Shabbos Shuvah: Teshuvah as Returning Lifnei Hashem—From Kaparah to Deveikus

Transcript

This Torah class is brought to you by TorahAnytime.com. Aseres Yemei Teshuva is designated for days that we do teshuva, called Aseres Yemei Teshuva. Within the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, we have a Shabbos. It's called Shabbos Teshuva. Simply, Shabbos Teshuva is because it's the Shabbos in the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, and every ten days has to have a Shabbos, and that's Shabbos Teshuva. I saw letters from the Brisker Rav, zecheno livracha, and Rav Chaim Ozer, where they dated the letters Gimel l'Teshuva, Daled l'Teshuva, which means that every day is a day of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. They would write Gimel l'Teshuva, Daled l'Teshuva, and thus Shabbos Teshuva means the Shabbos in the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. I think it's a lot deeper. But the name Shabbos Teshuva doesn't just mean it's the Shabbos within the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, but it's Shabbos which, the Shabbos, the avodas hayom, the Shabbos of the Aseres Yemei Teshuva is a Shabbos which the avodah of the day is to do teshuva. And it's the essence of that Shabbos. Not just coincidentally, it's the Shabbos within the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah. It's takke Shabbos teshuvah. The Shabbos, that the essence of that day is to do teshuvah. And I see this clearly. The Yud-Gimmel Midos that you say when you take out the Sefer Torah, we say it on Yom Tov, but you don't say it on Shabbos. You never say Shabbos Yud-Gimmel Midos. There is, though, a minhag. If you look at the ArtScroll Siddur, he brings that some have this minhag, some do it, that on Shabbos Teshuvah you do say Yud-Gimmel Midos. So I see the minhag. In Belz they do it, in Pupa. I see the Nitei Gavriel brings that these are minhagim from different communities to say the Yud-Gimmel Midos, even though it's Shabbos, Shabbos Teshuvah. You say Yud-Gimmel Midos when you take out the Sefer Torah. So you see that it's different than regular Shabbos, where on regular Shabbosim we wouldn't say Yud-Gimmel Midos. If Rosh Hashanah fell out on a Shabbos, we won't say Yud-Gimmel Midos. But Shabbos Teshuvah you say Yud-Gimmel Midos. And there's a mekor for this. It's not just a minhag. There's a mekor for this minhag in the Rishonim. The Rosh at the end of Rosh Hashanah brings down, Rav Teroi Gaon said that you could fast on Shabbos Teshuvah. Normally you're not allowed to fast on Shabbos, but you're allowed to fast on Shabbos teshuva. And he says that that was the minhag of the Chachamim of his time, to fast on Shabbos teshuva. The Rosh comes and he says, Hayitachen? It's Shabbos. How could you fast? It's a davar teima, it's a wonder. It can't be such a thing. Yet, Rabbeinu Teruai Gaon held that you could fast on this Shabbos. He says these days are different. The lashon he uses, these are different days. It's not regular days. What does Rabbeinu Teruai Gaon mean? What I'm explaining to you, that Shabbos teshuva is not just Shabbos to happen to fall out on the Aseres Yemei Teshuva. The essence, the avodas hayom of this Shabbos is to do teshuva. And ממילא you could fast, because fasting is part of doing teshuva. You see that the Shabbos teshuva is not just coincidentally the Shabbos in the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, but it's the Shabbos of teshuva. It's the Shabbos designated to do teshuva. It's the Shabbos that the essence and avodas hayom of the Shabbos is to do teshuva. What does it mean, Shabbos teshuva? It's deep, rabosai. I think there's a lot of—

Insight into the fact that it's called Shabbos Teshuva. First we have to understand what teshuva is. And I think if we properly understand teshuva, we'll understand its significance in Shabbos Teshuva, how the Shabbos and the teshuva are linked together. That this Shabbos, its essence is a Shabbos of teshuva. What is teshuva, Rabbi? The Rambam codifies teshuva in his hakdamah to Hilchos Teshuva: mitzvas aseh achas. Hilchos Teshuva has one mitzvah, v'hu sheyashuv hachoteh mecheto lifnei Hashem v'yisvada. He should be yashuv, hachoteh mecheto, lifnei Hashem v'yisvada. The Rambam seems to emphasize, the Rambam seems to stress lifnei Hashem, that the teshuva is done in front of Hashem. The Rambam in perek beis also seems to stress this point. In halacha daled: Midarkei ha-teshuva lihyos hashav tzo'ek tamid lifnei Hashem. The way of the baal teshuva is to scream, to call out in tefillah, lifnei Hashem b'chiah u'v'sachnunim. And again, the Rambam stresses the lifnei Hashem. What is the emphasis of Lifnei Hashem in teshuva? Now, the Rambam brings this Lifnei Hashem in the vidui also, in Halacha Aleph. The Rambam says that when you do teshuva, chayav lehisvados lifnei Kel baruch Hu. So here, by vidui, it takes on a different meaning, l'choira, because here vidui means to talk, to confess. So you confess has to be in front of somebody. When a person is misvadeh, he's misvadeh to. Every vidui has to be to. So it's to the Ribono Shel Olam, lifnei Kel baruch Hu. But in his introduction, he doesn't put the Lifnei Hashem on the vidui, but on the teshuva. Sheyashuv hachoteh mechet'o lifnei Hashem. Everything is Lifnei Hashem. Whatever mitzvah you do, whatever action you take is Lifnei Hashem. Why is there an emphasis that teshuva is Lifnei Hashem? See, by the vidui, the Rambam also says, in Halacha Aleph, chayav lehisvados lifnei Kel baruch Hu. Yeah, okay, vidui means that I say the vidui to—so it's to the Eibishter, lifnei Kel baruch Hu. But in the teshuva, it's Lifnei Hashem. Teshuva is, yeah, okay, everything is Lifnei Hashem. Obviously, the Lifnei Hashem is significant in the teshuva. What's the pshat, rabosai? And it's interesting. We say, Avinu Malkeinu, hachzireinu b'tshuva shleima lefanecha. Again, lefanecha. The emphasis on the word lefanecha. What's the emphasis on the word? Hachzireinu b'tshuva shleima. So you see again, the lefanecha is an intricate part of the teshuva. You see that lefanecha is an intricate part of the teshuva. So what is it? Notice that we say the word shleima. What does shleima mean? Complete. Yeah, okay, the Rabbeinu Yonah tells us in Shaar Aleph that there's madreges to teshuva. Teshuva has its steps. So maybe we say, hachzireinu b'tshuva shleima, that we should go through all the steps of teshuva, the complete teshuva, maybe. But I think after we understand the lefanecha properly, we'll understand the shleima also a little differently, than just simply that there's a complete teshuva and an incomplete teshuva. What is the lefanecha? The Michtav MeEliyahu is me'orer this she'eilah, and he brings from Baal HaMussar that the pshat in lefanecha means that it should be such a teshuva.

That pierces in front of you. You know, a person could do teshuva. Who says it's really sincere deep down in the heart? Who knows what's really going on inside the person? Teshuva is not just the action; it has to come from within. So how do you know a person could do teshuva? Maybe it's not a complete teshuva because it's external. Even a teshuva that will pass your inspection, that's what lefanecha means, that even in front of You, Rabbeinu Shleim, that You know what's going on at the heart of the person. It should be such a teshuva. So then we understand the word shleimah in that context, that it has to be a teshuva which is complete, not external. It has to be deep. The Rambam uses such a lashon. He says that when you do teshuva, ad sheyoida alav Yodea Talumos, till the Eibishter could testify, Yodea alav Yodea Talumos, that Hashem, who knows deep in the heart, He'll testify that the person's going to do the teshuva. Good? So then we have the pshat in lefanecha, such a teshuva that even in front of You it's teshuva. Because by You there's no playing around. It is or it isn't. The Rabbeinu Shleim knows what's going on inside the heart. So it's a teshuva lefanecha, even such a teshuva that passes Your inspection. It's glatt kosher even by the Rabbeinu Shleim. Okay, the Rabbeinu Shleim knows what's going on inside. So it's shleimah lefanecha. I would like to give another taich. In the Lefanecha, and then mimeila in the shleima, in the same vein of what we're trying to bring out, the teshuva is lifnei Hashem. What does teshuva lifnei Hashem mean? I saw in Sefer Tomer Dvorah, he asks an interesting question. You know, we talk about the Rabbeinu Shlolam cleaning Klal Yisrael. Michei v'haveh peshaeinu. Rabbeinu Shlolam, You erase, You take away. We speak about lifnei, mi atem metaher, v'mi metaher eschem. Avichem shebashamayim, the Eibishter. Is it for the Eibishter to sit there and clean the dirt? It's not for the king to do it; you send a messenger. You send a servant to clean it, right? Right? You send a cleaning lady. But it's kavayachol for the Rabbeinu Shlolam to sit there and clean the... The bathrooms are cleaned by a cleaning lady. It's dirt. Michei v'haveh peshaeinu lifnei mi atem metaharim. So I always say this pshat from year to year, I tell you this. That's why it says Avichem shebashamayim, because only a father could do it. You know, when a child is dirty, so you give it to the mother. It's only a mother is going to clean the kid. The Rabbeinu Shlolam is the av; He's the father. He'll clean us. Avichem shebashamayim. Because otherwise it's not for a melech; it's for the king to clean us. It's interesting. Michei v'haveh, we ask the Eibishter Himself to do it. Because the eibishter is the tatte. But Tomer Dvorah says a different pshat. Tomer Dvorah says, teshuvah is an interesting dynamic. What is teshuvah? Teshuvah works that I try to come close, and the Ribono Shel Olam takes over to bring me close. Teshuvah is the mekarev and the miskarev. It's almost like a shnayim she'asu. I try to come close, and the Ribono Shel Olam then takes over and brings me close. Says Tomer Dvorah, therefore it has to be done by the people themselves who are doing the action of mekarev and miskarev. I have to come. I can't send someone else to do it. I have to come, right? And the person who, l'havdil, here it's the eibishter who's being mekarev me, he has to do it. So therefore, mechayeh v'ahavah p'sho'im, the Ribono Shel Olam himself. It can't be that mechayeh v'ahavah we send someone else to do it. I'll have to give a mashal here. It's hashidduch. Teshuvah is a shidduch between the Yid and the Ribono Shel Olam.

Only. Could a shidduch work with another stranger? No. A stranger could be a shadchan, maybe. He could try to give you mussar and coach you. But the actual shidduch has to be between the two parties, the miskarev and the mekarev. I start and he responds. Mimeila, it has to be lo al yedei shliach. A shidduch, a shidduch can't be unless the parties themselves are involved and accept, and that's a shidduch. Let's say you could have a shliach l'kaddesh, right? Good. But tell me, under the chuppah, you'll have somebody. You can imagine you have a zachasna. The chassan couldn't make it, so you send someone else under the chuppah to be there. Can't work, right? You need the chassan and the kallah. You need the mekarev and the miskarev. Klal Yisroel comes, HaKadosh Baruch Hu takes, and therefore it has to be directly the Ribono Shel Olam, Chaveh v'psha'einu, מנגד עיניך. I believe that the word teshuva needs to be properly understood. What does teshuva mean? So pashut, the word shuv means to change course. V'shav macharecha, even away from the Eibishter. V'shav meacharei Hashem, it's to change course away. So the baal teshuva means— That he's in one path, he's on one course, and he changes course, a different direction in life. And it happens to be that it's the direction of keeping Torah mitzvahs and on its way to being close to the Rabbeinu Shalom. But the point of teshuva is to change path. That's one pshat that the mefarshim explain in the translation of the word teshuva: veshav, changing. Teshuva Yisrael, change. Ephraim is noided. I told you from Reb Yeruchim that what is Rabbeinu Shalom like about Ephraim? That he's misnoided. He's capable of change. Goyim are not capable of change at all. They're set in their ways and that's it. He is able to change course. We spoke about this in the past. He's nis'orer, and he changes quickly his path. Shav, changing path. Another translation that the mefarshim bring, that the word teshuva is to return. What are you returning to? Maharal in Teshuva speaks that you're returning to your original state of the way you were born. A person is born, he's naki, he's clean. A person is born, he is without aveirah. The Rambam in the end of Zeraim says a person is born yashar, straight, clean, ehrlich. Now this person went off the course of that. He changed who he was to become not yashar and not naki from chet. Teshuva is to go back to that original state. It's interesting, Rabbeinu Yonah uses a lashon always that when you do teshuva, it's כאילו בא ביום נולד. You're born that day. The goyim use this expression; it's stolen from Rabbeinu Yonah. It's from the Rishonim, כאילו בא ביום נולד. Like, if I may use the word born again. What's pshat? Born again, you go back to when you were like a little child. You go back to the way you were created. That's how the Maharal explains teshuva in the context of chazara, teshuva to return, returning to your original state, the way you were created. The Rambam, I believe, learns a whole different pshat in the word teshuva. Rambam in perek zayin, halacha vav: ידוע לתשובה שמקרבת את האדם לשכינה. It brings back the person to the Shechinah. שנאמר, שובה ישראל עד ה' אלוקיך, ונאמר, ולא שבתם עדי נאם ה'. ונאמר, תשובו ישראל... אלי תשוב, כלומר, אם תחזור בתשובה בי סדבק. התשובה מקרבת את הרחוקים. Teshuva brings close the rechokim. So the word teshuva is to return to who? To the Ribbono Shel Olam.

Now we understand what it means that teshuva lifnei Hashem. A person who doesn't have the aveirah, he becomes separated from Hashem. He becomes banished from being lifnei Hashem. He's rachok from the lifnei Hashem. The lifnei Hashem by him is now far because he's, from his aveiros, is moved out. He's separated from the Ribbono Shel Olam. So the teshuva brings him back lifnei Hashem, and that's why I believe the Rambam, l'shitasei, translates teshuva, sheyashuv hachoteh, lifnei Hashem. The teshuva is sheyitzek tamid lifnei Hashem. He lives, he returns lifnei Hashem and lives that way, in a matzav of lifnei Hashem. You notice we say, Ashreichem Yisrael, lifnei mi atem metaharim, umi metaher eschem? Lifnei mi. You see again, the lifnei means you're in front of the Eibishter, while when you were doing your aveiros you were far from the Eibishter. So teshuva means to return, and sheyashuv hachoteh stresses, and the Rambam is madgish, lifnei Hashem, in front of the Ribbono Shel Olam. There's an interesting idea in Yehuda. He talks about sigufim. Should a person do yisurim, bringing on himself... Sigufim, acts of difficulty to do teshuva. He says no, because ikar ha-teshuva is not the taanis; it's a tafel of teshuva. What's ikar ha-teshuva? Azivas chet, vidui devarim, charatah balev shalem, hiskarvus v'hislahavus l'eil v'es haBorei. V'hainu teshuva sheyashuv laShem yisbarach. So you see a part of the teshuva, the ikar, is takkeh to come close back to the Eibishter. It's takkeh to do the acts of teshuva. But like the Noidah B'Yehudah, Imadur Kamma, Orach Chaim siman lamed hei, clearly writes that part of the ikrei ha-teshuva is hiskarvus v'hislahavus l'eil v'es haBorei, come close back to the Eibishter. You were far, now you come close. This Rambam, that's yashuv lifnei Hashem, that you return in front of the Ribono Shel Olam. There's an interesting Mechilta, Chazal, that the Chinuch in siman shin samech daled brings down. The Chinuch brings down that there was a hava amina that maybe teshuva and vidui is only in Eretz Yisrael, maybe only in Eretz Yisrael. Kamashmalan, it's everywhere. He brings from the pesukim, it's mashma, you, your children, wherever you are. Why would I think it's only in Eretz Yisrael? So the truth is, if you look at the words of the Chinuch quoting the Mechilta, it's mashma because ikar kaparah sham. The Beis Hamikdash is there. The korbanos are there. So the kaparah is always in Eretz Yisroel. So maybe the vidui, which is also kaparah, is strictly in Eretz Yisroel, but still needs explanation. L'maaseh, it's not a mitzvas hatluyah ba'aretz. Why would I think that dafka vidui, teshuvah, should be something that's only in Eretz Yisroel? I think, rabosai, the pshat is, lifnei Hashem. Since teshuvah means to come close, but not just close, means to come close mamash to the Ribono Shel Olam. Maybe a chutz la'aretz you can't do that. Maybe a chutz la'aretz you can't reach that lifnei Hashem. You know, it says by Kayin that when he did his aveirah, the lashon of the pasuk is interesting: Vayeitzei Kayin milifnei Hashem. It's interesting. It uses the same words, lifnei Hashem. Kayin left from before Hashem when he did his aveirah by killing his brother. The Kuzri taka translates lifnei Hashem by Kayin, Yerushalayim, whenever the makom that Yerushalayim was designated to be.

You have to leave that, because vayeitzei milifnei Hashem. Apeleh. You see already that the lifnei Hashem is only in Eretz Yisrael, in Yerushalayim, near the Makom HaMikdash. Like it says, Samachtem lifnei Hashem shivas yamim, and that's where? Lifnei Hashem. It's in front of the Eibishter in the Beis HaMikdash. That's only in front of Hashem, in front of the Beis HaMikdash. What's the pshat in lifnei Hashem? Maybe it's only in Eretz Yisrael, where it's taka lifnei Hashem. What's the chiddush of teshuvah, rabosai? It's even in chutz la'aretz. And I think, you know what the pshat in that means? That a person could reach the lifnei Hashem through his teshuvah even in chutz la'aretz. Chiddush is that even in chutz la'aretz, a person could create that he should be lifnei Hashem through his teshuvah. Where you are, no matter who you are, no matter what matzav you're in, no matter how far you've fallen, and no matter how far you're removed, a person with teshuvah could create that he's lifnei Hashem, that he's before the Ribono Shel Olam. And that's the chiddush, the mechilta. Maybe it's only in Eretz Yisrael that this lifnei Hashem exists. Kamashmalan that he could create this lifnei Hashem through teshuvah anywhere, anytime, no matter who you are. The pasuk tells us, Veshavta ad Hashem Elokecha. That's a pasuk in Ki Savo, Veshavta ad Hashem Elokecha. You do teshuva. There's another pasuk in Hoshea, Shuva Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha. Choira, it's the same pasuk. One's in the Torah and the other one's in Tanach, right? The Tanach is the haftorah of Shabbos Hagadol, Shabbos Teshuva, right? We say Shuva Yisrael, that's the haftorah. The Gemara in Yuma pei-vav says, you know what it means, ad Hashem Elokecha? Ad v'ad bichlal. That a person is able to reach mamash the kisei hakavod. Through teshuva, it's ad, literally ad. Ad v'ad bichlal. It's a machlokes, do we say ad v'lo ad bichlal, ad v'ad? Here we say ad v'ad bichlal, that you can mamash, mamash, mamash, mamash, mamash reach the kisei hakavod. What pasuk did the Gemara bring? Shuva Yisrael, the pasuk from Tanach. Fragt the Maharsha, why do we bring the pasuk from Tanach, Hoshea, Shuva Yisrael, the haftorah of Shabbos Teshuva? What's wrong with the Chumash that says, Veshavta ad Hashem Elokecha? Answers the Maharsha, teretz, and we're going to say it with a little bit, v'imezog zaltsen fefer, tzulegen a bissel adaher over here. Veshavta means you. You have to try to get ad Hashem Elokecha. How do you know you can reach that? Shuvah Yisrael, who's talking? The Eibishter. The Eibishter is able to take you and bring you ad Hashem Elokecha. For you on your own, possibly, how does a Yid, any Yid, able to reach v'shavta? No, you're supposed to aim v'shavta ad Hashem Elokecha. But who says it's going to happen? Rabbeinu Yonah writes clearly, you know what teshuvah is? Teshuvah, the Ribono Shel Olam does most of the work on the teshuvah. Rabbeinu Yonah says that when a person comes to do teshuvah, says Rabbeinu Yonah, v'yisbarer baTorah ki ya'azor — this is the beginning of Shaarei Teshuvah — ki ya'azor Hashem lashavim, kasher ein ya tivo maseges. In nature, in koiches, they can't reach such levels of teshuvah. HaRibono Shel Olam mechadesh b'kirbam ruach taharah, l'hasig ma'alas avosai, v'shavta ad Hashem Elokecha. The Ribono Shel Olam does all this. So you, v'shavta, maybe is trying to reach ad Hashem Elokecha, and that's you should—

Aim for it, but you still don't know that teshuvah reaches the Kisei HaKavod from that. Where do you see that? Because the Eibishter says, Shuvu Yisrael. He's taking, he's doing the next part of the work. Chazal tell us, Pischu li pesach kechudo shel machat. The person maybe does very little; he just opens up the little, the little doorway, the size of a hole of a pin. But the Ribono Shel Olam does the rest of the work. That's this taima d'varei, Rabosai: the miskarev and the mekarev. The miskarev starts the process. The mekarev does the end of the process, and the way Rabbeinu Yonah seems to explain, most of the work, most of the work, most of the job is done in a geder of that the Ribono Shel Olam does most of the work. And if I may say, if not even zeh yachol v'zeh yachol, by shnayim she'asu, in order for it to be considered both of their actions, you need zeh yachol v'zeh yachol. By teshuvah, it's zeh eino yachol v'zeh yachol. How much could we do already? We're weak, yet the Ribono Shel Olam comes and He fulfills His promise that I'll take you to the Kisei HaKavod. I'll bring you mamash to the Kisei HaKavod here. I think with this we can explain the famous Yerushalmi at the end of Maseches Makos. Yerushalmi says that they asked wisdom what should happen to a choteh. So wisdom says he should have a bad life. They ask a navi, nevuah, what should happen to the choteh? So he says... So the Navi says that they should have death. Death, they should die. They went and asked the Eibishter, Oh, Zechter Ribono Shel Olam, you should go to teshuva. Fregen alle, we all ask the question, what do you mean? The chachma doesn't know the pasuk in Chumash Vayeshav, that there's teshuva? The Navi doesn't know that there's such a thing called teshuva? Why would they not answer to do teshuva? Why only the Eibishter answers? The way I explained it to you, it's a shidduch, between the mekarev and the miskarev. The chacham can't be more than the shadchan. He could try to give you mussar. The Navi could push you along and help you to do the shidduch. But the shidduch has to come from who? The miskarev and the mekarev. So the Ribono Shel Olam has to say yashar. That's the pshat in the Chazal. Avada they know there's such a thing called teshuva, but they're not the ones who could say yes to the shidduch. That's pshat in Yerushalmi. Yerushalmi is saying is they ask chachma, Chachma says, What should I tell you? I know there's teshuva, but I can't tell you that you'll have teshuva. It has to be the Eibishter brings you back. They ask the Navi, I don't want to tell you that. I know there's such a thing called teshuva. I'm not arguing what's stated in pasuk. But then when they ask the Eibishter, vaschatz, they ask, the answer is yes. I want to tell him to come back and I'll take him back. That's pshat in Yerushalmi, that they shaal l'chachma, shaal l'nevuah, and then they were shoal to the Ribono Shel Olam. He said, Yashar. But this, rabosai, I want to explain. An interesting Chazal. You notice the Rambam says that what's the pshat that when you do teshuva, you come to the kisei hakavod? He adds, not only you come to the kisei hakavod, not only lifnei Hashem, that you're before the Eibishter. Lifnei was mashma you're standing before Him. But the Gemara is mashma to the kisei hakavod, which is even under Him, right? Just lifnei Hashem, you stand in front of the King. How about lifnei Hashem, kisei hakavod, which is mamish the throne? How about one more step? The Rambam says more than that. The Rambam says, K'ilu, im tachzor b'teshuva, b'sidbuk. It's more, that you mamish become davuk with the Eibishter. That's where I got my analogy, my mashal to shidduch. It's more than just come and be my friend and let's, we can dine together, you there and me over here in front of me. It's more than that. Davuk, b'sidbuk. You become part of the Eibishter. Become sidbuk. Yeah, the Rambam...

What is teshuva? Teshuva doesn't just mean lifnei, that you're standing in front of Him. It's more than that. It's bisdabek, that you become attached to the Eibishter. I think with this we can explain a me'orei Chazal. Chazal tell us that Kayin, he did teshuva. Vayeitzei Kayin milifnei Hashem, but he did teshuva. Adam HaRishon finds Kayin. He meets him, and he asks him, What happened? You killed your brother. How are you still walking around? What's going on? What happened? What happened to your mishpat? So you kill somebody, he's supposed to die. He's supposed to be taken away from the world. So he says, I did teshuva. I did teshuva. Wow, said Adam HaRishon, had I only known that you could do teshuva, I would have done teshuva in Gan Eden, and maybe I wouldn't have been kicked out of Gan Eden. I could have done teshuva in Gan Eden. I wouldn't have been kicked out of Gan Eden, exclaims Adam HaRishon. Says the Medrash, he exclaimed with the words, Mizmor shir l'yom haShabbos. Adam HaRishon was the author of the perek in Tehillim of Mizmor shir l'yom haShabbos. And when did he say this? When did he author this perek? When he heard that Kayin's teshuva was accepted. Many questions on this Chazal. What does Mizmor shir l'yom haShabbos have to do with teshuva? How did the mizmor of Shabbos connect to the teshuvah of Kayin? Second of all, Adam, you didn't know there was such a thing called teshuvah? Third question I have: tell me, did Kayin actually do teshuvah and was forgiven? Wasn't forgiven. He still had to go to galus, na v'nad ba'aretz. He was still... Tell me, could you do teshuvah if you kill your brother? I don't even know if there's such a thing. It's me'uvas lo yuchal liskon, maybe. It's a good shailah in halacha. Is it shayach to do teshuvah after you kill somebody? But meizid, you went and you killed. Maybe it's a me'uvas lo yuchal liskon. How could you fix it? You bring back your brother? What does this Chazal mean? He did teshuvah, yet he still had to go to galus. He did teshuvah. Adam Rishon didn't know this, and he was so shocked. And I have a better question: so let him go do teshuvah now. He just learned teshuvah, so go do teshuvah. If you just learned—let's say you didn't know what it was till now, but now you know, so go do teshuvah. What are you so overwhelmed? And also, and of course that's the main kasha, what does that have to do with mizmor shir l'yom haShabbos? Pay attention. And I told you Shabbos, teshuvah, there's a connection. I believe the pshat, rabbeisai, is like this: Vayeitzei Kayin milifnei Hashem. The pasuk, like I told you before, uses the words lifnei Hashem. When he sinned, he was kicked away from lifnei Hashem. He did teshuvah. What type of teshuvah did he do? Now, to do teshuvah to kill your brother isn't in one minute. He still had to go to galus. He is allowed to go to Golus. But one thing he corrected: he wasn't anymore away from lifnei Hashem. The Eibishter said, the lifnei Hashem, the vayeitzei, that you were discommunicated from lifnei Hashem, that he corrected. Adam HaRishon hears that that's what the koach of teshuva is. The koach of teshuva means that it takes you back to a state of teshuva, brings you back to your original state of being lifnei Hashem. Like the Rambam says, emes hayah zeh sani lifnei hamakom. The Rambam, the end of Hilchos Halacha Vav that I quoted before: emes hayah zeh sani lifnei hamakom, meshukatz, meruchak, toev, v'ayev, hu ahuv v'nechmad, karov v'yadid. You're not anymore rachok from lifnei Hashem. Had I only known that, I would have done teshuva in Gan Eden to remain lifnei Hashem. He was in Gan Eden. He was lifnei Hashem. Gan Eden is lifnei Hashem, the ultimate lifnei Hashem, the epitome of lifnei Hashem, and he was kicked out of that.

Had he only known teshuva could correct, that a person in one second with teshuva, in one second, shemekareves es harchokim, I would have taken care of that. So what did he say? Mizvah sheliyeh Shabbos. Rabosai, Shabbos is that. Shabbos makes bi-sidbuk, that the person is able to attach himself to the Ribono Shel Olam. So Shabbos and the teshuva do the same thing. What Shabbos creates is what teshuva is meant to be: to come back lifnei Hashem. The Chida in Nachal Kedumim writes, veshavta is the same osiyos as teshuva, which is the same osiyos of Shabbos. Veshavta and teshuva is the same words, same letters. Why? Because teshuva and Shabbos produce the same results. It takes a person who's rachok all week; he's far away from the Ribono Shel Olam. He's rachok, and it brings him karov to be davuk in the Ribono Shel Olam, bi-sidbuk, that the person becomes, like the Rambam says, teshuva brings you back, and how far back? It brings you, it brings you mamash to the Ribono Shel Olam. This is teshuva, Shabbos, the same osiyos. Teshuva and Shabbos, it's the same osiyos. Kayim was vayeitzei milifnei Hashem. Adam chaps, mizmor shir l'yom haShabbos, the song of Shabbos, that there's something called returning to the Eibishter even after you meruchak. It's never too late. No matter how far gone you've gotten, no matter where you are, you could always come back, b'sidbah. Where did I see this from? I'll tell you where I saw this. There's an interesting halacha, an interesting halacha. Halacha is that Erev Shabbos you shouldn't eat. It's called taanis tzaddikim, not to eat on Erev Shabbos. The Mishnah Berurah seems to learn it has to do with being hungry for the meal on Shabbos. By not eating Erev Shabbos, you make it that you should be hungry for the Shabbos meal. So if you look at the Kaf HaChaim, you look at the Kadmonim, it's mashma that it has to do with teshuvah more. You look at the Kaf HaChaim, it's taanis tzaddikim to do teshuvah on Erev Shabbos, because Shabbos and teshuvah is one and the same. It's the same osiyos, the same name, Shabbos and teshuvah. So you do teshuvah, you can't fast on Shabbos because you're supposed to eat, so you fast on Erev Shabbos. Now tell me on Yom Kippur, you're supposed to fast on Yom Kippur, right? So what do you do Erev Yom Kippur? You eat. Shabbos is the exact opposite. On Shabbos you have to eat, Erev Shabbos you have to fast. You know what Yom Kippur is called? Shabbos Shabboson. Yom Kippur is called Shabbos. Shabbos. Yom Kippur is called Shabbos Shabbason. Why? It's the same yesod, Shabbos teshuvah. It's the same yesodos. What is the inyan of Yom Kippur? Lifnei Hashem. Lifnei Hashem tetaharu. The Shabbos is also lifnei Hashem. Where do I see this in the Rishonim? I'll tell you where I saw this in the Rishonim. The Ramban in Bamidbar, chavches, pasuk beis, says that if you take a look, the korbanos of Shabbos, the musaf doesn't have a chatos. Yom Tovim, there's a chatos in the musaf. Shabbos, there's no chatos. Says the Ramban four, five words, perplexing words. You know why? Klal Yisrael is bazugai. He said, bazugai. Vhakol shalom. Everything is fine. Everything is peace. There's no problem. What does the Ramban mean? I'll tell you what the Ramban means. The Gemara tells us that every day has its zug. Sunday is Monday, Tuesday is Wednesday, right? Thursday is Friday. So Shabbos came to complain, he's the odd man out.

I don't have a zug, I don't have a peer. So Rebbeinu said, Don't worry. You know what your peer will be? Your peer will be Klal Yisroel. You and Klal Yisroel together. So what's the pshat? This bazug? You know who Shabbos is? What is Shabbos? Shabbos is the Ribono Shel Olam. The Zohar writes clearly that one of the names of HaKadosh Baruch Hu is Shabbos. The Steichemet quotes from the Chesed L'Alafim, quotes from—first he quotes the Ruach Chaim, who quotes the Chesed L'Alafim, Mareches Aleph—that the name Shabbos should not be mentioned in the Beis Hakisei, because Shabbos is echad mishmosav shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Years ago, they put out a new gimmick to cover the light switch on Shabbos, so they put like a cap, and they wrote on it Shabbos, and there was a big tumult: who said you're allowed to say the name Shabbos in the Beis Hakisei? You know, you're not allowed to say the name Shalom in the Beis Hakisei, because it's also the name of Hashem. So imagine a person says Shabbos Shalom in the Beis Hakisei. It's double jeopardy. He's mamash—he's going against two dinim. The Shabbos might be an issue and the Shalom is an issue. The Steichemet himself says not to pasken this b'rabim, but he says that he himself, from here on in, is going to be makpid on it, that he's not going to say the name Shabbos. I don't know why you don't want to pasken it b'rabim. He says, Ein megalin... it's an interesting lashon there in the Steichemet, that it's not meant for everyone, but he will do it. Al kol panim, it's a Zohar that the name of Hashem is Shabbos. The bazug is who? It's Klal Yisroel. Chasen-kallah, no? Isn't that what we say? Shabbos, the kallah, Klal Yisroel, the malka, the melech, the malka, right? This is all the inyanim of zug, that Klal Yisroel is bazugai. Ah, and that's what the Ramban means. And since we're bazugai, which means we go back to being attached to the Eibishter, that's teshuva. So there's no chataim on Shabbos. There's no chataim on Shabbos. Mameila there's no korban musaf with a chatos on Shabbos. Hakol shalom. There's nothing. A person, it can't be over anything. He has nothing to bring a chatos for, because the Shabbos is the mechilah. The Shabbos corrects everything, you hear? And Shabbos is the shmoi shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Shmoi shel HaKadosh Baruch Hu, rabboisai, needs to be understood, as I'll explain to you in a moment. B'aklapanim, what do we have over here? It's not just Shabbos coincidentally that you're supposed to do teshuva. It's Shabbos teshuva. Shabbos is teshuva. Shabbos and teshuva is one and the same. So we needed a Shabbos where the avodah, the essence, is only teshuva, which is the Shabbos. And the teshuva working hand in hand, the Mishnah Berurah brings us down the hakdamah from the Taz that they discuss. The Gemara says that if a person, even if he does aveirah zarah, k'dor Enosh, if he keeps the Shabbos, moichlin loi. We forgive him. So what do you see? You see from here. Teshuva. The Gemara tells us that if Klal Yisroel keep two Shabbosim, the geulah would come. Why? Teshuva. Teshuva. How much? We do teshuva and the geulah comes. That's, that's—it's all a chelek of lifnei Hashem. It's all a chelek of lifnei Hashem. Hear, rabosai, gevaldik, huh? So now we understand what Shabbos teshuva means. Shabbos teshuva means just Shabbos, which coincidentally is in the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, or Shabbos that you should do teshuva, but that the Shabbos becomes a part of the teshuva. Shabbos teshuva is one cheftza, the Shabbos of teshuva. That the yesoidos of the Shabbos, especially after Rosh Hashanah before Yom Kippur, the lifnei Hashem, we create a Shabbos where a person is taka lifnei Hashem. He's clean, and he comes lifnei Hashem. U'boi sidbak. The person becomes bazugoi. He becomes bazugoi. You know, it's an interesting thing. It says, Shuva Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha.

What's ad Hashem Elokecha? Till, right? The Medrash says eid, not ad but eid. Eid Hashem Elokecha. What does that mean? So I'm thinking maybe that's where the Rambam got the eid, the yodea talumos, that you take the Eibishter as a witness. The Ribono Shel Olam is the witness. Where does that come from? It comes from ad Hashem Elokecha, the witness. Teshuvah Yisrael, you do teshuvah ad Hashem Elokecha. But maybe there's another taich over here too. You know, it says that we're becoming eid, an eid, that the Ribono Shel Olam creates the world. That's what Shabbos is. The Zohar says actually Shabbos is called sahadusa, it's a Zohar. So Hashem speaks about it, Bereishis, many places, that Shabbos is called eidus, because it's eidus that the Ribono Shel Olam created the world. Now we're an eid together with whom? So Mishnah Berurah always brings down that you should have two people saying Vayechulu. The Chazon Ish says you don't need it. It's a famous Chazon Ish, you don't need two people. Even one person could say. Ay, where's the eidus? So I'm thinking an interesting vort. You become a shutaf b'maaseh Bereishis with the Eibishter. Whoever shomer Shabbos becomes a shutaf with the Eibishter b'maaseh Bereishis. The eidus is you and the Eibishter together. Shabbos is the eidus. You know, you find the halacha, panim chadashos. You don't need panim chadashos on Shabbos for sheva brachos. Why? The Shabbos itself is panim chadashos. Maybe the Shabbos itself becomes the aid. The Ribono Shel Olam, together with the Yid, are me'id that the brias ha'olam, that the Ribono Shel Olam created the world. This is the pshat, bazugo. The Shabbos has an aid, has a partner in his eidus. Saddus is the metzius of Shabbos. Saddus is the name of Shabbos. What is Shabbos called? It's called saddusa. Shabbos, like I tell you, is the Eibishter. The Eibishter has a bazug, another aid, and that's Klal Yisroel. And that becomes the two eidim that are me'id, are me'id that the Ribono Shel Olam created the world. The fact that the Eibishter's name is Shabbos is the taich because the person connects to the Eibishter through the Shabbos. Mimeila, that's the name of the Eibishter. We find an interesting thing. I told you teshuva is—I'm making a ...—teshuva is, I'm going to close that. Teshuva is that it's Ad Hashem Elokecha, that it's boi sidbak, right? You become attached to the Eibishter. It's not just till the kisei hakavod. You become attached to the Ribono Shel Olam, boi sidbak. You know, it's interesting. The Gemara asks the question, the shteit in pasuk, v'davka. You should become attached, right, to the Eibishter. V'chi efshar lidbok b'Shechinah? Could a person become davuk to the Shechinah? A fire. The Eibishter can't—you can't attach yourself to the Eibishter. Ella hisdabek... B'midosav. Go and do in His ways. For example, if He's a rachum, you be a rachum; He's chanun, mahu rachum, af atah. And that's what you're mekayem u'bo sidbak, right? So how does a person attach to the Ribono Shel Olam? Through his middos, right? You know, we say Yud-Gimmel Middos, and now I'm getting back to the Shabbos with the Yud-Gimmel Middos. You know, we say Yud-Gimmel Middos, right, for kaparah. And whenever we say Yud-Gimmel Middos, it's patuach, she'ein chozeres reikam. The Ribono Shel Olam will be soleach and mechaper Klal Yisrael. There's an interesting Gemara where this comes from. It's a Gemara, Rosh Hashanah daf yud-zayin amud beis, where the Gemara says that Moshe Rabbeinu was taught this by the Ribono Shel Olam. Ilmalei mikra kasuv, if not for the pasuk to write this, we wouldn't be able to say it on our own, that HaKadosh Baruch Hu mis'atef b'tallis k'shliach tzibbur. He put on a tallis, and He was herah l'Moshe seder zeh. He showed him this seder, and He said, whenever Klal Yisrael ya'asu lefanai k'seder hazeh—remember the lashon—ya'asu lefanai k'seder, ani mochel lahem, mochel lahem. Says the Shlah, it's not enough to say the Yud-Gimmel Middos. What do you have to do? You have to ya'asu k'seder hazeh. You have to behave in the Yud-Gimmel Middos. In the days of Aseres Yemei Teshuvah...

You have to be a rachum and a chanun. You have to be the rachum. You can't just say, a person says, Kel rachum v'chanun. What about you? Well, He's a rachum. What about you? Are you a rachum? Are you a chanun? So I want to say a meredik vort. If you do what the Ribono Shel Olam is rachum and you do it, so that's u'boi sidbak, right? Isn't that what it says? How do you dovek to the Eibishter, Chazal say? By doing His middos. Mahu rachum, af atah. What is teshuvah? Lachzor to be dovek in Him. But meileh, through the Yud-Gimmel Middos, a person is able to do teshuvah that the Ribono Shel Olam... It achieves the same thing as the teshuvah, the Yud-Gimmel Middos. V'ya'asu lefanai k'seder hazeh creates teshuvah. What is teshuvah, like a shoifer of the Rambam? Be sidbak. Be sidbak. You're dovek to the Eibishter, right? That's what the Rambam says clearly. And what is teshuvah? Teshuvah is that he goes back and taksa b'teshuvah, be sidbak. Be sidbak, yeah. How is a person dovek in the Eibishter? If he's a rachum v'chanun, right? That's what the Gemara says. He's dovek b'midosav. Now that's understanding that we understand good the Gemara, that if you would say the Yud-Gimmel Middos, which the shlah says it's not enough to say it; you have to do it. Now I know where mechila and slicha come from. Why? Because you're mekayem the real teshuva, bisidbak. The same thing is with Shabbos, rabosai. Since Shabbos is being davuk in the Eibishter, you become the bazug of the Shabbos, which is the Eibishter, like the Ramban says. So you mekayem the bisidbak, that's teshuva also. It's all one and the same: the Yud-Gimmel Midos, the Shabbos, the teshuva. And now I understand the Shabbos teshuva, and now I understand the Yud-Gimmel Midos that are maybe said on the Shabbos teshuva, because it's all the same thing. It's a Shabbos of bisidbak. It's a Shabbos of bisidbak, where the person becomes davuk in the Ribono Shel Olam. With this, rabosai, I want to explain to you Yom Kippur. We have to do teshuva on Yom Kippur, and I told you Shabbos Shabbason, and I explained to you because it's lifnei Hashem. The Rambam says you have to do teshuva on Yom Kippur. Why? Says the Rambam, perek beis, says the Rambam, Yom haKippurim hu zman teshuva lakol. It's a time of teshuva, l'yachid, l'rabim, v'hu keitz mechila u'slicha, and it's a time of keitz, a time of slicha mechila. And therefore, lefikach, famous Rambam, lefikach, therefore, chayav kol adam la'asos teshuva. So the mefarshim, the Acharonim, they all ask, why is it lefikach? Because it's a time of teshuva, meila I'm chayiv to do teshuva. How does that mechayev me that I should do teshuva? So I always understood the pshat very pashut. There's a very famous shaila. It's called Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, Rabbi Yisroel Blazer's shaila. What's the shaila? The beinoni, the tzaddik has his right away l'chaim, the rasha has right away l'... The beinoni is תלוי יום כיפור. If he does one mitzvah, right, so then he should tip the scale, but that's not what the Gemara says. Why does the Gemara say he has to do teshuva? If he does teshuva, then he tips the scale that he gets life. Asked the Rabbi Yisroel Blazer, why does he have to do teshuva? Let him do any mitzvah and he'll tip the scale. Why teshuva? So the truth is, they make it into Rabbi Yisroel Blazer's kasha. It's way before; the Ritva asks this for a kasha. The Rishonim on the blood ask this kasha. But I guess it's like the Beis Yosef's kasha with Chanukah, right? Why do we need the nes of Chanukah was seven days, so why is it eight days? It's not the Beis Yosef's kasha. It's way before the Beis Yosef. The Rishonim asked this kasha. But either way, it became the Beis Yosef's kasha. This became Rabbi Yisroel Salanter or Rabbi Yisroel Blazer's kasha. And the question is, why do we have to do teshuva? Just do one more mitzvah. And the answer is, and this is also there in the Rishonim, that since it's a time of doing teshuva, by you not doing teshuva is such a chomerdike thing that no matter what zechus you do, it's not going to outweigh it.

Yeah, since it's the time of teshuva, by you not doing teshuva, that itself is such a shrekliche zach that no matter what mitzvah or thing you'll do, it's not going to compensate the fact that you didn't do teshuva. What do they mean? They mean this Reb Shari teshuva, that the ichur ha-teshuva, the fact that you prolonged doing teshuva is even worse than the aveirah itself. Why? Reb Shari teshuva, in the beginning of Shari Teshuva, you know the yetzer is angry at you. You know you can get away from it. It's like the story with the jail, that the door opens up and he doesn't run away. So you're, hayitachin, you don't take the opportunity. I always give the mashal. My zeide told me that in Shanghai, Katzuzi was giving out the visas, and the government found out, so they stopped him. And knowing that he's going to have to stop, so he went the night before. He went into the consulate. He took all the thousands of visas and he threw them from the window. And people were jumping one on top of the other to get them, right? Same thing here too. The Ribbono Shel Olam is throwing from the window mechilah, selichah. Which crazy guy wouldn't jump to get it? Lefikach, that itself should be a reason. The Ribbono Shel Olam is giving you goodies in the street. When something—diamonds, they're throwing diamonds in the street—who doesn't jump to get it? Lefikach, hakol chayavim la'asos teshuva. Rabbeinu Yonah doesn't learn like that, rabosai. It's not about the zman of teshuva that's mechayev you to do teshuva. Rabbeinu Yonah learns it's in the pasuk itself. Says Rabbeinu Yonah, u'mitzvas aseh min haTorah l'hoir adam mesrucho lachzor b'teshuvah b'Yom HaKippurim. And so we can see the lashon of Rabbeinu Yonah is very meduyak; it's very precise. Shene'emar, mikol chatoseichem lifnei Hashem titharu. Al kein hizhiranu haKasuv shenitaher lifnei Hashem b'teshuvaseinu. Lifnei Hashem. We see the teshuvah is lifnei Hashem titharu. V'hu yechaper aleinu bayom hazeh l'taher osanu. But notice what the Rabbeinu Yonah says: u'mitzvas aseh min haTorah l'hoir adam mesrucho. He didn't say you should go through teshuvah. The Rabbeinu Yonah writes that a person should be mechuyav to go through teshuvah, like the Rambam says, he's mefikach, chakach chayavim la'asos teshuvah b'Yom HaKippurim. He doesn't say that. What does he say? L'hoir adam mesrucho. To be me'orer yourself to go through teshuvah. That's teshuvah? That's enough? That's enough? Mitzvas aseh min haTorah l'hoir adam mesrucho lachzor b'teshuvah b'Yom HaKippurim. What's the pshat? Yes, for the lifnei Hashem it's enough. In hilchos teshuvah, kaparah, you want a kaparah, you better do real teshuvah. The lifnei Hashem, Kayin didn't take care of his chet; he had to go to galus. It's not going to be corrected with just a minute of teshuvah. But the lifnei Hashem, that's what the Rambam means. Emes, yesterday you were sunny, today you're... what, one minute, emes? From day to day, it changes women's whole life's work to be about teshuva. That's for kapara. But to be lifnei Hashem, which means that you're a tzaddik. The Gemara says in Kiddushin clearly that the person's mekadesh a woman, and he thinks to himself, even though he's a rasha gamur, al menas she'ani tzaddik gamur. Not stam a tzaddik, but a tzaddik gamur. He's mekadesh a woman even though he's a rasha gamur, but he says that al menas, on the condition, it's a kiddushin misafek. Why? Shema hirher teshuva b'libo. Hirher, that's enough. What happened to the vidui? What happened? And the answer is, you're right, for kaparas avonos, he still needs a lot of work, this fellow. But to become a tzaddik, which means lifanav, tzaddik lefanav yeilech, to be lifnei Hashem, is enough, l'hahir rucho, lachzor b'teshuva b'Yom HaKippurim. Since Rabbeinu Yonah learned it from the lifnei Hashem, so for him it suffices, l'hahir rucho, lachzor b'teshuva. The Rambam learns that there's a din to do teshuva, kapara, slicha. See, it's this time of slicha. Oh, so therefore you have to do what? Teshuva and vidui. See the lashon of the Rambam? U'v'hu kesheyis'vadeh, lefi kach chayav kol la'asos teshuva.

Ulezvados b'gaim haKippurim, ulezvados. The chiyuv is to do teshuva, and to what? Vidui. Meila, the pshat is that we have to be me'oir, me'oir, because with this se'irus already, you have the lifnei Hashem. This, rabosai, is the taich of Shabbos teshuva. Avada in hilchos teshuva of slach lanu, that's not what the teshuva is about. It's not about the slach lanu teshuva. It's about the lifnei Hashem teshuva. It's the boi sidbak teshuva. It's what the Rambam is talking about in perek zayin, halacha vav. In the beginning, the Rambam talks about mechilah and slicha. That's— and the Rambam never even said to do teshuva. All the Rambam says, when you do teshuva, you have to do vidui, and with this you get a kaparah and slicha. In perek zayin, the Rambam is talking about the teshuva chelek of it, not the slicha chelek, that it's mekarev the rechokim lifnei Hashem. Ah, on this Rabbeinu Yonah says it's a chelek of lifnei Hashem on Yom Kippur, therefore it's l'hayos rucho, to become what? A person that's lifnei Hashem. And thus is the inyan for Shabbos teshuva, and thus is the inyan for the Yud-Gimmel Midos on Shabbos teshuva, and thus is the yesod for Haseres Yemei Teshuva. You've just experienced another Torah class, brought to you by TorahAnytime.com.