Parshas Vayeilech
A PRESENT DEFINITION
“For this matter is very near to you...to perform it” (30:14)
The Ramban interprets the matter under discussion as the mitzva of
Teshuva, repentance. The Torah is attesting to the accessibility of
repentance. 1
The expression “karov eilecha” - “close to you” implies a certain degree of
ease. How can repentance be described as easy?
The Rambam teaches that repentance occurs when the penitent has the
conviction never to return to his wicked ways, and is confidant that even
Hashem can attest to the fact that he will never again revert to the ways
of his past.2 How can a person
guarantee that he will never repeat a sin of the past?
Teshuva in its perfection, according to the Rambam, is when a person
is faced with the opportunity to commit a sin which he has previously
transgressed, but due to his repentance, he does not succumb. The Rambam
gives the following scenario as an example: If a man who has had an
illicit relationship finds himself secluded with the same woman, in the
same location where he once transgressed, having the same passion for her,
his physical prowess just as strong as in the past, yet he is still able
to extricate himself from the situation, this is the perfect
penitence.3 Since it is forbidden for a
person to place himself in a compromising situation, the Rambam must be
setting a theoretical standard for a person to achieve. Why is it
necessary to replicate the situation with the same woman and
location? Would it not suffice to abstain from the sin, regardless of the
person or locale involved?
The Talmud teaches that a person who repeatedly transgresses a certain sin
views the sin as a permissible act. 4The Talmud is giving us an insight into why a person sins.
Generally, we define ourselves as a composite of our past actions. If a
person has repeatedly transgressed a certain sin, and is now faced with
the very same sin, he may reason that the sin cannot possibly impact upon
him any more than it has already. The feeling that the sin has
become part of his essence prevents the person’s extracting himself from
it. The person is convinced that he will commit the sin again in the
future, and therefore, not committing it at present only serves as a
temporary frustration.
The Rambam is teaching us that the mindset which is required for Teshuva
is one in which a person divorces himself from his actions of the past. A
person must feel that his past actions do not reflect his true nature, and
furthermore, that under the same exact circumstances he would not repeat
them. Teshuva can only occur when
a person divorces himself from the negative behaviors of his past and
realizes that they are not part of his true essence. Perhaps he may sin
again in the future, but that is not because the behavior is ingrained in
him from the past.
We cannot guarantee that we will never sin again. However, the knowledge
that the sinful acts of the past are not part of our present will ensure
that they are not motivating factors for committing the same sin in the
future. A person must feel that his past does not control him. The ability
to come to this realization is not a difficult task. If a person is truly
interested in changing his way of life, this mindset will be natural and
accessible to him. It is this notion to which the Torah attests that
Teshuva is “karov eilecha” - “close to you”.
1.30:14
2.Yad Hilchos Teshuva 2:2
3.Ibid 2:1
4.Yuma 86b
