Highlights
1. We learned in the Mishnah that repentance alone provides atonement for all lenient transgressions. Rabbi Yehudah explains that the Mishnah means to say that repentance atones for the violation of a positive commandment and for the violation of a lav hanitak l’aseh, a prohibition removed to the remedy of a positive commandment. A negative commandment that is punishable by lashes, however, is considered a severe transgression and repentance alone is insufficient to atone for such a sin. Rather, one also needs Yom Kippur to gain atonement for such a transgression.
2. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya maintains that are three divisions of atonement. If one transgressed a positive commandment and repented, he is forgiven. If he transgressed a negative commandment and repented, the repentance suspends punishment and Yom Kippur atones for the sin. If one committed a sin that is punishable by kares or by judicial execution, repentance and Yom Kippur suspend, i.e. protect him from premature death or alternatively, from full retribution, and suffering purges the sin. Regarding one who has committed the sin of desecrating the Name of HaShem, however, repentance is insufficient to suspend punishment, Yom Kippur will not atone, and suffering will not purge the sin. Rather, all three of those together will suspend the sin and death purges the sin.
3. The Gemara offers different examples of chillul Hashem, the desecration of HaShem’s Name. Rav maintains that if someone like himself would take meat from a butcher and not pay for it immediately, that would constitute the desecration of HaShem’s Name. This is only considered a desecration of HaShem’s Name if the shopkeeper does not demand payment of the money owed to him, but in an area where the shopkeeper demands payment, it is not considered a desecration of HaShem’s Name. Rabbi Yochanan maintains that if he would walk four amos without studying Torah or wearing Tefillin, this would constitute the desecration of HaShem’s Name. Yitzchak of the academy of Rabbi Yanai maintains that if ones friends suffer embarrassment because of his bad reputation, that would constitute the desecration of HaShem’s Name. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak maintains that if people say that Hashem should forgive someone for his actions, that would constitute the desecration of HaShem’s Name.. Abaye maintains that a Torah scholar who conducts himself honestly in business and converses pleasantly with others accords honor to HaShem’s Name. One who does not conduct himself honestly in business and does not converse pleasantly with others causes dishonor to HaShem’s Name. Such conduct will cause people to say about him, “woe unto that person who learned Torah, woe unto his father who taught him Torah and woe unto his teacher who taught him Torah. See how corrupt are his deeds and how ugly are his ways.”
4. Repentance is great as it brings healing to the world and great is repentance that it reaches the Heavenly Throne. The Gemara states that repentance is so great that a willful transgression is transformed into a merit for the penitent. This teaching is qualified to mean that if the penitent was inspired by love of HaShem, then his sins are erased completely and his sins will be a source of merit, as they have motivated him to perform acts of righteousness.
5. Great is repentance that it can override a negative commandment of the Torah. One cannot remarry his wife after he divorced her and she married another man in the interim. HaShem, who is likened to the husband of the Jewish People, will still welcome them back if they repent. Repentance is also great because it brings the redemption nearer, and repentance also lengthens the years of a person.
6. The Gemara poses a contradiction in statements made by Reish Lakish. In one statement Reish Lakish maintains that repentance is great because willful transgressions are considered to be inadvertent errors, whereas in a second statement Reish Lakish maintains that willful transgression are transformed into merits. The Gemara resolves this contradiction by stating that in Reish Lakish’s second statement, he refers to repentance that is motivated by love, whereas in his first statement, Reish Lakish refers to repentance that is motivated by fear.
7. The Gemara states that the manner in which HaShem conducts himself with man is in contrast to the way man conducts himself with his fellow. If one aggravates his fellow with words, it is doubtful if the victim will be appeased by the one who harmed him, and even if he will be appeased, it is doubtful whether he will be appeased with words. If one sins against HaShem in secret, however, HaShem is appeased through words, and HaShem even considers the person’s repentance as a good deed. Furthermore, it is as if the penitent has offered voluntary sacrifices.
8. The Gemara explains that a true penitent is one who committed a sin in the past and then the opportunity for the same sin comes again a first time and a second time and he is saved from the sin on both occasions.
9. The Gemara poses a contradiction in verses, as one verse states that one who conceals his sins is fortunate, whereas a second verse states that one who conceals his sins will not succeed. The Gemara resolves this contradiction by answering that the verse that condemns one who conceals his sins refers to one whose sins are public knowledge, whereas the verse that condones concealing ones sins refers to sins that are not public knowledge. Alternatively, the Gemara answers that regarding sins between man and his fellow, one should not conceal his sins, whereas regarding sins between man and HaShem, one should conceal his sins.
10. One who commits a sin three times will be forgiven but once he commits the sin a fourth time, he is not forgiven. If one confessed his sins on this Yom Kippur, he should not confess those sins on another Yom Kippur. If he repeated the sins, however, he should confess them on another Yom Kippur. One opinion maintains that one who confesses sins that he did not repeat is likened to a dog that returns to its vomit, whereas a second opinion maintains that one who confesses his sins is praiseworthy.
11. There is an debate if one who is confessing his sins should specify the sin he committed.
12. We publicize hypocrites who are wicked people and pretend to be righteous, because otherwise there will be a desecration of HaShem’s Name, as others will attempt to emulate their flawed deeds.
13. One who is completely wicked and repents will cause his punishment to be blocked, and this is so even if the decree of punishment against him has already been sealed.
14. The tranquility of the wicked results in trouble, because while they enjoy the tranquility, they are devising ways of committing evil.
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