Dear Everyone,
Here is a summary of today’s shiur in Chovot Halevavot.
Rabbeinu Bachyah writes that there are three types of בעלי תשובה .The first type is the person who, when there is no opportunity to sin, goes through the motions of penance. However, as soon as the opportunity to sin presents itself the penitent returns to his or her old ways. This penance was obviously insincere and Hashem will not forgive this person for his or her transgressions.
The next type of penitent is engaged in a struggle. He is aware of his obligations and desires to repent but his successes in resisting temptation are only occasional. According to Rabbeinu Bachyah this type of penance is incomplete. Forgiveness for past transgressions is only given when the בעל תשובה no longer sins at all.
The third type of penitent is the one who earns forgiveness from Hashem. This person has worked so that his intellect has overcome his desires. He no longer has any internal struggle. He also realizes the greatness of God and accordingly he is aware of the significance of his past misdeeds. He is constantly aware of those misdeeds, he regrets them and ceaselessly seeks God’s forgiveness for them. To a person who undergoes this transformation Hashem grants full forgiveness.
Rabbeinu Bachyah certainly places a great deal of responsibility on the בעל תשובה to remake his personality. In the seminal work על התשובה Rav Soloveitchik זצ”ל contrasts Rav Sadiah Gaon ‘s parameter for repentance with that of the Rambam. And even though the Rav zt”l does not mention Rabbeinu Bachyah, it seems to me that the Rambam’s view[1] is also Rabbeinu Bachya’s.
Rav Sadiah Gaon discusses repentance in his work on Jewish thought which is known as אמונות ודעות. Rav Sadiah also discusses the penitent who relapses. Unlike Rabbeinu Bachyah, Rav Sadiah Gaon writes that as long as the desire for penance is sincere, Hashem will forgive the בעל תשובה. And even if the penitent despite his honest desire to change should sin again, Hashem will not withdraw His pardon for past transgressions. No matter how many times the penitent slips back to his old ways, Hashem will continue to forgive him and erase the past sins.
Rav Soloveitchik zt”l wonders if the Rambam agrees with Rav Sadiah. In הלכות תשובה the Rambam writes:
רמבם הלכות תשובה פרק ב
הלכה ב
ומה היא התשובה הוא שיעזוב החוטא חטאו ויסירו ממחשבתו ויגמור בלבו שלא יעשהו עוד שנאמר יעזוב רשע דרכו וגו’, וכן יתנחם על שעבר שנאמר כי אחרי שובי נחמתי, ויעיד עליו יודע תעלומות שלא ישוב לזה החטא לעולם שנאמר ולא נאמר עוד אלהינו למעשה ידינו וגו’, וצריך להתודות בשפתיו ולומר עניינות אלו שגמר בלבו.
The phrase which is highlighted in red is very difficult to understand. Literally, it could mean that God Himself testifies that the penitent will not sin again. If this is what the Rambam means, then only the absolutely greatest degree of certainty as regards the penitent’s transformation suffices to guarantee forgiveness. This clearly is not the view of Rav Sadiah (and this seems to reflect the standard set by Rabbeinu Bachyah).
But there is another way to understand the Rambam. The verb ויעיד does not necessarily mean “and He will testify.” It could mean “and he will call upon to testify.” According to this translation, the Rambam says that the בעל תשובה, as a sign of his sincerity, will call upon God to be witness to his commitment to starting a new life. This explanation places the Rambam in the same camp as Rav Sadiah Gaon (as opposed to Rabbeinu Bachya). As soon as a person makes a sincere resolution to abandon sin Hashem will forgive his past transgressions. And if this person should revert to his old ways, Hashem will nevertheless not hold him accountable for those past transgressions.
This discussion obviously leaves us to ponder the meaning of terms like “sincerity,” “resolve” and “commitment.” The Rambam, who wrote ever-so-precisely described God as “the Knower of mysteries” in that passage from Hilchot Teshuvah which I quoted above. Only Hashem knows when we are sincere. Forgiveness is a great gift and it needs to be earned.
Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s shiur. Bye, Stuart Fischman
[1] Or, to be precise, an interpretation of the Rambam’s view