Thank you very much Rabbi Sacks. Let's begin here in Perek Bet, Halakha Alef of Hilchos Teshuvah. Hopefully by the time we finish the Shiur, B'ezras Hashem, it will become clear that this isn't just my addiction to Hilchos Teshuvah, but a Inyana De'Yoma here as well in the Motzei Yom Kippur. The Rambam writes as follows: אי זו היא תשובה גמורה זה שבא לידו דבר שעבר בו ואפשר בידו לעשותו ופירש ולא עשה מפני התשובה לא מיראה ולא מכשלון כח.
Keitzad? הרי שבא על אשה בעבירה ואחר זמן נתייחד עמה והוא עומד באהבתו לה ובכח גופו ובדימיון שעבר בה ופירש ולא עבר זו היא תשובה גמורה.
Hu sheShlomo omer, וזכור את בוראיך בימי בחורותיך. So the first scenario which illustrates Teshuvah Gemurah is when the Teshuvah happens at the same stage of life, so that all circumstances are identical, and the only variable is the Teshuvah. ואם לא שב אלא בימי זקנותו ובעת שאי אפשר לו לעשות מה שהיה עושה אף על פי שאינה תשובה מעולה מועלת היא לו ובעל תשובה הוא.
The second scenario is that circumstances are not replicated; he's no longer capable of repeating the Cheit, but it's still a Teshuvah. Then the third scenario: אפילו עבר כל ימיו ועשה תשובה ביום מיתתו ומת בתשובתו כל עוונותיו נמחלים לו.
Even if the person waits and only does Teshuvah B'yom misaso and U'meis bi'teshuvaso, Avonosov nimchalim lo. Okay, the phrase that we want to zero in on here is U'meis bi'teshuvaso. And it's obvious that, let's say he has his day mapped out here, he's going to die at five o'clock in the afternoon. Very orderly, fast thing scheduled. Five o'clock in the afternoon he's going to die. So twelve o'clock he does Teshuvah. But then at two p.m. he decides to Chapper arein one more cheeseburger. So clearly for the Teshuvah to be effective and Avonosov nimchalim lo, I mean he has to hold firm whatever five minutes, two hours, or whatever time is left B'yom misaso. Obviously the Teshuvah is only going to be effective if he doesn't regress in whatever little time is left. So what does the Rambam have in mind with that phrase, U'meis bi'teshuvaso? Let's perhaps approach it as follows. Chovos HaLevavos in Sha'ar HaTeshuvah, so he follows in the footsteps of Rav Saadia Gaon, and I think Rav Saadia Gaon, I think is the one who has the first beginning systematic definition of Teshuvah. So the Chovos HaLevavos here is following in the footsteps of Rav Saadia: אבל גדרי התשובה העצמיים הם ארבעה. The essential elements of Teshuvah are four: הראשון החרטה על מה שקדם לו מן העוונות. A sense of regret, remorse regarding the Averos that he's guilty of. Ve-hasheini: והשני שיעזבם ויסור מהם. That he should abandon the Chato'im, that he should not persist. Ve-hashlishi: והשלישי שיתוודה בהם ויבקש המחילה עליהם. Vidui, requests Mechilah. And the fourth, that not only in the present, which was number two, not only in the present is he not engaged in the Cheit, but Ha-revi'i: והרביעי שיקבל על נפשו שלא ישוב לעשותם בלבו ובמצפונו. That in the future, he's not going to revert back to the Cheit either. Okay, so there's Azivas hacheit. charata, this kabbala l'haba, and this bakashas mechila. Those are the four essential elements of teshuva that the Chovos HaLevavos identifies. Okay, now what's really extraordinary here, well, let's read inside. V'hacharata line 3, אות על גנות מעשהו בעיניו. Charata indicates that he recognizes the ugliness of his actions. ואנחנו רואים כזה בין בני אדם. We see that in terms of human relations as well. כשמראה החוטא לחברו על החרטה על מה שחטא לו הוא הסיבה החזקה למחול לו.
Right? A person is moved, is inspired to forgive when he sees remorse on the other one's behalf. והעזיבה היא אות בירור אמונתו בשכר ועונש. V'azivas hacheit reflects the person's—it reflects, it actively affirms his—it actively affirms his belief in sachar v'onash. Then he comments on bakashas hamechila and finally אבל הקבלה שלא ישנה. Do you see that? It's around six lines from the end of this excerpt. Hakabbala shelo yishneh, the commitment that he won't repeat the cheit, אות על ידיעתו ברוע מעשהו וגודל חטאו. So this is extraordinary. The Chovos HaLevavos says that the significance and the need for kabbala l'haba is because of what it indicates about the past. The fact that I'm not going to repeat it, that indicates that I recognize that the past was really, what happened was totally unacceptable. What's so extraordinary about this is, I mean, that is true, but why do you have to rationalize, why do you have to explain, why do you have to justify kabbala l'haba in the context of teshuva? That is teshuva. No, the Chovos HaLevavos, he says why—why is kabbala l'haba necessary for teshuva? It's necessary for teshuva because the kabbala l'haba, again it's five-six lines from the end of this excerpt, אות על ידיעתו ברוע מעשהו וגודל חטאו because of what it indicates about one's retrospective view. So what you see in the Chovos HaLevavos, it was already between the lines in an earlier perek here, is that the Chovos HaLevavos understands teshuva, that teshuva is not only triggered by what happened in the past, but it's entirely about making amends for the past. Teshuva is totally focused on the past. Ad k'dei kach that he feels a need to explain how the kabbala l'haba is even relevant to teshuva. Right? He says the kabbala l'haba is only relevant to teshuva because of what it indicates, because of what it reflects in terms of what his retrospective view is on the cheit. Now just again to further highlight what he's saying, if you contrast this on page 2 to the Rambam's definition in פרק ב הלכות תשובה, ומה היא התשובה הוא שיעזוב החוטא חטאו ויסירו ממחשבתו ויגמור בלבו שלא יעשהו עוד.
Right? Teshuva means that the person changes. The person changes. The need for teshuva is triggered by what happened in the past, but the teshuva is about the present and the future. Right? Teshuva means that the person changes. The person says, now I'm turning the page, I'm turning over a new leaf. So how does that express itself? Through azivas hacheit in the present and the resolve about the future, v'yigmor b'libo. ויגמור בלבו שלא יעשהו עוד tzorich l' need to justify the the kabbalah l'habo in terms of the what it indicates about your perspective on the past, no, that's, that is integral to teshuvah. So what you have here seems to be a very, very fundamental, whether there are practical repercussions, I don't know, but, but conceptually, is a fundamental difference in focus and emphasis. For the Chovos HaLevavos a person does a cheit, so teshuvah is about making amends for that cheit. And that's why teshuvah is totally, totally focused on the past, because it's about making amends. I broke your window, so the, the, the unresolved account here is I have to make amends for the fact that I broke that window. Ad kedei kach, that the Chovos HaLevavos is wondering why the kabbalah l'habo even enters into teshuvah and he says because that signifies, that, that shows what your retrospective is on, on the cheit. And for the Rambam no, again, obviously the need and the mechayev of, of teshuvah are the cheit in the past, but teshuvah is about changing oneself in the present and the future, repairing one's relationship and moving forward with that repaired relationship. That's why it's not only when continuing in Halacha Beis, again, it's, it's a subtlety but, but it's there. Again, ומה היא התשובה הוא שיעזוב החוטא חטאו ויסירו ממחשבתו ויגמור בלבו שלא יעשהו עוד שנאמר יעזוב רשע דרכו וכן יתנחם על שעבר.
Now the Rambam could have written veyisnachem al she'avar, but instead he writes וכן יתנחם על שעבר. The difference in mashmaos is the following. If the Rambam would have said veyisnachem al she'avar, so then the sense would have been that this is another element of teshuvah, but I interrupted because it has a different proof text. So, so the Rambam interrupted the, the listing of the essential elements of teshuvah. First he mentions azivas hacheit, kabbalah l'habo, kabbalah l'habo and quotes that pasuk and now he's continuing with the next. But the Rambam says vechein. Vechein means no, teshuvah is azivas hacheit and kabbalah l'habo. There is a requirement to supplement the teshuvah with charatah. And as a matter of fact, that's what the pasuk says. כי אחרי שובי נחמתי. The pasuk itself, the Rambam would tell us, frames the charatah as something which is a necessary accompaniment, a necessary complement to, to the teshuvah. And again, the, the contrast is really very, very sharp with the Chovos HaLevavos. For the Rambam, teshuvah is about the present and future. Again, the need for change in the present and future is of course what happened in the past. And for the Chovos HaLevavos, no, teshuvah is about making amends for the past, rectifying the past. That's why if you look on the other excerpt that you have here from the Chovos HaLevavos on side one, the Chovos HaLevavos is very, very preoccupied of the four elements of teshuvah, he's most preoccupied with charatah. So in Perek Gimmel of Sha'ar HaTeshuvah, so the Chovos HaLevavos lists seven, seven, seven premises for teshuvah, seven things that, that a person needs to know to be motivated to do teshuvah. And four of the seven is the Chovos HaLevavos explains is without this you won't have charatah, without this you won't have charatah, without this you won't have charatah. The Chovos HaLevavos is primarily preoccupied with charatah. For him, teshuvah is about correcting, fixing, rectifying, making amends for the past. For the Rambam, what happened in the past requires change in the present and future. Now perhaps one practical nafka mina again, which hopefully will further concretize this, on page two if you take a look under the heading Rambam הלכות תשובה פרק ב Halacha Gimmel. So this is the Rambam, Halacha Gimmel is the Rambam's understanding of a Gemara in Taanis, כל המתודה בדברים ולא. כל המתודה בדברים ולא גמר בלבו לעזוב,
if a person will say viduy but he hasn't resolved to make a break with the cheit, הרי זה דומה לטובל ושרץ בידו. So he resembles one who's going to the mikvah because he incurred tumah because of magas sheretz, but he's holding on to the sheretz in the mikvah, שאין הטבילה מועלת לו עד שישליך השרץ. As long as he's gripping the source of tumah, so there's nothing can possibly purify him. So without a kabbala l’haba, without a resolve about the future, it's zero. It's zero. Now notice how the Rambam doesn't say, the Rambam could have given us two tziyurim. The Rambam could have said כל המתודה בדברים ולא מנחם על שעבר או לא גמר בלבו לעזוב.
The Rambam doesn't totally negate, he doesn't totally dismiss; let's say a person will say viduy and he's sincere about that he's making a break with the past, he's not going to repeat the cheit anymore, but he's not really at the point where he can honestly say that he has such a sense of charata. Now he realizes that it's time to get serious in life and it's time to make a change and this isn't the way he wants to live and he realizes that it was wrong, but honestly he doesn't, he's not holding by the charata. The Rambam doesn't, he doesn't totally negate that; he only totally negates a viduy when there's no kabbala l’haba. Again, because that's the Rambam, teshuvah's about present and future. Again, not to be misleading, yes, we're required to have the charata, but that's a necessary complement to the teshuvah, but the ikkar of the teshuvah is about present and future. Okay, that's clear. Now in light of that, let's maybe review literally the notion, I mean we just said it in the Riva also, we had it here in פרק ב הלכה א in the Rambam, the idea of teshuvah biyom misaso. teshuvah biyom misaso, there doesn't seem, there isn't, right, l'chora there isn't any element of future in teshuvah biyom misah. So hanicha according to the Chovos HaLevavos, okay, teshuvah's about the past, he's taking advantage of the last opportunity and he's making amends for that, but for the Rambam, no, ומה היא התשובה שיעזוב החוטא חטאו ויסירו ממחשבתו ויגמור בלבו שלא יעשהו.
teshuvah's about present and future. How do we understand teshuvah biyom misah? Again, it's a יסוד גדול יסוד גדול of our belief that that is an opportunity that Hakadosh Baruch Hu provides, but how do we understand it given the Rambam's definition of teshuvah? So one answer is, maybe it's enough that it's about the present. Maybe that's enough. I think that is a very cogent answer. Maybe according to the Rambam it's enough that in that moment, in the moment that he's doing teshuvah, that's enough, and even if there isn't any future repercussions or future opportunities because of the teshuvah, maybe the present is enough. One answer. The second answer, I think that answer's true. A second answer which l'chora is always true, yesh l'tzamtzaim, there's always going to be a little bit of future; going to be a second, ten seconds, always a little bit of future. I think both of those answers are right, but kemidumeh there's a third one which is very important as well. But to just to get the background for that answer, let's take a look as follows. Here in the middle of page two, the Rambam, יסודי התורה פרק ב הלכה ב, והיאך היא הדרך לאהבתו ויראתו בשעה שיתבונן. במעשיו וברואיו הנפלאים הגדולים.
When a person reflects on Hakadosh Baruch Hu's, when a person reflects on Hakadosh Baruch Hu's great and wondrous handiwork and creations, ויראה מהן חכמתו שאין לה ערך ולא קץ, and he'll glimpse the inestimable and infinite chochma, מיד הוא אוהב ומשבח ומפאר, the reaction that causes is הוא אוהב ומשבח ומפאר, he praises, he glorifies, ומתאווה תאווה גדולה לידע השם הגדול. It awakens within him, it ignites within him this taiva gedola for yedias Hashem, as Dovid Hamelech expressed צמאה נפשי לאלוקים לקל חי. So the ohev Hashem at every stage, obviously there's a whole spectrum, but the ohev Hashem at every stage is driven passionately by this desire for yedias Hashem. Again, obviously there's no really adequate mashal, but imagine you read a book by an author and you really love the book on every level, so then you go to the library and you look up every other book he's written. You want to read, you'll find out that most authors only have about, not to say, one book, the second and the third one sort of, but anyway, until you discover that, so what you really want, what you really want is you want to go read everything. It awakens within you, it's just so, you're so inspired, it's so beautiful, it's so mesmerizing, you want more. Okay, one halacha, another halacha, Perek Aleph in Yesodei HaTorah halacha yud. מה הוא זה שביקש משה רבנו להשיג שאמר הראני נא את כבודך.
So the Rambam elsewhere explains that kavod sometimes just refers to Hakadosh Baruch Hu himself. הראני נא את כבודך, so that's I think the assumption which is not articulated here which underlies what the Rambam is about to say. ביקש לידע אמיתת המצאו של הקדוש ברוך הוא. He wanted to know the reality of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's existence. Meaning, let's say in the world, so we define different levels of existence. We define mineral, and we define vegetation, and we define ba'alei chayim, animal world, and we have a definition of what distinguishes each one. What distinguishes the domem, the mineral from the tzomei'ach, the vegetation, and the tzomei'ach from the chai, from an animal, and the chai from the medabeir, from human beings. So Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to understand the reality of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's existence, to understand something about the essence, עד שיהא ידוע בלבו. How is that expressed figuratively as הראני נא את כבודך? What's that physical metaphor? עד שיהא ידוע בלבו so that in his mind it would be differentiated כידיעת אחד מן האנשים שראה פניו ונחקקה צורתו בלבו. Right, if you've seen someone and you have and you store in your memory an image of that person, so then that's a unique, assuming that he's not an identical twin, so that's going to be a unique image, right? It's going to be a unique image and that differentiates him from anyone and everyone else. עד שיהא ידוע בלבו, so that's the physical metaphor here of הראני נא את כבודך. כידיעת אחד מן האנשים שראה פניו ונחקקה צורתו בלבו שנמצא אותו האיש נפרד בדעתו משאר האנשים.
Kach, here comes the nimshal. ביקש משה רבנו להיות מציאות הקדוש ברוך הוא נפרדת בלבו משאר הנמצאים עד שידע אמיתת המצאו כאשר היא.
Veheshivo Baruch Hu, so what did Hakadosh Baruch Hu say? כי לא יראני האדם וחי. So what's that And so the Rambam explains. Veheishivo baruch hu שאין כח בדעת האדם החי שהוא מחובר מגוף ונפש. לא יראני אדם וחי
means while a person is alive. The vav means while, right? And living, meaning while a person is alive, what you're asking to understand Moshe, even for you, Moshe Rabbeinu, is beyond your capacity as long as you exist in a hybrid state of guf v'nafesh. So this is a staple idea that the Rambam has that as long as we are in this hybrid state, the physical side places a cap on our capacity for yedi'as Hashem. And that's why the Rambam says that the more pronounced the physical side is, the more that is impaired. There's an absolute cap, even Moshe Rabbeinu had a cap. But then beyond that, it's that impairment is magnified the more that we lean towards the physical side, which is why the Rambam says that any shortcoming in middos affects... The Rambam says that nevi'im who as extraordinary as they were were not perfect perfect perfect, they were not a thousand percent perfect in terms of moral or ethical perfection. They were 999 percent but not quite a thousand. And he says that depending upon again, each time very subtle, but depending upon the degree of imperfection, that affected the level of nevuah. Because any chisaron b'middos is really an imbalance in one's physicality. Any chisaron b'middos is magnifying one's physicality, so mimmela that's to the detriment of one's understanding. So that's what again, so here, but even Moshe Rabbeinu, even without a chisaron b'middos כי לא יראני האדם וחי שאין כח בדעת האדם החי שהוא מחובר מגוף ונפש,
he exists in this hybrid state, so he doesn't have the capacity to fully understand what you're asking for. Okay, the same idea the Rambam has in Perek Ches, Hilchos Teshuvah, Halacha Beis. The Rambam writes העולם הבא אין בו גוף וגויה אלא נפשות הצדיקים בלבד בלא גוף כמלאכי השרת.
Right? The Rambam's leshitaso because of this idea we just mentioned. So the Rambam says that Olam Haba is only for the soul, is only for the nefesh, not for the body. הואיל ואין בו גויות, since there's no bodies, אין בו לא אכילה ולא שתיה ולא דבר מכל הדברים שגופות בני אדם צריכין להם בעולם הזה.
So none of the physical needs or the physical activities are relevant. ולא יארע בו דבר מן הדברים שמאורעין לגופות בעולם הזה,
anything which is predicated, anything which is a function of physicality also is not applicable to Olam Haba, kegon yeshivah v'amidah posture, whether one is sitting or standing, ושינה ומיתה ועצב ושחוק וכיוצא בהן. כך אמרו חכמים הראשונים העולם הבא אין בו לא אכילה ולא שתיה ולא תשמיש אלא צדיקים יושבין ועטרותיהם בראשיהם.
Their wreaths are on their heads v'nehenin miziv ha-shechinah. And they enjoy, they bask in the radiance of the Shechinah. הרי נתברר לך שאין שם גוף לפי שאין שם אכילה ושתיה. וזה שאמרו צדיקים יושבין.
So if Olam Haba isn't physical and that's the thrust of what Chazal are saying, so what does it mean tzaddikim yoshvin? Derech chidah amru. No, it's figurative. כלומר הצדיקים מצויין שם בלא עמל ובלא יגיעה. Right? Sitting we associate with relaxing. To stand is to exert the, take a weight off your feet and sit down. Standing is something that requires effort and sitting is something which represents ease. So Olam Haba is an existence בלא עמל ובלא יגיעה. yegiah. וכן זה שאמרו עטרותיהן בראשיהן. What's it mean their wreaths are on their heads? Klomar daas, the knowledge she'yadu, which they acquired in this world she'biglelah, in its merit together with ma'asim זכו לחיי העולם הבא מצויה עמהן והיא העטרה שלהן. That's the wreath, that's the crown, k'inyan she'amar Shlomo. Now, ומה הוא זה שאמרו נהנין מזיו השכינה? Again, it clearly can't mean physical enjoyment. So then what's, what is that metaphorically depicting? She'yodim u'masigim, they know and they're able to comprehend מאמיתת הקדוש ברוך הוא. Again, amitas in the Rambam, in this kind of context, means reality, not truth. She'yodim u'masigim מאמיתת הקדוש ברוך הוא from the reality of Hakadosh Baruch Hu מה שאינם יודעים והם בגוף האפל השפל. That's the same idea, that as long as the greatest, again, no one greater or as great as Moshe Rabbeinu, even the greatest, there is a cap on yedias Hashem because of the nature of the hybrid existence. Now, mipnei ze, says the Rambam, we'll turn to page three, נתאוו כל ישראל נביאיהם וחכמיהם לימות המשיח. Nevi'im v'chachamim all pined for imos hamashiach. כדי שינוחו ממלכויות שאינן מניחות להן לעסוק בתורה ובמצוות כהוגן,
so that they'll be relieved of the shibud malchiyos which interferes with ha'asakus, with preoccupation and devotion to Torah u'mitzvos, וימצאו להם מרגוע וירבו בחכמה כדי שיזכו לחיי העולם הבא.
So the Rambam here says explicitly that the chachamim and nevi'im, they pine for imos hamashiach because that will position them for chayei olam haba. Now in the very next halachah, פרק י הלכה א, the Rambam seems to reject that kind of attitude, he doesn't seem to, he does. אל יאמר אדם הריני עושה מצוות התורה ועוסק בחכמתה כדי שאקבל כל הברכות הכתובות בה או כדי שאזכה לחיי העולם הבא.
A person shouldn't say, "I'm going to fulfill mitzvos and I'm going to learn Torah," אל יאמר עוסק בחכמת התורה so I'll be זוכה לחיי העולם הבא. Skipping to the next line, אין ראוי לעבוד את השם על הדרך הזאת. This is not the right way to engage in avodas Hashem, שהעובד על דרך זה הוא עובד מיראה ואינה מעלת הנביאים ולא מעלת החכמים.
And that's not the way nevi'im and chachamim oved Hashem. So what's the answer? So clearly, I think my grandfather has this in his essay, bikashtem misham, a person can desire chayei olam haba in one of two very different ways. One way is that chayei olam haba is, it is, that it's something which provides us with personal immortality. The strongest instinct any emotionally healthy person has is that person wants to live. No one wants to die. We have a desire to live and it's the strongest instinct that we have. So a person wants to be immortal, okay, so this is my ticket to olam haba. I'll learn Torah and I'll fulfill mitzvos and that's my ticket to olam haba. That's what the Rambam is describing in פרק י הלכה א and that's where the Rambam says, "Okay, it takeh will get the person there, it will get him there. He's not wrong about that, but Torah and avodas Hashem shouldn't be utilitarian." That's not what it's ultimately all about. So what's the Rambam describing in פרק ט הלכה ב which is the ma'alas chachamim nevi'im? So let's put all the previous Rambams together. The ohev Hashem is mis'aveh, פרק ב הלכה ב, is mis'aveh מתאווה תאווה גדולה לדעת השם. Right? The ohev Hashem, what he wants, again, there's nothing selfish about this, this is not self-interest, this is not utilitarian. The ohev Hashem is just totally, totally devoted and with single-minded intensity, he wants yedias Hashem. He bumps into roadblocks as long as he's in this world. The times in this world when he's going to be stymied in that to realize that Tavsa Degedola. I'm sorry it's not here, but if you remember when the Rambam says that in Perek Yud of Hilchos Teshuva that Shir Hashirim is a Mashal for Ohev Hashem, and he says that כי חולת אהבה אני, so a person is only a Cholas Ahava if he never realizes it. If a person ever achieves what he wants, then if he, if he, if he finds, if he finds his beloved, he's not a Cholas Ahava anymore. It's only, it's only if he's constantly pursuing and never, never arriving at the destination, then he's a Cholas Ahava. That's because it's certainly in Olam Hazeh, but probably carries over to Olam Haba also. So that's what the Rambam is saying in פרק ט הלכה ח, that Mitzad the Ahavas Hashem, Mitzad the desire for more and more Yidias Hashem. So that requires that the person Chayei Olam Haba, and that's what the נתאוו כל ישראל והנביאים והחכמים is. Come back to פרק ב הלכה א. What else over there? We asked in the, in the last line, the next to the last line: אפילו עבר כל ימיו ועשה תשובה ביום מיתתו ומת בתשובתו כל עונותיו נמחלין.
So we asked what's the Umes Biteshuvaso? The Rambam doesn't mean that he didn't regress again. He's going to die at 5:00 PM. He's going to die at 5:00 PM. There was a, a non-Jewish worker. Whatever. Anyway. So, who I used to see on a somewhat regular basis and we were, so we would exchange pleasantries and he looked a little down once and I asked him you know what was wrong and he told me that his mother had died a few days ago and his mother-in-law was going to die in three days. They had scheduled when they were going to pull the plug, so he they had to make it a convenient time. You can't have people dying at an inconvenient time, you know, it's too, too disruptive. So he was kind of down at... okay. So... so he's scheduled to die at, at 5:00 PM here, and he does Teshuva at noon. So obviously he has to stand firm for those next five hours. So we asked what does Mes Biteshuvaso mean? Plus now we understand what Mes Biteshuvaso means. Mes Biteshuvaso means and then we, we asked afterwards where's the future of this Teshuva? For the Rambam, Teshuva is about present and future. Delo Keachilas Hanavalos. It's about present and future. So the answer is that death can and obviously always is on one level the end of life in Olam Hazeh. But it can be a person transitioning to the world where that quest for Yidias Hashem will be realized on a higher level. Mes Biteshuvaso means that, that when he dies, he's not going to die passively as it were. He's going to be transitioning. It's going to be a natural continuation of his Bakashas Hashem. Mes Biteshuvaso means that that's the future. The future is that it positions him to die not in a passive way that's simply imposed upon the person that ends his life, but as it were in an active way that he's transitioning as part of his, again, even seamlessly, as part of his, as part of his search for, pursuit for Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This week's Parsha. Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to Moshe Rabbeinu, עלה אל הר העברים הזה הר נבו אשר בארץ מואב אשר על פני יריחו וראה את ארץ כנען אשר אני נותן לבני ישראל לאחוזה.
Ascend to the, to Har Nevo and then the next. ומת בהר אשר אתה עלה שמה. Die. A tzivuy. Now Moshe Rabbeinu is not being told to commit suicide. So what do you mean u-meis? How? Dying is something that happens to a person. Dying is something that's imposed upon the person. The person is passive. And the pasuk says, no, u-meis, die. So if you take a look both at the Ibn Ezra and the Sforno are clearly reacting to this. And the Ibn Ezra says, I'm not sure if what we're saying is k'ein the Ibn Ezra or actually what the Ibn Ezra means. I think it's not actually what he means. U-meis lesakein atzmo. But Moshe Rabbeinu is being told to actively die. Again, he's not being told to commit suicide. He's not being told to commit suicide, but he's being told to actively die. Now look at this Mora. This is unbelievable. Take a look on page three, the excerpt from the Mora. Perek Nun-Alef is about שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד. About a person who has a deep, profound yedi'as Hashem, and that's an active awareness. It's not just knowledge in the memory bank, but it's an active awareness and focus that he sustains. That's what David HaMelech is talking about. שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד. וכבר בארו הפילוסופים כי הכוחות הגופניות בימי הבחרות
that in one's youth, the physical forces within us ימנעו רוב מעלות המידות. If you know any teenagers who are in trouble with the principal's office, all you have to do is quote this. Ayin sham. כל שכן זאת המחשבה הזכה העולה ביד האדם this pure, exalted, sacred thought and focus, which results משלמות המושכלות המביאות לחשק השם יתעלה for this again, this desire, כפי מה שתעלה ביד האדם בעת רתיחת הלחויות הגופניות. This madreiga cannot be achieved in one's youth. כי כל אשר יחלשו כוחות הגוף ותכבה אש התאוות the more our physical abilities and forces recede and the fire of taiva is extinguished, so commensurate to that יחזק השכל וירבה אורו ותצח השגתו וישמח במה שהשיג עד כשיבוא האיש השלם בימים ויקרב למות.
When such an individual approaches death, when he gets on in life and approaches death, תוסף ההשגה ההיא תוספת עצומה. Again, as he approaches death, then the physical is waning. תוסף ההשגה ההיא תוספת עצומה. There's a tremendous increase in his understanding of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. ותרבה השמחה בהשגה ההיא והחשק למושג עד שתיפרד הנפש מן הגוף אז בעת ההנאה ההיא.
That the nefesh separates from the guf while experiencing that intensified, increased, increased hasaga and intensified simcha. ועל זה העניין רמזו החכמים במות משה אהרן ומרים ששלושתם מתו בנשיקה.
Chazal use the imagery of misas neshika. שנאמר וימת שם משה עבד ה' בארץ מואב על פי ה'
melamed she-meis bi-neshika. וכן נאמר באהרן על פי ה' וימת שם. וכן במרים אמרו אף היא בנשיקה מתה אבל לא זכר על פי ה' להיותה אשה מאין טוב לזכור זה המשל בה.
Hakavana bishloshtam. So what does it mean? What does misas neshika mean? Hakavana bishloshtam. Hakavana bishloshtan, so what does it mean? What does Misas Neshika mean? הכוונה בשלושתן שמתו בעניין הנאת ההשגה ההיא מרוב החשק. Venimshachu that that the hasagas Hashem that that they have at the very end that as it were is just so overwhelming that’s what catapults them from this world to the next world where it can become even even even greater. וזה המין מן המיתה is really I skipped a line אשר הוא הימלט מן המוות על דרך האמת. It’s really transcending death. It’s really it’s really escaping from death. Now in its highest form in its most complete fashion לא זכו חכמים זכרונם לברכה שהגיע אלא משה אהרן ומרים
on the highest level only Moshe Aaron and Miriam experienced it. אבל שאר הנביאים והחסידים הם למטה מזה but אך כולם תחזק השגת שכלם עם המות. So kemidoma that’s what Misas Neshika means. That’s the future of of of the potential future of the teshuva beyom hamisa. The Gemara in Kesubos says and with this I’ll stop. The Gemara quotes a braisa it has simanim. Meis mitoch haschok if a person dies and and he was in a state of joy siman yafeh lo. מתוך הבכי סימן רע לו skipping a little bit מת בערב יום הכיפורים סימן רע לו. I see at the end of line three of those say מת בערב יום הכיפורים סימן רע לו. במוצאי יום הכיפורים סימן יפה לו.
Rashi comments on on bemotzaei yom hakippurim so Rashi comments that that nimchalu avonosov means that the person leaves the world right after having mechilas avonos. But yitachen that that maybe al pi haRambam additionally that the pshat of bemotzaei yom hakippurim it’s it’s yitachen that that the misa was was the type of misa that the Rambam is describing here in gimmel nun alef just as again that that explosion of yedias Hashem is the send-off is the is the rocket launch that the Rambam’s talking about there in gimmel nun alef. So that’s what the schok and and that’s what the that’s what the סימן של במוצאי יום הכיפורים was. My father zichrono livracha lost consciousness motzaei Yom Kippur. He died in the morning of the 11th. He lost consciousness on motzaei Yom Kippur after we finished he couldn’t sing but but he waved his hand after we finished singing אשרי העם שככה לו אשרי העם שהשם אלוקיו. That’s when he he lost consciousness and that’s what the Rambam is talking about again a person doesn’t have to be waiting to do teshuva beyom hamisa to have this meis bitshuva. So obviously a person’s whole life can be can be can be holy and and sacrosanct and then he caps it with as as the Rambam describes here in gimmel nun alef. יתגדל ויתקדש שמיה רבא בעלמא די ברא כרעותיה וימליך מלכותיה בחייכון וביומיכון ובחיי דכל בית ישראל בעגלא ובזמן קריב ואמרו
Amen. יהא שמיה רבא מבורך לעלם ולעלמי עלמיא. יתברך וישתבח ויתפאר ויתרומם ויתנשא ויתהדר ויתעלה ויתהלל שמיה דקודשא בריך הוא.
Amen. תלמידיהון ועל כל מאן דעסקין באורייתא די באתרא הדין ודי בכל אתר ואתר יהא להון ולכון שלמא רבא חינא וחסדא ורחמין וחיין אריכין ומזונא רויחא ופורקנא מן קדם אבוהון דבשמיא
v'imru amein. Amein. יהא שלמא רבא מן שמיא וחיים טובים עלינו ועל כל ישראל
v'imru amein. Amein. oseh shalom bimromav הוא יעשה שלום עלינו ועל כל ישראל v'imru amein. Amein. Thank you very much, everybody.