Edited by B. Silberstein
The Optimal Time for Teshuva
There are many compelling reasons why one should repent at this time. The Rambam explains that we can abandon sin and embark on the righteous path at any time. The Mitzvah of Teshuva (repentance) is not restricted to a particular time, but the question arises, are there occasions that are more propitious for this activity?
The Rambam states in Hilchot Teshuva 2:7:
“Yom Kippur is the time of Teshuva for all, the individual and the many, and it is the culmination of pardon and forgiveness: therefore everyone is obligated to repent and confess on Yom Kippur."
This means that there is a dimension of “contemplating the appropriate moment" in repentance. One should consider the possibility of eliciting a favorable response. The Rambam teaches that every human being is judged on Rosh Hashanah (Hilchot Teshuva 3:3), while Yom Kippur is the culmination of pardon and forgiveness for Israel. It is therefore most appropriate for all of us to respond to this season with serious introspection.
Noach and Avraham: Two Models of Righteousness
There is another factor which can motivate someone to Teshuva. Specifically, it can motivate a person with a “heroic" frame of mind, who wants to “make a difference." How so?
One of the least appreciated biblical figures is Noach. Although the Torah attests that he was a “righteous man," it qualifies this description with the word BeDorotav, “in his generations." The Rabbis, who found meaning in every nuance of the Torah, attached great significance to this term. Some interpreted it favorably, as praise for Noach’s righteousness in an exceptionally corrupt generation. Others understood it as limiting the extent of his greatness, saying, “In his generation, but not in that of Avraham." According to the latter view, there are different degrees of righteousness, and Noach’s standing did not equal that of Avraham.
In what sense was Avraham greater than Noach? Noach lived in a time of universal moral corruption. He mustered the strength to resist the tide and to keep himself and his family on the right path. Yet no one beyond his family joined him in the ark or was saved from the Flood. Unlike Avraham, Noach is not portrayed as successfully drawing others to repentance.
Avraham, by contrast, reached the level at which he could engage others and instruct them in the exalted monotheistic way by which he lived. Chazal interpret the Torah’s reference to “the souls they had made in Charan" (Bereishit 12:5) as referring to those whom Avraham and Sarah brought close to belief in Hashem. Avraham is also described as one who would command his children and household after him “to keep the way of Hashem, doing righteousness and justice" (Bereishit 18:19). He won over adherents who adopted and perpetuated his way of life.
Thus, Avraham occupies a higher rung than Noach. Not only was he uncorrupted by the culture of his time, but he strove successfully to transform others for the good. Noach, however, preserved his own family without bringing his contemporaries to repentance and was therefore considered inferior to Avraham according to the critical interpretation of BeDorotav.
Noach's Singular Achievement: Can It Happen Again?
In spite of the fact that Noach did not measure up to the lofty heights of Avraham, he has a singular achievement which no human has duplicated: he saved the world. The Torah doesn’t mince words:
“And Hashem said, ‘I will blot out man whom I created from the face of the earth, from man to animal, to creeping things, and to birds of the sky; for I have reconsidered My having made them.’ And Noach found grace in the eyes of Hashem." (Bereishit 6:7-8)
What would have happened if there had not been a Noach or if he too had succumbed to evil? The plain inference to be drawn is that the entire world would have been destroyed. So it can safely be said that Noach saved the world.
Has such an amazing deed ever been repeated? Can ordinary individuals duplicate that heroism? The Rambam states that Hashem’s judgment extends to each individual and to the various nations and states of the world. That, however, is not where the matter ends, for as he says:
“And so too, the entire world: If their sins are greater than their merits, they are immediately destroyed." (Hilchot Teshuva 3:2)
It seems that the Rambam does not rule out the possibility that the world could face Divine judgment resulting in its destruction. Yet this is problematic, for we read after the Flood:
“Hashem said in His heart, ‘I will not continue to curse again the ground because of man, since the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again continue to smite every living being, as I have done. Continuously, all the days of the earth, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.’" (Bereishit 8:21-22)
At first glance, these verses seem to guarantee the world's permanent survival. However, the following chapter clarifies the scope of this promise:
“There shall not again be a flood to destroy the earth" (Bereishit 9:11).
The covenant, then, is specifically against a repeat of the Flood, not a blanket assurance against every form of Divine judgment. As long as man possesses free will, he can behave in an egregious and self-destructive manner, and Hashem could, in principle, respond accordingly.
Perhaps Hashem means that, after the Flood, He introduced changes in the natural order that weakened man’s physical constitution and limited his longevity. Midrashic sources describe post-Flood humanity as physically diminished in comparison with the earlier generations. From that point onward, man would no longer possess the extraordinary strength and longevity characteristic of the pre-Flood world. It would therefore be less likely that humanity would attain the extreme hubris that had necessitated its destruction. Nevertheless, such a decline into moral corruption remains possible. Therefore, Hashem continues to bring all humankind before Him for judgment.
A Practical Charge: Tipping the Scales for the World
What significance does this universal reckoning have for the individual Jew? The Rambam says:
“Therefore a person must view himself all year long as though he is half innocent and half guilty and so too with the entire world. Thus, if he performed one sin, he tilted himself and the entire world to the side of guilt and caused destruction for himself. And, if he did one Mitzvah, he tilted himself and the world to the side of merit and brought about for himself and them rescue and salvation." (Hilchot Teshuva 3:4)
Is this just an abstract understanding or is this a matter which should have a practical impact? The Rambam says:
“Because of this, the whole House of Yisrael has the custom of increasing charity and good deeds and performing Mitzvot from Rosh HaShana to Yom Kippur. And they all have the custom to arise while it is still night, on these ten days, to pray in the synagogues with words of petition and contrition until daybreak." (ibid.)
The Jew cannot be concerned only for himself and his fellow Jews. He must develop a sensitivity to the needs of the entire world. He must increase his good deeds in anticipation of Hashem’s great reckoning. His task is to increase merit through righteous action and thereby seek a favorable judgment. Every person, regardless of his or her status or background, can contribute to the merit and salvation of the world. Each of us can, in that sense, help save the world.
Shabbat Shalom and Gmar Chatima Tova.
Questions? Comments?
Please reach out to Mitch Rosner on WhatsApp at 054-426-3419 or by email at mitchrosner@gmail.com.