THE POWER OF CHOICE

 

Free Choice & Repentance

 

By Ashirah Yosefah

 

 “What is the mission of Torah? It is to overcome negative and destructive urges and choose goodness. Goodness that has been chosen is the highest form of goodness. We are highly qualified for this mission because we are inclined to the allurements and seductions. We are able to fail, but also to succeed. We are able to destroy, but also to build. We are able to choose to do great evil, but also to choose to do amazing good.

Angels are perfect; they have no negative inclination. They have no free choice. They can't struggle. They can't fail. They cannot choose goodness.

Our mission, if we're willing to accept it, is to choose goodness. This is how we serve God. Angels sing God's praises in a perfect heavenly world. However, human praises surpass those of the angels because we praise God from Earth, soiled with imperfections, problems, and challenges. This is our greatness.”  (Excerpt from “The Mission of Torah”, Rabbi David Aaron, the Isralight Institute, Jerusalem)

 

With the giving of the Universal Laws, the revelation of the Torah, and man’s capacity for freedom of choice, G-d has presented mankind with a lifetime of opportunities for personal growth and connection to The Creator.  The root of the Hebrew word mitzvah (commandment) means ‘to connect’, thus we see that the primary purpose of G-d’s commandments is to allow man to approach the Creator and connect with Him in a relationship of faith and obedience.  The degree of closeness one acquires in that relationship depends upon the degree of connection, which, of course, depends upon our faithfulness in observing the commandments that the Torah sets forth for Israel and for the nations of the world.  

 

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov was once asked to define free will.  His answer, as given in Likkutei Moharan 2:110, was very simple:

 

“Free will is in a person’s hands.  That which he wants to do, he does.  That which he doesn’t want to do, he doesn’t.”

 

The RamCHaL, in Derech Hashem, comments that “G-d’s purpose in creation was to bestow of His good to another. … Since G-d desired to bestow good, a partial good would not be sufficient.  The good that He bestows would have to be the ultimate good that His handiwork would accept. … His wisdom therefore decreed that the nature of this true benefaction be His giving created things the opportunity to attach themselves to Him to the greatest degree possible for them. … The purpose of all that was created was to bring into existence a creature who could derive pleasure from G-d’s own good, in a way that would be possible for it. ”[1] (end of quote)

 

This opportunity to attach ourselves to Hashem to the greatest degree possible for each of us is one of the primary reasons for free will.  It was necessary for man to be given free will in order to complete G-d’s purpose that His goodness be freely given to the ultimate level desired and acceptable to this singular creature that He created with the capacity to cleave unto G-d.  If G-d had compelled us to cleave to Him, He would be responsible for our choices.  G-d’s purpose in allowing man to derive pleasure from G-d’s own good to exactly the level and intensity determined by each individual would not have been fulfilled.

 

We begin life with a pure soul and a G-d-given ability to weight the merits of any situation and chose good over bad.  This is a unique power that no other created being has.  We are each given a basic intuition of what is good and what is bad, but that intuition needs to be refined and strengthened by the instruction that only Torah provides. 

 

Torah teaches that we have an inclination towards good – the Yetzer haTov – and an inclination towards evil – the Yetzer haRa.  The Talmud tells of a time when three Great Sages beseeched G-d that He should remove the Yetzer haRa from the world, that it should be killed.  G-d granted them a three day period in which the Yetzer haRa was removed from the world.  Roosters did not crow, hens did not lay eggs, man and wife did not engage in marital relations, and so on.  The Rabbis explain that without the Yetzer ha'Ra there would be no marriage, children, commerce or other fruits of human labor.  So we see that the Yetzer ha'Tov and the Yetzer ha'Ra are best understood not as moral categories of good and evil, but as selfless versus selfish orientations, either of which used rightly can serve G-d's will.

 

Without the existence of the Yetzer ha'Ra, there would be no merit earned in following G-d's commandments; choice is only meaningful if there has indeed been a choice made.  Rashi points out that Creation was "good" before, but it became "very good" when the evil inclination was added on the Sixth Day, for then it became possible to honestly say that man could make a true choice to obey G-d's commandments. Following G-d's ways enables man to derive pleasure from His goodness in this life, not only the ultimate pleasure of meriting a share in the World to Come.

 

We find ourselves balanced between good and evil and able to chose knowingly and willing which side we will favor.  Our choices mold the nature of our souls.  We either cleave to G-d or push Him away.  We are born with a pure spiritual soul and an unenlightened physical body.  The soul naturally inclines towards its Source, namely G-d.  The body inclines towards its source, namely dust … the material and mundane.  Body and soul are given to man as a single unit; when either one is elevated or debased by our choices and actions, it affects the other.  If our soul prevails in its pursuit of G-d, it elevates the body.  If we allow our bodies to prevail and pursue only the material and mundane, we will debase our souls and distance ourselves from Hashem.  In order to rectify distance that we place between ourselves and G-d, we must do teshuvah, we must subjugate our physicality to our soul and intellect and repent. 

 

When we transgress G-d’s commandments, we rebel against G-d.  This rebellion debases man’s proper nature.  Like any loving father, the Creator of the Universe administers the appropriate level of discipline or chastisement that is needed to remind us of our proper dignity and character.  While the consequences of our sins may feel like punishment from G-d, these consequences are not so much retribution for our wrongs as they are disciplinary actions intended to motivate us to repent and turn back to our true nature.  This process of repentance is called teshuvah.   The ability for man to do teshuvah is a treasure of immense value.

 

In the book, The Chambers of the Palace:  The Teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, it is written that:

 

“Rabbi Nachman lavishly praised the power of repentance.  Even if a person has fallen very low, it is forbidden to despair. Repentance is even higher than the Torah.  Therefore, there is no despair in the world.  One’s sins can turn into something else entirely.  As our sages said, ‘Sins can be turned into merits’ (Yoma 86b).  This matter contains mystic secrets.

 

One can easily return to G-d from any descents, because G-d’s greatness has no end.  One must simply never give up crying out to G-d, pleading and praying to Him constantly.”[2] (end of quote)

 

Rabbi Nachman also taught that even if a person has descended to the depths of Sheol, he should not despair.  As David haMelek wrote in Tehillim 139: 7-8:  “Where can I escape from Your Spirit?  Where can I flee from Your Presence?  If I ascend to Heaven, You are there; if I descend to Sheol, You are there, too.”   There is no place where G-d is not.  Even from the depths of Sheol, one should search for G-d, strengthen himself and cry out for Hashem’s boundless mercy.  “For there is not one good man on earth who does what is best and does not err.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

 

In Hilchot Teshuvah, the Rambam brings down the following Halachot:

 

• The person who sincerely repents is loved and adored by Hashem as if he had never sinned before.[3]
• Teshuvah atones for all transgressions.  A person who committed transgressions throughout his lifetime, and then did teshuvah, will not be reminded of his transgressions in the Next World.[4]
• One who dies in a state of teshuvah merits to have all of his transgressions forgiven.[5]

 

In The Practical Guide to Teshuvah, Rabbi S. Wagschal quotes Shaarei Teshuvah, Ch. 1, letter 1:

 

“It is written in the Torah that Hashem will help those who yearn to do teshuvah but lack the attributes to achieve this goal.  He will reinvigorate their souls with purity, as it says, ‘And you will repent to Hashem your G-d, and you will hearken to His voice’ [Devarim 30:2].  Another verse says, ‘And Hashem will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring’ [Devarim 30:6].”

 

In other words, Hashem promises to cut away the membrane of insensitivity and pride that hardens the heart and hinders a person who desires to repent.

 

Contrary to the definitions of some other religions, the Torah’s definition of repentance is not simply saying that you are sorry and asking for mercy.  Repentance is a process that begins with sincere regret, with contrition.  David haMelek, in his famous prayer of repentance for his sin with Batsheva, wrote:  “True sacrifice to G-d is a contrite spirit; G-d, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart” (Tehillim 51:19)

 

Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg in his book entitled Judaism, wrote:

 

“Regret is a great art in which few are expert.  The chief purpose of regret is not to feel sorry for evil actions but to uproot the evil from its very source.  Whoever is not expert in this art tends to use his power of regret to strengthen the evil within him and not to weaken it.”

 

Religions that encourage their adherents to cast responsibility for the forgiveness of sin on an intermediary, that teach that simple confession wipes away transgression, strengthen the deceptive wiles of the Yetzer haRa.  What often follows is a repetition of the sin, another confession, another repetition, followed by another confession.  This cycle soon lulls the individual into a lessened Yirat Shamayim ~ a weakening in his fear of Heaven.  The particular sin can seem less grave because of the blanket insurance policy that his religion promises when confession represents almost the entirety of repentance.

 

The Prophet Yehezqel has given us G-d’s view of sin and repentance:

 

“Therefore I will judge every man according to his own ways, O house of Israel, says Hashem G-d.  Return, and repent for all your transgressions, so that they shall not be your ruin.  Cast away from you all your transgressions by which you have transgressed, and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit, for why will you die, O house of Israel?  For I desire not the death of anyone, says Hashem G-d; therefore, return and live!” (Yehezqel 18:30-32)

 

What we see in this passage is that G-d desires that man return to Him and restore our soul to its intended level of dignity and conduct.  This return involves a process.

 

Rabbi Wagschal in The Practical Guide to Teshuvah writes that teshuvah has two meanings:  1)  To return to one’s original place of departure; and 2) to distance oneself from a certain location or situation.

 

In Hilchot Teshuvah, Ch. 2, Halachah 2, the Rambam asks:  “What is teshuvah?  It is when the sinner refrains from continuing to sin and resolves to refrain from committing the transgression in the future.  He must also feel regret over his past actions, confess his past sins, and vocalize the resolve to refrain from committing sins in the future.”

 

The Beis Elokim writes that the command to do teshuvah is fulfilled by discontinuing past actions[6]; however, he writes that the essential meaning of the term ‘teshuvah’ is to come close to Hashem[7], which is a direct result of distancing oneself from sin as we discussed earlier when we spoke of cleaving to G-d.

 

Other Jewish sources describe the accomplishment of repentance as follows:

 

The Chovos Halevavos writes that ‘teshuvah’ implies that an individual must correct himself to the degree that he is once again able to serve G-d.  Sin renders us unsuitable to serve Hashem.  Teshuvah is achieved when we return to the spiritual state we were in before we sinned.[8]

 

The Maharal of Prague writes that the essential meaning of teshuvah is that the transgressor returns to Hashem.[9]

 

Rabbi Wagschal comments on the verse, ‘Repent, O Israel, to Hashem your G-d’ (Hoshea 14:2).  He writes:  “In other words, return from the place to which you have banished yourself and be, once again, close to him.”[10]

 

Rabbi Wagschal compares this return to G-d to the rebellious son who foolishly leaves home, then after a period of time, realizes his error, regrets his actions and feels a yearning to return home.  When he does return, he finds his father absent and, with great intensity of heart, begins to search everywhere. Finally, after much effort, he finds his father and cries out to him with tears.  Rabbi Wagschal writes that:

 

“Similarly, transgressors will feel empty and despondent.  Unable to find contentment, they will eventually return to their Creator and do teshuvah.  To return, they must fulfill the requirements to call out to Hashem for help.  As the verse says, ‘If from there [your place of exile and banishment] you search for Hashem your G-d, you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Devarim 4:29).  The degree of closeness achieved by this teshuvah is proportional to the intensity of the call for help.”[11]

 

Rabbi Wagschal also tells us that we must uproot the sin and constantly reflect on ways and means to keep ourselves from repeating it.  He makes a clear analogy:

 

“This is analogous to one who finds himself in a place infested by mosquitoes and bees.  He must first escape.  Once he has escaped, he may easily rid himself of the few insects that have followed him.  Still, he will have to experience the pain of the insect bites.  The meaning of this analogy is easily understood.”[12]

 

There are many things that prompt us to repent:  Rebuke, tribulations, growing older, fear of hurting someone, fear of the possible consequences of our sin.  The bottom line, however, is that the urge to repent and the follow through must be an exercise of our own free will.  No one else can do teshuvah for us.  No one.  The Rambam explains in Hilchot Teshuvah, Ch. 5, that teshuvah is an expression of free will.

 

There are four steps involved in teshuvah, with a fifth step that is necessary with certain types of transgression.  These elements, as emunerated by the Rishonim, are:

1)       Regret

2)       Forsaking sin

3)       Confession and the request for forgiveness

4)       Resolve to refrain from repeating the sin, and

5)       Restitution where one’s sin has incurred a loss to another.

 

The Sages tell us we must articulate an expression of our regret.  We need to hear ourselves express this regret and remorse to G-d; and, if we have transgressed against another person, we need to seek their forgiveness and make monetary restitution as is necessary.  This articulation of regret and confession causes us to feel shame, which is an essential element of true repentance.  Feelings of shame and regret reinforce our determination not to repeat the sin.  We need to purpose within ourselves that we will ‘cast away’ the particular act or habit and not repeat it.  That is not to say that a person never becomes weak and fails in his resolve, but a repetitive cycle of sin and confession does not make the grade.  The sin then becomes intentional, and that is a grave situation.  When one’s heart has become so hardened that the sin has lost its shame and can somehow be justified, then it becomes nearly impossible for a person to sincerely repent.

 

The Rambam writes:  “Transgressions committed against one’s fellowman, for example, theft or causing damage, are not forgiven unless the transgressor first monetarily reimburses the damaged party and subsequently succeeds in appeasing him.  Even though he has reimbursed him monetarily, he must appease him and ask for forgiveness.”[13]

 

Each of the steps of teshuvah is necessary.  The Rambam writes:  “Even though he has reimbursed him for the damage he caused him, the transgressor will not be forgiven by Hashem until he confesses his sins and resolves to refrain from repeating this transgression in the future.”[14]

 

What if we have sinned against someone and have sincerely sought their forgiveness but they are unwilling to forgive?  The Rabbis tells us that we must go to the person and seek their forgiveness, sincerely, three times.  If, after the third such request, the individual is still unwilling to extend forgiveness, the responsibility for the sin passes to their account.  So we see that it is as important to forgive, as it is to seek forgiveness.

 

If we complete all the steps necessary for sincere repentance, we have G-d’s abundant promises throughout the Tanach that He will forgive.  In fact, G-d invites us to:

 

“Come, now, and let us reason together, says Hashem.  If your sins are like scarlet they will become white as snow; if they have become red as crimson, they will become [white] as wool.  If you are willing and obey, you will eat the goodness of the land.  But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword – for the mouth of Hashem has spoken.” (Isaiah 1:18-20)

 

The Sages tell us that sincere repentance may mitigate the consequences of our sins in some cases, but there are other sins wherein the best deterrent for the future, as well as the proper justice, is that we experience the consequences of the sin even if or after we’ve done teshuvah.

“God does not expect us to be perfect. In fact, if we were perfect, we could not have qualified for the mission of Torah. The Talmud teaches that a person can stand in Torah only after he has failed at it. In other words, part of the mission of Torah is to fail, regret, resolve, change, choose goodness, and succeed. We humans are the perfect candidates for the job.”[15]