Teshuvah (Repentance)—The Power of Return

(Yochanan 5:14)

 

Sin No More

 

Afterward, Yeshua found him in the Beit HaMikdash and said to him, “Look, you are healed. Do not continue to sin, or else something worse than this may happen to you.”

 

We have spent the past few weeks examining the preceding part of this account. We saw that Yeshua came upon a lame man at the pool in Bethesda, patiently waiting for a miracle. The Master realized the man had been lame for thirty-eight years. After healing the man, Yeshua told him to take his bedroll and walk. The man did exactly as the unknown healer had instructed him.

 

At this point in the account, we were told that this healing happened on a Shabbat. As we have learned, the sages compiled a list of thirty-nine types of “work” that were prohibited on the Sabbath, and carrying an object outside of one’s private domain, an eruv, was a violation of these Sabbath prohibitions. Also, it appears that these prohibitions were in effect prior to the time of the Master.

 

As expected, the Pharisees confronted the man about carrying his bedroll on the Sabbath. When he explained that he had just been healed and was simply following the instructions of the man that had healed him, they realized that they had two issues on their hands: this man carrying on the Sabbath and another man healing on the Sabbath! Although healing life-threatening conditions was allowed on the Sabbath, healing for other reasons was considered a violation of the Sabbath prohibitions.

 

After spending a lot of time trying to understand the Master’s intent by having the man break the prohibition of carrying on the Sabbath, we came to understand that Yeshua frequently turned to Hoshea 6:6, “For I desire chesed, not sacrifice; Obedience to God, rather than burnt offerings” as His proof-text.

 

After all of our time in study of this passage, what we determined is that through a “loop-hole” within the Torah, not by setting Torah commandments aside, the Master made the exception for this poor man that since his possessions most likely consisted solely in this bedroll, that as an act of chesed, the man could carry his only possession with him on Shabbat. In this way, Yeshua revealed God’s love for humanity by justifying His actions on the basis that showing compassion to a lowly, defenseless, human being, a “worm,” took precedence over observing the ritual regulations of Shabbat. This was simply an exception to the Shabbat commands, and Yeshua did not in any way overturn or obliterate the Sabbath regulations.

 

Now, the typical Christian interpretation of this passage is that it shows that “grace” has no demands. In other words, many within the church claim that the Gospel has no demands; now that the “law,” Torah, has been done away with by Jesus, the Good News is that we are saved by grace alone and that there are no demands or commands placed on us.

 

However, when we read verse 14 of chapter 5 in John, we see that when the Master came upon the healed man in the Temple, Yeshua said to him, “Look, you are healed. Do not continue to sin.” To me, the words, “Do not continue to sin” appear to be a command. We will come back to this shortly.

 

At the present time, we need to try to understand the meaning behind the Master’s words to the man, “Look, you are healed. Do not continue to sin, or else something worse than this may happen to you.” This does not mean that the man’s infirmity was punishment by God for some particular sin he had committed. Life in this present world is not that simple. Sin may lead to periods of chastisement by God and, also, the consequences from our sin. However, since we live in a fallen world, there is no exact one-to-one correspondence between a particular sin and a particularly bad event.

 

In this passage, Yeshua was simply warning the man not to take his healing by God for granted. The man needed to show his gratitude to God through sincere teshuvah. After all, there are actually worse things that can happen to a person than physical illness. “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into Geihinnom” (Mattai 5:30). “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Geihinnom” (Mattai 10:28). “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Mattai 16:26).

 

We need to recall that, in the words of Yochanan the Immerser, from the beginning of Yeshua’s  ministry, when the Master “came to the Galil and proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God,” (Mark 1:14), that is, when He proclaimed the gospel message, “He said, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15). The words here for repent is based on the Hebrew word, teshuvah. Hence, the Master’s primary message, the Good News, is that since the long-awaited Messianic Age has come so close that it can already be partially realized in a person’s life, people need to do teshuvah, that is, turn away from one’s sins and return to God.

 

The Basis of Teshuvah

 

There is a story of a sinner that came to a rabbi, which goes as following:

 

“Rebbe, I am a sinner. I would like to return, to do teshuvah.”

R. Israel of Ryzhin looked at the man before him. He did not understand what the man wanted.

“So why don’t you do teshuvah?”

“Rebbe, I do not know how!”

R. Israel retorted: “How did you know to sin?”

The remorseful sinner answered simply: “I acted, and then I realized that I had sinned.”

“Well,” said the Rebbe, “the same applies to teshuvah: repent and the rest will follow of itself!”[1]

 

Because God cares, just like a loving parent cares for one’s child, God reveals to us what we should know about reality. He reveals to us how we are to live and what acts we must do. This is Torah, “a tree of life to those who lay hold of it,” (Proverbs 3:18).

 

Mosheh, when speaking of the Torah to the children of Israel, said, “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it” (Deut. 30:11-14).*

 

The Power of Sin

 

We need to understand that sin consumes a lot of one’s time. Sin is progressive. A small sin today leads to larger sins in the future. Humanity does not fall into gross sins suddenly. No, instead, mankind is trapped by one wrong thought, word, or act, which of itself appears to be rather harmless. However, this one seemingly insignificant sin then leads to another. If the individual is oblivious and does not stop the process, a chain-reaction occurs, leading the individual to evil.

 

And that is the sort of thing that the evil impulse can do: Today it says to him, ‘Do this,’ tomorrow ‘do that,’ until he tells him, ‘go serve idols,’* and he goes and does just that” [T. B.Q. 9:31K–M]? (b. Shabb. 105b)

 

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)

 

God’s Chesed

 

Humanity is created as a soul within a physical body. Actually, it is not quite that simple since we, as believers, have both a human (or animal) soul and a Godly soul.* The body is neither impure nor evil; we are each born with potentiality, that is, not-yet-holy or not-yet-wicked. However, through the temptations in this physical world in which God has chosen to conceal His presence, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).

 

Torah confronts us with our sinfulness, “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Eccles. 7:20). If sin had the final say, the world would have ended with Adam.

 

Said the Holy One, blessed be He: ' If I create the world on the basis of mercy alone, its sins will be great; on the basis of judgment alone, the world cannot exist. Hence I will create it on the basis of judgment and of mercy, and may it then stand!’ Hence the expression, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love [chesed] and faithfulness” (Gen Rabbah 12:15, quoting Exodus 34:6).*

 

There is a rather interesting story in the Zohar that further illustrates God’s chesed, and can also be likened to a personification of one of the attributes of the Son of God, Yeshua the Messiah:

 

Thus, before creating the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, created teshuvah (repentance) and said to it: “I am about to create man[kind] in the world, but on condition that when they turn to you because of their sins, you shall be ready to erase their sins and to atone for them!”

 

Teshuvah thus is forever close at hand, and when man[kind] returns from his sins, this teshuvah returns to the Holy One, blessed be He, and He atones for all—all judgments are suppressed and sweetened, and man[kind] is purified from his sins. How is he purified from his sins? By ascending with this teshuvah in proper manner. Rabbi Isaac said: When he returns before the Supreme King and prays from the depths of his heart, as it is written, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!” (Zohar III:69b, quoting Psalm 130:1).

 

As said by John in his epistle:

 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9)

 

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Yeshua the Messiah, the tzaddik, the Righteous One. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1–2)

 

Recall John’s description of the risen Yeshua:

 

            I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain (Rev. 5:6)

 

As stated by Schochet:

 

Mercy means to recognize the legitimacy of justice, yet to show compassion, to forgive nonetheless. Mercy means to recognize the valid demands of the law, but also to temper these demands by considering the fact that, “the drive of man’s heart is evil yet from his youth” (Gen. 8:21). It offers another chance. This is the principle of teshuvah.[2]

 

The Power of Teshuvah

 

Teshuvah, as we are beginning to realize is based on God’s chesed, and can be found throughout the Scriptures.

 

And the Lord your God will grant you abounding prosperity in all your undertakings, in the issue of your womb, the offspring of your cattle, and the produce of your soil. For the Lord will again delight in your well-being, as He did in that of your fathers, since you will be heeding the Lord your God and keeping His commandments and laws that are recorded in this book of the Teaching—once you return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. (Deut. 30:9-10)

 

Be assured, O House of Israel, I will judge each one of you according to his ways—declares the Lord God. Repent and turn back from your transgressions; let them not be a stumbling block of guilt for you. Cast away all the transgressions by which you have offended, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit, that you may not die, O House of Israel. For it is not My desire that anyone shall die—declares the Lord God. Repent, therefore, and live! (Ezek. 18:30-32)*

 

Nothing, aside from the actual person, can stand in the way of teshuvah. As can be seen, the power of teshuvah can be seen running throughout the Scriptures and Jewish traditions.

 

For R. Abbahu said, “In a place in which those who repent stand, those who are completely righteous cannot stand, as it is said, ‘Peace, peace to him that was far and to him that is near’ (Is. 57:19). “That is to say, ‘To one that was distant at the beginning but has repented and now is near.’” (b. Berachot 34b)*

 

There is no sin that cannot be remedied through teshuvah. Teshuvah removes the burdens of the past. Teshuvah opens the door to new possibilities. Teshuvah leads to a new birth, a new creation.

 

The Character of Teshuvah

 

So how can teshuvah correct our past, modify our present, and change our future? Teshuvah, like Torah, transcends creation, since it preceded the creation of the world.

 

Six things preceded the creation of the world … R. Ahabah b. R. Ze'ira said: Repentance too, as it is written, “Before the mountains were brought forth,” (Ps. 90:2), and from that very moment, You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” (Ps. 90:3). (Gen. Rabbah 1:4)

 

We need to realize that teshuvah is in the heart, that is, in the mind. After all, the essence of an individual is his or her thoughts. Wherever a person’s thoughts are, that is where the person can be found. Just as sin is rooted in a person’s will and mind, so must teshuvah be rooted in the person’s will and mind.

“He who sets his heart on becoming purified … becomes pure as soon as he immersed himself (in the waters of the mikvah) … So, too, it is with one who sets his heart on cleansing himself from the impurities that beset man’s soul … as soon as he consents in his heart to withdraw from those counsels and brings his soul into the waters of reason, he is pure.” (Rambam, Hilchot Mikva’ot 11:12, as quoted by Schochet, 117-118)

Note the analogy between teshuvah and the purifying waters of a mikvah. However, teshuvah is more than a mikvah; while a mikvah is limited in space and time, teshuvah, just like the sea, is always accessible and available.

 

The greatest tragedy about sin is not the actual misdeed since “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Eccles. 7:20). The greatest tragedy is for a person to never judge himself and do teshuvah.

 

“In bed he plots mischief; he is set on a path of no good, he does not reject evil. O Lord, Your faithfulness reaches to heaven; Your steadfastness to the sky” (Psalm 36:4-5).

 

R. Yohanan said in the name of R. Yosé, “Better is one self-reproach that a person sets in his own heart [on account of what he has done] than a great many scourgings. (b. Berachot 7a)

 

There were some thugs in R. Meir’s neighborhood, who gave him a lot of trouble. R. Meir prayed for mercy for himself so that they would die. His wife, Beruriah, said to him, “What is on your mind? [Do you pray that they should die] because it is written [at Ps. 104:35], ‘Let sins die’? Is it written ‘sinners’? What is written is ‘sins.’ “And at the end of the verse, moreover, it is written, ‘And let wicked men be no more’ (Ps. 104:35). “Since my sins will stop, there will be no more wicked men. “Rather, pray for mercy concerning them that they will revert in repentance and not be wicked anymore.” He prayed for mercy concerning them, and they did revert in repentance. (b. Berachot 10a)

 

When sin ceases, there will be no more sinners. It has even been said that teshuvah brings healing to the world:

 

R. Eleazar says … “He holds guiltless those who repent, but does not hold guiltless those who do not repent” … Said R. Hama bar Hanina, “Great is repentance, which brings healing to the world: ‘I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely’ (Hos. 14:5).” (b. Yoma 86a)

 

This is why Joel can say:

 

Rend your hearts Rather than your garments, And turn back to the Lord your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in kindness, And renouncing punishment. (Joel 2:13)

 

The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7)

 

Which one of you, if he had one hundred sheep and one of them was lost, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and follow the lost one until he found it? When he finds it, he will joyfully place it on his shoulders. He will come to his house and call his friends and neighbors together, saying, ”Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost lamb!” I say to you, there will likewise be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need teshuvah.

 

The Master, here, compares the Jewish people to a flock of sheep. The ninety-nine represent the righteous; the single lost sheep, the lost sheep of Israel, represents the sinners. This theme of Yeshua coming to the lost sheep of Israel was quite common. These twelve Yeshua sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mattai 10:5-6). “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mattai 15:24). “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost” (Mattai 18:11).

 

There is a famous midrash about Mosheh and a lost sheep:

 

Our Rabbis said that when Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, was tending the flock of Jethro in the wilderness, a little kid escaped from him. He ran after it until it reached a shady place. When it reached the shady place, there appeared to view a pool of water and the kid stopped to drink. When Moses approached it, he said: ‘I did not know that you ran away because of thirst; you must be weary.’ So he placed the kid on his shoulder and walked away. Thereupon God said: 'Because you had mercy in leading the flock of a mortal, you will assuredly tend my flock Israel.’ Hence Now MOSES WAS KEEPING THE FLOCK. (Exodus Rabbah 2:2)

 

Here we see that, according to this parable, Mosheh was rewarded by God for showing compassion to a lost sheep. Due to Mosheh’s compassion for the little sheep, God deemed him worthy of leading His flock, the children of Israel.

 

Today is the Day for Teshuvah

 

We have learned in the Mishnah there: R. Eliezer says, “Repent one day before you die” [M. Abot 2:10D]. His disciples asked R. Eliezer, “So does someone know just what day he’ll die?” He said to them, “All the more so let him repent today, lest he die tomorrow, and he will turn out to spend all his days in repentance.” And so, too, did Solomon say, “Let your garments be always white and don’t let your head lack ointment” (Eccl. 9:8).

 

As we have learned, there is much to be gained from doing teshuvah. Through teshuvah, we rectify our past sins, allowing us to be set on the right path today, transforming our very lives, even our future! As Rabbi Eliezer points out, since we do not know when we will die, do teshuvah every day. In this manner, we will spend all of our days in repentance, so that our garments will always be white and the very Dwelling Presence of God, His Shekinah, will always be on our heads.  And if you are not sure how to go about doing teshuvah, just remember the advice of the Rebbe to the sinner, “Repent and the rest will follow!”

 

Next week we will look at the other aspect of teshuvah, as well as the incredible power teshuvah has in elevating our Godly souls to places we have never imagined!

 

May He who makes shalom in His heights, makes peace for us, and for all of Israel!