sinner his thoughts, and let them return to G-d” [55:7]. Even the Gentiles come close to G-d and repent, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, gives them a place of honor in His house. The hills and mountains break out in song, and there is an active movement of returning to G-d. This excellent movement is a symbol of proper repentance. It was chosen as the Haftarah for public fast days out of a deep understanding that fasting can encourage people to repent. The other Haftarah, “Shuva,” is different. The nation of Yisrael, which has failed by sinning, is called by Hoshaya to repent. This is repentance that is a reaction to distress. “Ashur will not save you, we will not ride on a horse, and we will no longer call our own handiwork god” [Hoshaya 14:4]. It seems that in the time of Hoshaya the nation of Yisrael repents not because of a deep understanding of their sins and their evil thoughts – but rather it is searching for rescue, which does not come from Ashur. Here is what Rashi writes about this verse: “‘I will cure their affliction, I will love them freely” [14:5]. “Because of My good spirit, even though they do not deserve love, I will show my good will to love them, for my anger of them has been reduced.” The Holy One, Blessed be He, will accept the repentance of Yisrael in the time of Hoshaya – not as judgement but rather as an act of kindness. In truth, they will not be worthy of it by merit of their repentance – but in His love, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will agree to accept the repentance of His nation. This is exciting but it is also disappointing. The Holy One, Blessed be He, will act towards Yisrael like the dew. Dew does not have the power or the force of rain, but its strength is seen in its quiet and never-ending dedication to its task. Later we read of repentance of the nation in the time of Yoel. This seemed deeper than what took place in the time of Yeshaya, but it too was motivated by a fear of locusts. At times, Bnei Yisrael repent as the result of a long internal process of abandoning sin, as in “Dirshu.” At other times, the repentance is not at a superior level, and it involves external fears and troubles, as in the case of “Shuva.” 1 The Holy One, Blessed be He, extends His hand to His nation when they repent even when it is not at a superior level but is mixed with human interests. It is exhilarating to see that the sages chose for the Ten Days of Awe the Haftarah “Shuva,” which is at a relatively low level. “Freely-given love.” How refreshing this can be. POINT OF VIEW Repentance of Public Figures - by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen, Dean of the Zomet Institute (1) “Wisdom was asked, what is the punishment of a sinner? And it replied, ‘Sinners will be pursued by evil’ [Mishlei 13:21]. Prophecy was asked, what is the punishment of a sinner? And it replied, ‘A soul which commits a sin must die’ [Yechezkel 18:4]. The Torah was asked, what is the punishment of a sinner? And it replied, let them bring an Asham Sacrifice for atonement. The Holy One, Blessed be He, was asked, what is the punishment of a sinner? And He replied, let him repent and he will be forgiven.” [Pesikta D’Rav Kahane Shuva, 24]. (2) “Seven items were created before the world... Repentance... as is written, ‘Before the mountains were born... And You said, let the people return’ [Tehillim 90:2].” [Pesachim 54a]. (3) “The act (the sin of Batsheva and Uriyah) was not appropriate for David, and the act (the sin of the Golden Calf) was not appropriate for Yisrael... Why did they take place? It is to tell you that an individual who sins is told to learn from an individual (David) and a community which sins is told to learn from a community. This is the declaration of David Ben Yishai, who established the standard for repentance.” [Avoda Zara 4b]. Teshuva – Repentance: Is it Irrational? The concept of teshuva is unique to the Jewish faith, as a kindness of the Holy One, Blessed be He. Only He puts His hand out to accept those who repent, as opposed to wisdom, prophecy, and the Torah (quote 1, above). The Torah proposes a path of atonement: “Let them bring an Asham Sacrifice for atonement.” This is a sacrifice which accompanies an act of repentance with a symbolic act of sprinkling the blood of an animal and burning its flesh. Only the Holy One, Blessed be He, is satisfied with repentance alone, on condition that it is an act of truth, performed with honesty and from the depths of the heart. “Wisdom” and “prophecy” (that is, the intellect and the emotions), as opposed to the Torah, demand strict judgement for violating the sins: “Sinners will be pursued by evil... A soul which commits a sin must die.” In modern terms, we can add other figures of “authority” which are involved with the question of “what to do with a soul which commits a sin.” These modern systems do not recognize the realm of repentance either. For example, the justice system gives only marginal recognition to the concept of repentance, in the framework of extenuating circumstances when setting a sentence. However, “the law is the law,” and misdemeanors and crimes are forbidden. And there is no mechanism to erase the record of sin. One realm that is even more stringent is the “media,” especially of the inferior sort, which does not recognize any possibility of forgiveness. This is especially true in a case of sins by a public figure. The press makes its living from a lack of mercy, by pulling out past sins and quoting them from forgotten sources or collecting them from the “cloud” of the internet. There is absolutely no room in this system for repentance! An Injunction to Forbid Publication When King David admitted “I have sinned” [Shmuel II 12:13] after the affair of Batsheva and Uriyah, he became a symbol of the act of repentance (quote 2, above). And it may surprise us to see that he too encountered a hostile press! According to our tradition (see below), David made two requests: “That my iniquity will not be recorded.” That is, to “delete” the report of his sin. The reply of the Holy One, Blessed be He, was: “That cannot be done!” His second request was that “the rabbis shall not discuss my sins (in 2 the Beit Midrash).” And to this, the Holy One, Blessed be He, replied: I agree! In modern terms: nothing will be erased from the secret protocols, but there is an injunction that prohibits discussing the matter in public! Here is the full quote of this discussion from the Talmud: “David said to the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the world: You know very well that if they would tear my flesh no blood would flow. Moreover, when they discussed the matter of the four types of death punishment, they stopped their studies and turned to me, saying, What is the punishment of one who lies with a married woman? I replied to them: One who lies with a married woman is killed by choking, and he still maintains his portion in the world to come, but whoever makes his colleague’s face go white with shame in public has no portion in the world to come. David said to the Holy One, Blessed be He: “Who can understand mistakes” [Tehillim 19:13]. And G-d replied, I accept that (that is, okay!)... Do not let the rabbis discuss my sins. And G-d replied, okay. That my sin should not be recorded. And He replied, ‘That cannot be done.’” [Sanhedrin 107a]. And that indeed is the accepted halacha: “The affairs of David and Amnon are not read in public and are not translated” [Mishna Megillah 4:10].
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