What
Is
the
Extent
of
Teshuva
[Repentance]?
Article
No.
2,
1988
It
is
written
(Hosea
14),
“Return,
O
Israel,
unto
the
Lord
your
God.”
This
means
that
the
extent
of
Teshuva
[repentance]
is
“unto
the
Lord
your
God.”
However,
we
should
understand
the
meaning
of
“unto
the
Lord
your
God,”
for
it
implies
that
up
to
this
place
we
must
repent,
and
when
arriving
at
that
place
he
no
longer
needs
to
repent
because
he
has
returned
to
the
place
from
which
he
came.
We
should
understand
what
it
means
that
a
person
walks
away
from
a
place
and
is
told
he
must
return
to
the
place
from
which
he
came,
which
is
called
Teshuva
[Teshuva
means
“returning”].
Accordingly,
What
is
the
place
from
which
he
went
and
to
which
he
must
return?
It
is
known
that
Kabbalists
wrote
that
man’s
soul
is
a
part
of
God
above,
as
it
is
written
(“Introduction
to
The
Book
of
Zohar,”
Item
2),
“Inquiry
No.
3:
This
deals
with
what
Kabbalists
have
said,
that
man’s
soul
is
a
part
of
God
Above,
in
such
a
way
that
there
is
no
difference
between
Him
and
the
soul,
but
He
is
the
‘whole’
and
the
soul
is
a
‘part.’”
It
is
also
written
(“Introduction
to
The
Book
of
Zohar,”
Item
9),
“And
you
find
that
in
spirituality,
the
disparity
of
form
acts
like
the
ax
that
separates
the
corporeal
things.
From
this
we
learn
that
since
the
will
to
receive
His
delight
has
been
imprinted
in
the
souls,
that
disparity
of
form
that
the
souls
acquired
separates
them
from
His
essence.
Through
that
disparity
of
form,
the
souls
were
separated
from
the
Creator
and
became
creatures.”
It
is
also
written
(“Introduction
to
The
Book
of
Zohar,”
Item
11),
“And
the
worlds
cascaded
onto
the
reality
of
this
corporeal
world,
a
place
where
there
is
a
body
and
a
soul,
and
a
time
of
corruption
and
a
time
of
correction.”
And
it
is
also
written
(“Introduction
to
The
Book
of
Zohar,”
Item
12),
“And
through
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds],
they
finally
turn
the
form
of
the
will
to
receive
to
be
as
the
form
of
the
will
to
bestow.
Then
they
can
receive
all
the
good
that
is
in
the
thought
of
creation.
Along
with
it,
they
are
rewarded
with
strong
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
Him,
because
through
the
work
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
they
have
been
rewarded
with
equivalence
of
form
with
their
maker,
which
is
deemed
the
end
of
correction.”
It
therefore
follows
that
all
we
need
to
do
in
this
world
is
correct
and
qualify
ourselves
to
be
able
to
receive
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
exist
in
the
thought
of
creation.
Thus,
by
being
created
with
a
will
to
receive,
which
is
opposite
from
the
Creator,
it
is
considered
that
a
person
has
departed
from
the
place.
From
what
place?
From
the
root,
since
the
soul
is
a
part
of
God
above.
It
has
departed
because
of
the
disparity
of
form
from
the
Creator
and
has
descended
into
this
world
so
as
to
be
clothed
in
a
body.
It
was
mentioned
above
that
in
this
world
there
is
a
time
of
corruption
and
a
time
of
correction.
Through
the
remedy
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
that
which
was
corrupted
will
be
corrected.
Since
the
corruption
is
only
that
the
will
to
receive
removes
a
person
from
the
Creator,
once
a
person
engages
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
order
to
receive
the
quality
of
the
aim
to
bestow,
which
is
called
“equivalence
of
form,”
it
corrects
the
corruption.
By
this
we
can
understand
the
question,
What
is
the
place
from
which
man
emerged,
as
he
is
told
that
he
should
return
to
his
place,
which
is
called
Teshuva?
We
should
interpret
that
since
the
soul
is
a
part
of
God
above,
and
was
removed
from
the
Creator
into
being
merely
a
part
and
not
the
whole,
all
this
was
because
of
the
disparity
of
form.
Therefore,
when
he
corrects
this
through
the
power
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot
with
the
intention
that
it
will
bring
him
the
correction
of
the
ability
to
do
everything
in
order
to
bestow,
he
will
naturally
reconnect
to
the
whole.
This
is
called
“Dvekut
with
the
Creator,”
and
this
is
the
extent
that
one
should
know
how
much
he
must
work
until
he
achieves
Teshuva.
To
this
comes
the
answer,
“Return,
O
Israel,
unto
the
Lord
your
God.”
“Your
God”
is
said
in
singular
form.
That
is,
the
will
to
receive
that
exists
in
man
divides
him
into
two
authorities
and
he
becomes
removed
from
the
Creator.
When
a
person
corrects
himself
and
does
everything
in
order
to
bestow,
in
this
way
he
achieves
Dvekut.
It
follows
that
the
disparity
of
form
divided
man
and
removed
him
from
his
source.
This
is
regarded
as
a
person
being
removed
from
his
place
and
that
he
has
now
returned
to
his
place.
This
is
called
“your
God,”
in
singular
form,
where
nothing
separates
the
Creator
from
the
creature.
This
is
called
Teshuva,
when
a
person
returns
to
his
place,
as
he
was
prior
to
creation,
when
the
soul
was
included
in
the
whole.
Subsequently,
through
the
will
to
receive,
she
divided
from
the
whole,
and
now
the
singular
authority
has
been
created
and
this
is
called
Teshuva
[returning].
This
is
the
meaning
of
“Return,
O
Israel.”
To
what
extent
must
he
return?
The
prophet
tells
us,
“unto
the
Lord,”
until
He
becomes
“your
God,”
the
singular
authority.
According
to
the
above,
we
see
that
the
writing
wants
to
show
us
what
is
Teshuva.
That
is,
the
general
public
is
taught
to
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
Lo
Lishma
[not
for
Her
sake].
There,
in
the
general
public,
a
person
needs
to
repent
for
the
act.
That
is,
if
a
person
takes
care
to
observe
Torah
and
Mitzvot
with
all
its
details
and
specifics,
in
this
manner,
a
person
must
believe
above
reason
that
he
has
not
done
his
duty
in
observing
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
and
he
always
searches—perhaps
he
slandered
or
spoke
idle
words.
That
is,
if
he
wants
to
acquire
wholeness,
he
is
always
busy
looking
into
the
work
he
does.
But
normally,
a
person
does
not
see
his
own
fault.
Also,
it
is
the
same
with
humbleness,
as
our
sages
said,
“be
very,
very
humble.”
In
this,
too,
he
searches
for
faults
by
which
he
will
be
able
to
tell
himself
that
he
is
worse
than
others,
since
a
person
must
be
humble,
and
lying
is
certainly
forbidden.
Therefore,
he
is
always
concerned
and
thinks
about
finding
some
flaw
in
himself,
so
he
will
be
able
to
say
that
he
is
worse
than
others.
Certainly,
it
is
very
difficult
for
a
person
in
this
state
to
repent.
All
he
can
say
after
all
his
efforts
is
that
he
might
have
prayed
improperly,
or
perhaps
slandered
and
did
not
notice.
That
is,
he
finds
in
himself
a
place
where
he
can
repent
for
sins
he
might
have
committed.
Also,
about
humbleness,
he
says,
“Perhaps
I
am
worse
than
others.”
It
turns
out
that
his
entire
Teshuva
is
on
a
possible
transgression.
That
is,
he
believes
above
reason
that
he
probably
still
lacks
wholeness.
But,
all
this
pertains
to
people
who
belong
to
the
general
public.
However,
for
people
who
belong
in
the
individuals,
whose
aim
is
to
be
rewarded
with
Dvekut
with
the
Creator,
which
is
equivalence
of
form,
meaning
they
want
all
their
actions
to
be
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
here
begins
a
completely
different
order.
Their
gauge
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
is
not
necessarily
the
act.
Rather,
they
want
the
intention
to
be
for
the
Creator,
too.
That
is,
they
do
not
settle
for
observing
the
Creator’s
commandments
only
in
action.
They
observe
Torah
and
Mitzvot
because
the
Creator
commanded
us
to
observe
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
and
not
because
the
environment
commits
them
to
observe
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
That
is,
they
observe
not
so
the
environment
will
respect
or
disrespect
them,
and
this
is
what
obliges
them
to
observe
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
Rather,
they
do
everything
in
concealment
“with
the
Lord
your
God.”
They
do
not
demand
from
the
environment
respect
and
so
forth,
but
rather
want
to
observe
the
Torah
and
Mitzvot
with
the
aim
not
to
receive
reward,
but
only
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
They
see
that
the
body
does
not
agree
to
this
work.
But
since
they
want
to
achieve
the
truth,
from
above
they
are
constantly
shown
the
truth—according
to
the
merit
of
their
work—about
how
the
will
to
receive
is
in
oppositeness
of
form
from
the
Creator.
Yet,
each
time
they
overcome
more
forcefully
in
that
they
want
to
work
only
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
That
person
does
not
see
that
he
has
any
merit
in
spirituality.
He
sees
that
he
is
more
materialized
than
the
rest
of
the
servants
of
the
Creator
who
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
And
the
reason
is,
as
said
above,
that
it
is
because
that
person
exerts
more
efforts
to
reach
the
truth.
Then,
he
is
shown
from
above
the
true
state
of
the
evil.
At
that
time
he
sees
that
he
is
unable
to
help
himself,
and
he
has
a
need,
called
a
Kli
[vessel],
that
the
Creator
will
help
him
emerge
from
the
control
of
the
evil
within
him.
It
therefore
follows
that
the
words
“Return,
O
Israel,
unto
the
Lord
your
God”
were
said
so
that
a
person
would
not
deceive
himself
and
say,
“I
don’t
see
any
sins
in
myself,”
and
may
doubt
that
he
has
transgressions
on
which
he
needs
to
repent.
This
is
why
the
verse
says,
“Return,
O
Israel.”
And
should
you
ask,
What
is
the
extent
of
the
Teshuva,
so
that
I
may
know
for
certain
that
I
must
repent?
The
verse
says
to
us
in
this
regard,
“Return,
O
Israel,
unto
the
Lord
your
God.”
That
is,
if
he
sees
that
he
still
has
two
authorities,
meaning
that
he
wants
the
Creator
to
give
delight
and
pleasure
to
man’s
authority,
called
“will
to
receive
for
himself,”
then
he
knows
for
certain
that
he
is
removed
from
the
Creator,
that
he
has
become
a
separate
part
from
the
whole,
and
he
should
do
all
that
he
can
to
return
to
his
origin
and
root,
meaning
return
to
his
place,
which
is
called
“the
Lord
your
God.”
This
means
that
there
is
only
one
authority—the
authority
of
the
Creator—as
was
said,
“On
that
day,
the
Lord
will
be
one,
and
His
name
One,”
meaning
one
authority.