Sin and Repentance: A Jewish Perspective

(6) and he shall bring his forfeit unto the L-RD for his sin which he hath sinned, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his sin.

(10) But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before the L-RD, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness.

(2) Ben Azzai says: Run to do an easy mitzvah, and flee from sin; since one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah, and one sin leads to another sin; since the reward for a mitzvah is another mitzvah, and the reward for one sin is another sin.

(4) The final verdict comes from the arbitrator— the Holy One, blessed be He, who comes to the aid of the good nature, as our Sages said, "If the Almighty did not help him, he could not overcome his evil inclination."

(8) The sin-offering and guilt-offering atone [for sin]. Death and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, atone with repentance. Repentance atones for minor transgressions of positive or negative commandments; for grave transgressions, it obtains a respite until Yom Kippur completes the atonement.

(1) Twenty-four things delay teshuvah (repentance). Four of them are a great sin and anyone who does one of them, the Holy Blessed One does not assist that person in repentance because of the seriousness of her sin, and they are: (1) Someone who causes others to sin; and included in this sin is anyone who delays others from repenting. (2) Someone who turns his friend away from a good path to a bad one, like someone who persuades and tempts [toward idolatry]. (3) Someone who sees his child taking on bad habits and does not prevent him – since the child is in the parent’s control, if the parent would prevent him he would certainly stop, so the parent is considered causing him to sin. And included in this sin is anyone who has the ability to prevent someone else [from sinning], whether one person or many, and he leaves them to their mistake instead of preventing them. (4) Someone who says, “I will sin and I will repent,” and this includes a person who says, “I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone for me.”

(3) What is repentance? It is when a person abandons the sin that he sinned and removes it from his thoughts and commits in his heart that he will not do it again, as it says, The wicked should abandon his path etc. (Isaiah 55:7). And also that he regrets sinning, as it says, After I returned I regretted (Jeremiah 31:18). And the One Who Knows Hidden Things testifies about him that he will never return to this sin, as it says, And we will no longer call the work of our hands “god” etc. (Hosea 14:4). And he must confess verbally and say these things that he has committed in his heart.

(1) What is complete repentance? When a person has the opportunity to commit the same sin, and he possess the ability to do it, but he separates and does not do it because of teshuvah and not out of fear or lack of strength. What is an example? A person who had illicit sex with a woman, and after some time he is alone with her, and he still loves her and possesses his physical power and is in the same country where he committed the sin, but he separates and does not sin – that person is a complete ba’al teshuvah (penitent person), about whom [King] Solomon said, Remember your Creator in the days of your youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

(2) How does he confess? He says, "Please G-d, I have sinned, I have erred, I have [willfully but unrebelliously] transgressed, I have done such-and-such [specific sins], I am regretful, and ashamed for my actions, and I will never again return to my old ways." This is the essence of the confession, and anyone who wants to lengthen [his confession], this is praiseworthy.

(6) It is very praiseworthy for the penitent to confess in public and disclose his sins to them, and reveal interpersonal sins to others and tell them: “I surely sinned against so-and-so and did such-and-such to him; but today, behold, I return and regret.” But anyone who is prideful and does not disclose, but rather hides his sins – his repentance is not complete, as it says, One who covers his transgressions shall not prosper (Proverbs 28:13).

(9) Neither repentance nor the Day of Atonement atone for any save for sins committed between man and God, for instance, one who ate forbidden food, or had forbidden coition and the like; but sins between man and man, for instance, one injures his neighbor, or curses his neighbor or plunders him, or offends him in like matters, is ever not absolved unless he makes restitution of what he owes and begs the forgiveness of his neighbor. And, although he make restitution of the monetory debt, he is obliged to pacify him and to beg his forgiveness. Even he offended not his neighbor in aught save in words, he is obliged to appease him and implore him till he be forgiven by him. If his neighbor refuses a committee of three friends to forgive him, he should bring to implore and beg of him; if he still refuses he should bring a second, even a third committee, and if he remains obstinate, he may leave him to himself and pass on, for the sin then rests upon him who refuses forgiveness. But if it happened to be his master, he should go and come to him for forgiveness even a thousand times till he does forgive him.¹⁰Ibid. 85b; Baba Kamma, 92a; Yoma, 87b. C.

(10) It is forbidden for man to be ill-natured and unforgiving, for he must be easily appeased but unwidely to wrath; and when a sinner implores him for pardon, he should grant him pardon wholeheartedly and soulfully. Even if one persecuted him and sinned against him exceedingly he should not be vengeful and grudge-bearing, for such is the path of the seed of Israel and of their excellent heart. Only the idolaters are not so, they are of uncircumcised heart, and their wrath is ever-watchful; and, because the Gibonites were unforgiving and unappeasing, that of them it is said: "Now the Gibonites were not of the children of Israel" (II. Samuel, 21.2).¹¹Baba Kamma, 92a. C.