"But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion" - Love and Fear in Judaism.

העובד מאהבה, עוסק בתורה ובמצוות והולך בנתיבות החכמה--לא מפני דבר בעולם, לא מפני יראת הרעה, ולא כדי לירש הטובה:  אלא עושה האמת, מפני שהוא אמת; וסוף הטובה לבוא בכלל.

“One who worships out of love, is occupied with Torah and walks in the paths of knowledge, for no other reason in the world, neither for fear of bad consequences nor hoping for good outcomes, but acts the truth because it is true and eventually good will follow on the whole[1]”. (Hilchot Teshuvah 10:2)

This is one of the most important statements that we can find anywhere in the Jewish literature and it truly defines our religion as it really is – The Quest for Truth - the ultimate Truth. What triggered this post is a quote from Steven Weinberg (Nobel Prize Physicist), in Jim Holt’s excellent book – Why Does the World Exist? – which I am now reading. Weinberg reportedly stated, “With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion”.  My reaction is that he is 100% right and that is because most people do not understand what real religion is all about. I don’t know enough about other religions but I know enough about our religion, Judaism to know that based on the way it is practiced nowadays and understood by the general Jewish religious community, Weinberg is correct. It is only by accepting Rambam’s definition of religion and understanding deeply what he is teaching that Judaism can become what it is supposed to be – to move humanity towards seeking Truth and not a tool for control and manipulation. 

The general rather simplistic and popular concept of Judaism today is that it is good for you. God knows all and watches all human actions and sits in judgment; good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished. As man does not know what is right or wrong, a set of laws has been given – the Torah and Mitzvot – and doing good means following the Mitzvot, bad is ignoring or flouting them. Punishment is when bad things happen and reward is when good things happen. How to define good things and bad things? If a person’s wishes are fulfilled it is good and if they are thwarted it is bad. As human life is short there is an additional bonus, Olam Haba, life after death where if one was good one will bask in perpetual bliss, an undefined concept but said to be something that one cannot grasp while alive. The evil person, the one who flouted the Mitzvot while alive will burn in hell, suffering untold pain eternally. Then there are full panoplies of intermediary systems where one gets reward in this world for the good deeds so that he can be punished eternally for the bad and vice versa.  Interestingly some more “advanced thinkers” will suggest that there are “spiritual” benefits that result from following this path. If you try to delve deeper and ask what they mean by "spiritual" the answer is less anxiety, Bitachon, feeling good about yourself and other such “feel good” experiences. The common denominator is that the rewards are “good things” happening to the individual.  All one has to do is pick up a contemporary Mussar sefer or “theological” sefer to get a picture of this simple and easy to grasp system of reward and punishment. The ultimate goal of this type of religion is to adhere strictly to the Mitzvot and to reap the rewards that God bestows on those that follow rituals strictly.

At first blush, the sources fit very nicely with this understanding of Judaism. However this approach cannot satisfy a thinking person. It is a narcissistic and selfish perspective on life where everything one does is to satisfy personal wishes and needs. It is no better than capitalism, socialism or any other “ism” out there. Egoism and selfishness eventually lead to evil and it is in the name of these “isms” that much of the evil witnessed by humankind has been perpetrated. If there is nothing more to religion, then religion is truly the cause of evil. If religion is there only to better our material life then it will inevitably lead to evil. That is the idea behind Avodah Zara – idolatry - which is the ultimate falsehood and is the underlying theme of all that the Torah teaches away from. So how do we explain the prevalence of this way of thinking in our community? Human beings are endowed with the urge for self-preservation. That urge is common to all living things and is there to perpetuate themselves and their kind or genus.  That urge is narcissistic and selfish and is part of us just like appetite and all our other urges. This type of religious thinking caters to that urge and is attractive to the animalistic instinct, it “feels” good. It is also a misinterpretation and misunderstanding of the sources, a distortion of what they teach us as we will see further.

In addition to the survival instinct human beings have another innate capability - consciousness. That capability allows us to see ourselves, ourselves in relation to the other and in relation to our environment and our universe. It gives us the ability to see beyond our natural urges and our immediate needs, to see the other and develop moral and ethical codes that take into account the other and our environment. Moral and ethical societies do not necessarily require religion to function and indeed many societies work well without religion. Thus the first part of Weinberg’s statement is correct, good people will do good and bad people evil without religion. Consciousness and the ability to think abstractly and self-awareness that comes with it bring with them an even more advanced and sophisticated urge; it triggers in us the need to understand our existence why we are here, what is the goal of us being here and all the existential questions that humanity has struggled with for millennia. Judaism is meant to help people address these questions. Rambam counts as the eighth positive commandment

המצווה השמינית

הציווי שנצטווינו להדמות לו ית' כפי יכלתנו, והוא אמרו:

"והלכת בדרכיו" (דברים כח, ט). 

The existential question of how and why we exist and the search for the answer has a practical side to it – to find God so that we can emulate Him. The problem is that to know God, to know how to emulate Him is not easy. God is the Truth but also the Great Mystery and the search to discover Him and interpret His actions correctly is a lifelong task that takes over all aspects of a human being’s day. The greatest challenge is to overcome subjectivity, self-serving bias so that we can see things objectively. It is here that Torah and Mitzvot, the practical side of Judaism come into play. They are the tool that perfects our minds and our emotions so that we think objectively and thus know how to act constructively. Torah and Mitzvot are not the goal and end all of religious life but the most important gift we received from HKBH as tools to perfect us and help us reach our ultimate goal which is finding God and His ways and emulating Him. When religion is focused to help us realize these goals it is a very personal experience and does not lead to control and manipulation that is the source of evil. On the contrary it imbues us with respect to fellow seekers and compels us to enlist others into this quest through example and promotes love for our fellow human beings.

Returning to the question we asked earlier, why is our community so invested in the idea of following the Law for the sake of physical reward and to avoid punishment?  The question is even sharper when we read the strong admonishments and warnings in the last few Parshyot – Ki Tavo and Nitzavim. They all seem to focus on the physical good and bad. As I said earlier it is an attractive approach to the undeveloped person and therefore entices him to grab on to this misinterpretation of the sources. In Hilchot Teshuvah Chapter 9 Rambam addresses these sources  and explains how they are meant to be read. As this is a quite lengthy discussion I will leave it for another post.  Here is a summary of how Rambam understands this –

ו  נמצא פירוש כל אותן הברכות והקללות, על דרך זו:  כלומר אם עבדתם את ה' בשמחה, ושמרתם דרכו--משפיע לכם הברכות האלו ומרחיק הקללות, עד שתהיו פנויים להתחכם בתורה ולעסוק בה, כדי שתזכו לחיי העולם הבא, וייטב לך לעולם שכולו טוב ותאריך ימים לעולם שכולו ארוך.  ונמצאתם זוכין לשני העולמות, לחיים טובים בעולם הזה המביאין לחיי העולם הבא:  שאם לא יקנה הנה חכמה ומעשים טובים--אין לו במה יזכה, שנאמר "כי אין מעשה וחשבון, ודעת וחכמה, בשאול . . ." (קוהלת ט,י).

ז  ואם עזבתם את ה' ושגיתם במאכל ומשקה וזנות ודומה להם--מביא עליכם כל הקללות האלו ומסיר כל הברכות, עד שייכלו ימיכם בבהלה ופחד, ולא יהיה לכם לב פנוי ולא גוף שלם לעשות המצוות, כדי שתאבדו מחיי העולם הבא.  ונמצא שאיבדתם שני עולמות:  שבזמן שאדם טרוד בעולם הזה בחולי ובמלחמה ורעבון, אינו מתעסק לא בחכמה ולא במצוה שבהן זוכין לחיי העולם הבא.

It should be noted that at the end of all the admonishments and warnings where the Torah describes all the physical destruction and punishment that will result from our transgressions, the Torah describes what will happen at the end when we realize our mistake. It promises improvements in our physical wellbeing but ultimately the goal is – (Devarim 30:6)

ו  וּמָל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת-לְבָבְךָ, וְאֶת-לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ:  לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ--לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ.

6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.

The ultimate goal is to worship God out of love and not out of fear. Love comes with knowledge. We love someone we know; we do not love strangers. It is the search for the answers to our existential questions that leads us to the transcendental God, the mysterious and unknown Entity that we can only know through negating any physical attribute to, that we only perceive the results of His will and which we try to emulate. The understanding that this is the goal of Mitzvot and not just physical wellbeing will go a long way to keep us from falling into the trap Professor Weinberg so eloquently describes – “But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion”.

In another post I would like to expand more on this last fundamental issue – what exactly to we mean when we talk about God? When we say we are searching for God, what exactly are we looking for? Because the answer to that sharpens further why Professor Weinstein’s comment and indeed many of the anti-religion arguments of other atheists such as Dawkins and Hitchens do not talk to me when I think about real Judaism, the one Rambam teaches.

As this post was inspired by Steven Weinberg, who claims to be an atheist, I would like to share another statement of his regarding the boycotting of Israel by some humanistic/religious groups -

"Given the history of the attacks on Israel and the oppressiveness and aggressiveness of other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere, boycotting Israel indicated a moral blindness for which it is hard to find any explanation other than anti-Semitism."

Spoken like a Jew!

I wish all a Ketiva Vechatima Tova and a Shana Tova. Chag Sameach.  

---

[1] “On the whole” indicates the possibility of a rocky road with a good outcome. The immediate result of “acting the Truth” may not be necessarily rosy but in the larger context it will lead to good. This falls into Rambam’s discussion of providence – Hashgacha.

Prayer and Fasting When Bad Things Happen To Us.

Rambam In Hilchot Ta’aniyot 1:9 legislates –

כשם שציבור מתענים על צרתן, כך היחיד מתענה על צרתו. כיצד: הרי שהיה לו
חולה, או תועה במדבר, או אסור בבית האסורין--יש לו להתענות עליו, ולבקש
רחמים בתפילתו ואומר עננו, בכל תפילה שמתפלל

Just as the community fast when faced with a calamity, so too the individual should fast. Should a dependent be sick, lost in the desert or in prison, he should fast for him and ask for mercy in his prayer adding Aneinu to every Tefilah he prays.

There are a few striking elements in this Halacha. Maggid Mishna already notes that there is no source for an obligation to fast for a personal distress. Looking at the sources Gra and others suggest, they do not clearly say that it is an obligation. In fact one of the sources, the Gemara in Ta’aniyot 22b permits one to fast for a personal problem rather than commands one to do so, as if there may even be a possible prohibition to do so, which is in fact the opinion of rabbi Yossi[1]. The other thing that is striking is that the obligation is only when it is for something that happened to someone close. [I translated לו dependent to emphasize this.] There is neither obligation nor even the mention of the viability of fasting for a stranger in this Halacha[2].

I believe that Rambam is consistent with his understanding that when a calamity befalls us, we need to look at ourselves and see what our contribution to this mishap was. It is a process of repentance and reformation. This process applies to the community as well as to the individual. It is however limited to our dependents who are under our influence thus suffering from our decisions. Our prayers and subsequent repentance will have no effect on strangers who are not affected by our deeds. Whatever befalls us is, in most cases, a result of decisions and actions that we made. In MN 3:12 Rambam discusses the evil things that befall us. Looking at all the bad things that happen to us, we can divide them and their causes into three distinct groups; those that occur naturally; those that occur as a result of people trying to subjugate others and finally the most common one by far, the ones we bring upon ourselves.

“The third class of evils comprises those which every one causes to himself by his own action. This is the largest class, and is far more numerous than the second class. It is especially of these evils that all men complain, only few men are found that do not sin against themselves by this kind of evil… This class of evils originates in man's vices, such as excessive desire for eating, drinking, and love; indulgence in these things in undue measure, or in improper manner, or partaking of bad food. This course brings diseases and afflictions upon body and soul alike.”

Rambam explains in MN3:36 –

“For the belief of the people that their troubles are mere accidents causes them to continue in their evil principles and their wrong actions, and prevents them from abandoning their evil ways.”Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved" (Jer. v. 3). For this reason, God commanded us to pray to Him, to entreat Him, and to cry before Him in time of trouble.”

Unlike the general view that prayer in such circumstances will somehow miraculously bring relief, Rambam sees taking responsibility and ownership for what happened as the only way that will prevent recurrences. It is only when we understand that our actions have consequences and we try to mend our ways that we can change our future. Prayer is not a miraculous cure but a first step in recognizing our role in what happened to us that lead to repentance and self-improvement.

So what is daily prayer? Why pray when nothing bad has occurred? More to come in upcoming post(s).



[1] He holds that by fasting one risks becoming sick and dependent on others.
[2] In Hil Evel 14:6 Rambam discusses the Mitzvah of Bikur Cholim – visiting the sick.

הנכנס לבקר את החולה--לא יישב לא על גבי מיטה, ולא על גבי ספסל, ולא על
גבי כיסא, ולא על גבי מקום גבוה, ולא למעלה ממראשותיו; אלא מתעטף, ויושב
למטה ממראשותיו, ומבקש עליו רחמים, ויוצא

Note that this prayer is only while visiting. Along the same approach as Meiri, it is a subtle reminder, by example, for the sick person to repent.

Reb Naftoli Bochner - יהי זכרך ברוך

A member of our community, R. Naftoli Bochner A’H passed away this Friday night and the levaya was attended by an overflowing crowd. R. Naftoli A’H succumbed to a long and arduous fight with cancer leaving a bereaved family, neighbors and friends. During his touching Hesped (eulogy), R. Sender Epstein quoted a Rambam in Hilchot Aveil 13:12

[יב] כל מי שלא מתאבל כמו שציוו חכמים, הרי זה אכזרי; אלא יפחד וידאג ויפשפש במעשיו, ויחזור בתשובה. ואחד מבני חבורה שמת, תדאג כל החבורה כולה.

Anyone who does not mourn as the Rabbis have ordered is cruel. One should be fearful, worry and audit his deeds [literally: search his actions] and repent. One member of the Chabura that dies, the whole Chabura should worry.

As he was quoting this Halacha, it reminded me of a similar language Rambam uses in Hilchot Ta’aniyot 1:3 where after explaining that praying and fasting when bad things happen is a method of repentance, Rambam says:

אבל אם לא יזעקו, ולא יריעו, אלא יאמרו דבר זה ממנהג העולם אירע לנו, וצרה זו נקרוא נקרית--הרי זו דרך אכזרייות, וגורמת להם להידבק במעשיהם הרעים, ותוסיף הצרה וצרות אחרות

But if they will not cry and blow [trumpets] saying that what happened to us is natural [literally: custom of the world], this trouble just happened to us by chance – this is the path of cruelty. It leads them to remain attached to their bad ways bringing on more trouble.

When bad things happen to us, we are commanded to consider the causes of this trouble having in mind to remedy and prevent its recurrence. Similarly, when a person dies, his contemporaries are reminded that their time is coming closer too. Are they ready to go? Have they accomplished all that they could have? If they do not introspect, they are cruel to themselves. They risk dying without having accomplished all they could and should have. Mourning is to remind the living that their time will come too and time is precious. That explains the preceding Halacha which is the introduction to this one -

אל יתקשה אדם על מתו יתר מדיי--שנאמר "אל תבכו למת, ואל תנודו לו"
, כלומר יתר מדיי: שזה הוא מנהגו של עולם; והמצער עצמו על מנהג העולם, הרי זה טיפש.

A person should not grieve too much for [his] the deceased. As it says, “do not weep for the dead and do not lament for him,” meaning too much, for it is the custom of the world. One who suffers too much for natural events [literally; as is the custom of the world], is a fool.

We as humans grieve even for the inevitable and the irreparable. Like all our emotions, they have a purpose and should be harnessed for constructive goals. Grieving when channeled properly can be turned into an introspective experience for our own self-improvement and betterment. The deceased offers us life through his act of dying, his last act as a person, the ultimate altruistic deed. It is up to us to make it so. I believe that this is the meaning of the term
יהי זכרו ברוך– Baruch means the source of goodness. When we say Baruch Ata Hashem Hamotzi Lechem Min Ha’aretz – we are acknowledging that You God are the source for the bread, as You are the One responsible for bringing it out from the earth. Remembering the deceased as the Rabbis commanded us, make him, the deceased, the source of our betterment, the one responsible for it.

Reb Naftoli Bochner - יהי זכרך ברוך.

Random Reflections for Yom Kippur - Gmar Chatima Tova.

In my earlier post regarding Rosh Hashana, http://yediah.blogspot.com/2007/09/reflection-for-rosh-hashana.html , I quoted Rambam in his Pirush Hamishna where he suggests that the idea of being judged on Rosh Hashana has an esoteric (not obvious) meaning. The post generated several excellent comments to explain the meaning of judgment in this context. I strongly recommend those reading the current post to read the insightful discussion there. I would like to introduce a few more ideas into the discussion. They came to me as I was reading the comments and might help clarify the issues.

First, I am struck by the comparison Rambam makes between the day of death and Rosh Hashana. In Hil Teshuvah 3:3 Rambam says

ו כשם ששוקלין עוונות אדם וזכייותיו, בשעת מיתתו--כך בכל שנה ושנה, שוקלין עוונות כל אחד ואחד מבאי העולם עם זכייותיו ביום טוב של ראש השנה:
מי שנמצא צדיק, נחתם לחיים; ומי שנמצא רשע, נחתם למיתה. והבינוני, תולין לו עד יום הכיפורים: אם עשה תשובה, נחתם לחיים; ואם לאו, נחתם למיתה

Just as the sins and merits of man are weighed at the time of his death so too are, the sins and merits of each inhabitant of the world weighed on the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashana. Whoever is found righteous is sealed to life and whoever is found to be a Rasha is sealed to death. The Beinoni (one whose merits and sins are in exact balance) is suspended until Yom Kippur. If he repents, he is sealed to life. If he does not he is sealed to death.

What is clear is that the day of death is a reflective moment restricted to the past. The dying individual has no longer an opportunity to change the future. The consequences of his actions are in play and he cannot any longer influence them. On the other hand, Rosh Hashana is a time of change. Reflection brings about repentance which is the paradigm of change. I therefore suspect that the weighing of sins and merits is an attitude to be taken by an observer. When one sees another person on his death bed, there is a feeling of identification and the attitude should be that just as the dying man’s dreams and aspirations have come to an end so too must the observer stop and look at his past as if it is about to come to an end. That triggers a moment of accounting where, just like the dying person, a balance sheet is drawn up. Similarly, Rosh Hashana is a time for making a balance sheet which is the meaning of weighing. The period between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is an opportunity to repent and actually start acting according to this new apprehension. Thus

ט ומפני עניין זה, נהגו כל בית ישראל להרבות בצדקה ובמעשים טובים ולעסוק במצוות, מראש השנה עד יום הכיפורים, יתר מכל ימות השנה

That is why all Jews have the custom to increase charity and good deeds and be involved in Mitzvot [during this period] from Rosh Hashana until Yom Kippur more than any at other time all year round.

Interestingly we find a very similar idea in Hilchot Aveil 13:12.

[יב] כל מי שלא מתאבל כמו שציוו חכמים, הרי זה אכזרי; אלא יפחד וידאג ויפשפש במעשיו, ויחזור בתשובה. ואחד מבני חבורה שמת, תדאג כל החבורה כולה.
יד כל שלושה ימים הראשונים, יראה את עצמו כאילו חרב מונחת לו על כתפו; משלושה ועד שבעה, מונחת בקרן זווית; מכאן ואילך, עוברת כנגדו בשוק. כל זה כדי להכין עצמו לחזור, וייעור משינתו, והרי הוא אומר "הכית אותם ולא חלו" (ירמיהו ה,ג), מכלל שצריך להקיץ ולחול

Whoever does not mourn as commanded by the sages is cruel[1]. One should be fearful, worry and analyze one’s deeds and repent. Should one of a group [of friends] die, the rest of them should worry.

The first three days [of mourning], he [the mourner] should see himself as if a sharp sword is placed on his shoulder. From the third to the seventh day [the sword] is in a corner and from then on [for the remainder of his mourning – my understanding] as if it [the sword] is passing opposite him in the market. All [mourning processes performed] are to prepare him to repent and wake up from his slumber. [See Hil Teshuvah 3:4 re Shofar where Rambam uses similar language]. As it says, “you hit them and they did not feel” we therefore can deduce that one is supposed to wake up and feel.

There is a parallel between the mourning periods and the ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, the Asseret Yemei Teshuvah; both events, death of a relative or friend and Rosh Hashana are triggers for self-reflection and repentance. One is a natural marker while the other is artificial. Death comes to us; we come to Rosh Hashana and the Asseret Yemei Teshuvah.

I also think that it is interesting to see how Rambam presents Rosh Hashana, Asseret Yemei Teshuvah and Yom Kippur in MN 3:43 –

“The object of the Fast of Atonement is evident. The Fast creates the sense of repentance; it is the same day on which the chief of all prophets came down [from Mount Sinai] with the second tablets, and announced to the people the divine pardon of their great sin; the day was therefore appointed for ever as a day devoted to repentance and true worship of God [Avodah]. For this reason all material enjoyment, all trouble and care for the body, are interdicted, no work may be done; the day must be spent in confession; everyone shall confess his sins and abandon them.”

I read the avoidance of material enjoyment as a reenactment of Moshe on the mount who did not eat nor drink. Moshe was so involved with God that he did not require physical nourishment.

“One of these [prophets, namely Moshe] has attained so much knowledge, and has concentrated his thoughts to such an extent in the idea of God, that it could be said of him, "And he was with the Lord forty days," etc. (Exod. xxxiv. 28). during that holy communion he could ask Him, answer Him, speak to Him, and be addressed by Him. And because of the great joy in that which he apprehended, "he did neither eat bread nor drink water" (ibid.). His intellectual energy was so predominant that all coarser functions of the body, especially those connected with the sense of touch, were in abeyance.” (MN3:51)

Our Avodah needs to be so intense that we do the same at least one day.

Continuing in MN 3:43 with Rosh Hashana –

“New-Year is likewise kept for one day; for it is a day of repentance, on which we are stirred up from our forgetfulness. For this reason, the Shofar is blown on this day, as we have shown in Mishne-torah. The day is, as it were, a preparation for and an introduction to the day of the Fast, as is obvious from the national tradition about the days between New-Year and the Day of Atonement.”

Just a few unfinished thoughts for Yom Kippur.
Gmar Chatima Tova to all.





[1] The concept of cruelty when refusing to repent is also found in Hil Ta’aniyot 1:2
ג אבל אם לא יזעקו, ולא יריעו, אלא יאמרו דבר זה ממנהג העולם אירע לנו, וצרה זו נקרוא נקרית--הרי זו דרך אכזרייות, וגורמת להם להידבק במעשיהם הרעים, ותוסיף הצרה וצרות אחרות:

Consequential actions - Reward and Punishment.

Hilchot Teshuvah in Rambam is a fascinating subject to learn. It is one of the places where we see the great Halachist and philosopher confront and blend smoothly the two components of Judaism: Thought and Practice. I have started learning it with two remarkable young men (teenagers) Shabbat afternoon and it is a great experience where I am forced to present it in a rational and cogent way. So I plan to post whenever I come up with a new insight.

ט [ד] אף על פי שהתשובה מכפרת על הכול, ועצמו של יום הכיפורים מכפר--יש עבירות שהן מתכפרין בשעתן, ויש עבירות שאין מתכפרין אלא לאחר זמן. כיצד: עבר אדם על מצות עשה שאין בה כרת, ועשה תשובה--אינו זז משם עד שמוחלין לו מיד, ובאלו נאמר "שובו בנים שובבים, ארפא משובותיכם" (ירמיהו ג,כב).
י עבר על מצות לא תעשה שאין בה כרת ולא מיתת בית דין, ועשה תשובה--תשובה תולה ויום הכיפורים מכפר, ובאלו נאמר "כי ביום הזה יכפר עליכם" (ויקרא טז,ל).
יא עבר על כרתות ומיתות בית דין, ועשה תשובה--תשובה ויום הכיפורים תולין, וייסורין הבאין עליו גומרין לו הכפרה, ולעולם אין מתכפר לו כפרה גמורה, עד שיבואו עליו ייסורין; ובאלו נאמר "ופקדתי בשבט, פשעם; ובנגעים עוונם" (תהילים פט,לג).
יב במה דברים אמורים, בשלא חילל את השם בעת שעבר. אבל המחלל את השם--אף על פי שעשה תשובה והגיע יום הכיפורים והוא עומד בתשובתו ובאו עליו ייסורין, אינו מתכפר לו כפרה גמורה עד שימות, אלא תשובה ויום הכיפורים וייסורין שלושתן תולין ומיתה מכפרת, שנאמר "ונגלה באוזניי, ה' צבאות: אם יכופר העוון הזה לכם, עד תמותון" (ישעיהו כב,יד).

(Hilchot Teshuvah 1:9-12)

I will translate/paraphrase (italicized) and intersperse with my comment and how I understood it (regular lettering in brackets).

Before I approach the text, I would like to preface it with a short discussion of the meaning of the word Kapparah in this context. Traditionally it is translated as forgiveness but it has a deeper meaning. We believe that our actions are consequential and every thing we do triggers a chain of events. Sometimes those events are beneficial at others counter productive and destructive. The magnitude of the consequences is what sets the relative value of our actions. In other words, certain actions that will bring a great change for the good or evil will be considered a great Mitzvah or a great Aveirah respectively. Punishment assigned to a transgression in the Torah is seen as a deterrent. The type of punishment the Torah metes out for a transgression represents the value it assigns to it based on the consequences it triggers; the greater the potential consequence, the greater the deterrent needed thus the greater the punishment. Forgiveness in a classical sense is hard to understand. Repentance may prevent one to repeat an Aveirah. What does it do to the consequences that were already triggered? How does repentance and forgiveness stop that? I believe that the word Kapparah refers to that. Its translation is to wipe away, in other words to wipe away the consequences of one’s action. The Torah is aware that no amount of repentance can stop something that is put in motion. However in certain situations as the perpetrator removes himself things tend to peter out by themselves. In other cases, they cannot be stopped but not repeating is a great step forward. At others, the removal of the perpetrator is the only thing that removes responsibility. He is no longer here to take responsibility. There cannot be full Kapparah – wiping away – of the act until things have run their course. (In some cases, the consequences may appear in later generations but that is another discussion).

Now we are ready to deal with the text[1].

9. Although repentance forgives for all [sins] as does Yom Kippur, some sins are forgiven [wiped away] immediately, others after a time. How is that? If a person transgresses on a positive commandment that does not have the punishment of Caret and he repents, he is forgiven immediately as it says: Return backsliding children, I will heal your backsliding.

[Generally, not performing positive commandments is not punishable as deterrence is not applicable. Inaction may be detrimental but the consequences are neither something measurable nor inevitable. Thus, repentance is seen as the end and no consequences are expected further. They are forgiven immediately. (Note the word Mochalin instead of Mechaperim – there is no need for wiping away – just forgiving).

Some positive commandments if not kept interfere with the person’s development. It prevents him from growing in awareness of God. The consequence is Caret; the part of the person that gets in touch with divinity, what we call soul dies without reaching its potential. These also affect others such as family, friends and so on. Immediate forgiveness cannot happen. Immediate forgiveness is not an option until; all the consequences have run their course as we will see further.]

10. If a person transgresses a negative commandment that is not punishable by either Caret or the death penalty by a Beit Din, repentance suspends [I understand that to mean that in cases where the perpetrators’ active participation affects the outcome, his stopping now, reduces the effects] and Yom Kippur forgives. [Wipes out – in other words the consequences have a short duration]. As it says, “for on this day shall atonement be made for you.”

[I have to admit that I still need to work on how to understand how YK, a set date, can stop consequences. In the same vein, I have to address the problem of the Azazel goat forgiving even without repentance on certain transgressions as discussed in an earlier Halacha. I plan to talk about this in a separate post; in the meantime see MN 3:46.]

11. If a person transgresses [sins] that have Caret or death penalty and repents – repentance and Yom Kippur suspends and the sufferings that he endures complete the forgiveness [wiping off]. That person is not forgiven until he suffers. [As I understand it, once an act has triggered a consequence it cannot be stopped. Repetition can be avoided but one cannot pull back an effect that is already in the making. That person must therefore first suffer the consequences of his act. Based on the severity of the punishment, this type of sin must have triggered effects that cannot be stopped.] On these, it is said “then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with strokes”. [The proof text is telling. David’s children sin, their actions have destructive consequences, but ultimately David’s dynasty will prevail.]

12. All this applies when there was no Chilul Hashem. [Profanation of God’s name occurs when there are spectators to the transgressions and they are therefore presumably influenced.] However, one who profanes God’s name, even after repenting, Yom Kippur has arrived while he is in a state of repentance and he is suffering the consequences of his actions, his sin is not wiped away completely until he dies. [The influence on others can never be wiped away with his personal repentance. After death, there is no further responsibility.] For Chilul Hashem the three, repentance, Yom Kippur and suffering suspends [as explained before no further new consequences as he repented but those already in motion cannot be stopped] and death brings total forgiveness as it says: “And the LORD of hosts revealed Himself in mine ears: Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die”.

This reading of Rambam fits with his general understanding of reward and punishment and they would be too many to quote here. Just a short quote from his introduction to Perek Chelek which I will not translate (now, maybe in another post):

פירוש המשנה לרמב"ם מסכת סנהדרין פרק י משנה א

וכל מי ששקע בתענוגות הגופניות והזניח את האמת והעדיף את השוא נכרת מאותו השגב, וישאר חומר מוכרת בלבד, וכבר ביאר הנביא שהעולם הבא אינו נישג בחושים הגופניים והוא אמרו עין לא ראתה אלהים זולתיך יעשה למחכה לו, ואמרו בפירוש דבר זה כל הנביאים כולם לא נתנבאו אלא לימות המשיח אבל העולם הבא עין לא ראתה אלהים זולתיך. אלב ההבטחות והפכן האמורים בתורה ענינן כמו שאבאר לך, וכך הוא, שהוא אומר לך אם תקיים את המצות הללו אעזרך על קיומן והשלמות בהן, ואסלק מעליך כל המעצורים לפי שאי אפשר לאדם לעבוד [את ה'] לא חולה ולא רעב ולא צמא ולא במצב של מלחמה, ולכן הבטיח בהסרת כל אלה ושיהיו בריאים ושלוים כדי שתשלם להם הידיעה ויזכו לחיי העולם הבא. נמצא שאין תכלית התורה שתדשן האדמה ויאריכו ימים ויבריאו הגופות, אלא ייעזרו על קיומה בכל הדברים הללו. וכן אם עברו יהיה עונשם שיבואו עליהם כל אותם המעצורים עד שלא יוכלו לעשות טוב וכמו שאמר תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' וכו'. וכאשר תתבונן התבוננות נפלאה זו תמצא שהוא כאלו אמר אם עשית מקצת אלו המצות באהבה וחריצות אעזרך על כולם בהסירי מעליך כל העוצרים והמעכבים, ואם הזנחת מהם מקצתם מתוך זלזול אביא עליך מעכבים שיעכבוך מכולם עד שלא תשיג שלמות ולא קיום, וזהו ענין אמרם עליהם השלום שכר מצוה מצוה ושכר עברה עברה.






[1] This Halacha is almost verbatim the Gemara Yoma 86a.