Transcript

Let's begin here in Shaarei Teshuva from in the Shaar Rishon ha-Ikkar ha-Shneim Asar.

שיושיב וידע ויכיר גודל העונש לכל אחד מעוונותיו ובאיזה מהן יש מלקות ובאיזה יש כרת ובאיזה יש מיתת בית דין ולמען ידע גודל עוונו בהתועדותו.

So when doing teshuva when trying to experience the requisite sense of remorse it has to reflect the chomer ha-averah. How does a person measure the chomer ha-averah? By the onesh. The more chamur the onesh that the Torah prescribes malkos kares misas beis din rachamana litzlan so that reflects the chomer of the ma'aseh averah. And we find this in the Rambam also kseder has this theme in the beginning of I think it's the second perek of Avos of

אל תהי מצוה קלה בעיניך שאי אתה יודע מתן שכרן של מצות.

So the Rambam explains that by mitzvos lo sa'aseh so we have a barometer by which to measure the chomer ha-lavin because the Torah tells us the Torah has again a spectrum of onshin and the more chamur the onesh so that indicates the more chamur the lav similar to what Rabbeinu Yona is talking about right here. He says by mitzvos asei with the exception of Pesach and Mila where there's a chiyuv kares by the exception of those mitzvos asei which are the twin of a mitzvas lo sa'aseh and we know what the onesh is for the mitzvas lo sa'aseh so we have no way of gauging what the chomer ha-mitzva is. So it's an inyan to know that. A person is supposed to know the chomer when it's nitan lehivado a person is supposed to know what the chomer ha-din is. It's in that context that you find in some places that the Rambam will maybe just to mention one or two representative examples let's see you have sorry not where the Rambam is talking about the lav of לא תתורו אחרי לבבכם. that a person shouldn't gratuitously conjure up thoughts which are which are contrary to any ikar of the Torah, so the Rambam writes that

לאו זה אף על פי שהוא גורם לאדם לטרדם מן העולם הבא אין בו מלקות.

The point is again that the point of such, I'm just trying to, there's other examples, just one second. In the end of Hilchos Deos:

הנוקם את חבירו עובר בלא תעשה שנאמר לא תקום ואף על פי שאינו לוקה דעה רעה היא עד מאוד.

So the background to those types of comments in the Rambam is that even though ordinarily it is a correct and it's even intended to function as an indicator what the onesh is, and ordinarily it takeh is correct that an איסור שאין בו מלקות is an issur kal. When that's not true, when that indication isn't intended, so that's why the Rambam makes a point of telling us. By לא תסורו אחרי לבבכם, so the Rambam makes a point of telling us in this context: don't, don't, don't apply that general rule that you can measure the chomer halav by the onesh or the lack of onesh. And similarly by the issur of lo sikom. So it's clear that again, the general position is that the onesh is megaleh and we're supposed to rank and classify issurim. There's something which seems to be a little bit counter-intuitive about this, just if you look for instance just in the very next ikar here in the Shaarei Teshuva, ikar hashelosh-asar: להיות עבירות הקלות חמורות בעיניו. Every aveira should be chamur in a person's eyes. The first of the four reasons for that is:

כי אין לו להביט לקטנות העבירה אלא יביט לגדולת מי שהזהיר עליה.

So lechora you would have thought that that perspective would say there's no such thing as kallos vechamuros, that that perspective would itself say that everything is chamur. So how do we understand this whole system of ranking aveiros? So lechora the pshat is that it's ein hachi nami, mitzad midas hadin everything should be an עבירה חמורה עד מאוד, which is the perspective that Rabbeinu Yona puts forth in the ikar hashelosh-asar. Right, which is similar to what Rashi and Tosfos tell us in Sanhedrin when the Gemara has the lashon of מלקות במקום מיתה עומדת. So what does it mean that מלקות במקום מיתה עומדת? So Tosfos really has three pshatim, but the one they settle on is the only one that Rashi gives, which is that the emes is that really a person עבר על דברי קונו, so a person should be chayav misa. And if the Torah substitutes malkus, it's again, it's in lieu of misa, not that he's not deserving of misa, but it's in lieu of misa. מלקות במקום מיתה עומדת. And that's takeh the perspective that Rabbeinu Yona is putting forth in the next ikar. But ella mai, it's mitzad midas hachesed, mitzad midas harachamim of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, so He doesn't classify aveiros that way. The whole system of kallos vechamuros is a midas harachamim. It's a midas harachamim that Hakadosh Baruch Hu, as it were, recognizes the fact that every aveira which isn't lehachis, the kavana of the aveira is not to be mamer ba-Hashem. But then a person gets distracted from Yiras Hashem. Yiras Hashem is too superficial, is too casual, and he gets distracted and that he's being nichna to a yetzer hara rather than rachmana litzlan intentionally and consciously being mamrei pi Hashem. And that's a middas hachesed and therefore aveiros can then be divided into kalos and chamuros because once you look at the aveira not as being intended as an affront to the mitzvah but just that a person is nichshal in doing such and such a maaseh, so that provides room to have this ranking of aveiros. היות שהדבר כן, heyos that that is ממידותיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, that we have that middas harachamim, that there is such a thing as kalos, that not everything is treated as b'tachlis hachamirus, which is really what we would have expected על פי מידת הדין. היות that there is such a middas harachamim, so then mimmela a person is mechuyav to know what's an aveira kala, what's an aveira and aveira chamura.

נכון מאוד שיחקור וידע ויכיר גודל העונש לכל אחד ואחד מעונותיו ואיזה מהן יש מלקות ובאיזה יש ובאיזה יש חייבי כריתות ובאיזה יש חייבי מיתות בית דין למען ידע גודל עונו בהתודותו. היות שהדבר כן,

that HaKadosh Baruch Hu does bemidas tuvo vechasdo give us a ranking of aveiros, so then the degree of remorse that a person has to have has to be commensurate to the chomer aveira. The degree of remorse for a lav isn't sufficient for the degree of remorse for rachmana litzlan chayavei krisos or חייבי מיתות בית דין. In a certain way, a person has to be careful that if the degree of nechama is inadequate, so it's not only that it's not enough, but it's actually compounding the problem. משל למה הדבר דומה? What would it be like? Let's say Reuven is מלבין פניו של שמעון ברבים. ממש הלבנת פנים ברבים. And then Erev Yom Kippur, so as Reuven's making his rounds, mocheil lo, mocheil lo, mocheil lo, try to knock off 100 people in 15 minutes or less, so one can move on to more pressing matters. So he goes over to Shimon, and Shimon, he's a bit of a ma'arich a little bit. So he says, oh, if I said anything wrong during the course of the year, ani mocheil lo. So what in that scenario? So what are we dealing with? We're dealing with that the bakashas hamechila is inadequate and therefore it's a zero? No, when the bakashas hamechila is inadequate, it's a negative. It's not just a zero. It compounds the aveira. When a person makes light of an aveira, so that compounds the aveira. It's not just that in that scenario Reuven's bakashas hamechila isn't enough and there's no reason... if I said anything which wasn't totally sensitive over the course of the year so zeit mechel. So lo rei once Hakadosh Baruch Hu has given us this system of aveiros chamuros and aveiros kalos, so lo rei the sense of remorse that a person's gonna have for an aveira kala for an aveira chamura the two are not are not interchangeable.

וימרה בבכי על אשר הכעיס תמרור למען יוסף להכנע ולמען יפחד מעונותיו. כי העבירות החמורות תשובה טובה כפרתן ויסורים ממרקין.

So in addition to the למען ידע גודל עוונו בהתוודותו that the viduy has to reflect the chomer aveira so Rabbeinu Yonah says there's a second reason also why a person has to be attuned to the godel ha'aveira, which is that a person is אשרי אדם מפחד תמיד a person is supposed to have it's part of the a person is supposed to have a yiras cheit before the fact not to be chotei and a yiras cheit after the fact of the din v'cheshbon that the cheit triggers. So if a person was over an aveira kala the teshuva is mechaper so he doesn't have to have that ongoing pachad because the teshuva has already brought that parsha to an end. Again with the chilukei kappara sometimes it'll be teshuva and the next Yom Kippur that'll bring the parsha to the end. But sometimes it's gonna be teshuva and Yom Kippur and yisurim as well so then that sense of pachad has to be ongoing. וכן כתוב ואדאג מחטאתי ויבאר עיקר זה בשער השלישי. You know in general when learning Shaarei Teshuva, Shaarei Teshuva is very intense. Rabbeinu Yonah doesn't doesn't adulterate he doesn't water down what he's what he's teaching us. It's much more intense than we're used to dealing with. So everyone has to find the the right balance for himself. On the one hand obviously that's good because it's probably true that too often we don't experience the sense of remorse as as deeply and profoundly as we should. Me'idach gisa to be overwhelmed to the point of of just being of it no longer being a catalyst for something productive is is not only not good but but it's also dangerous so a person has to has to find the right balance in assimilating what what the Shaarei Teshuva is telling us. והעיקר השלושה עשר להיות העבירות הקלות חמורות בעיניו. Va-arba'ah panim, for four reasons. Ha-echad,

כי אין לו להביט לקטנות העבירה אבל יביט לגדולת מי שהזהיר עליה.

Meaning despite the fact that there is a middas harachamim, despite the fact that there is a middas harachamim and that Hakadosh Baruch Hu says no, there is such a thing as averos kalos, that notwithstanding we in doing teshuva shouldn't, a person doesn't look to only act in a way that will be acceptable על פי מידת הרחמים, על פי מידת החסד. A person always strives, to whatever degree he will succeed, but a person always strives that his behavior should be l'ratzon על פי מידת הדין. A person doesn't think the Sfas Emes has as follows in Parshas Bereishis. But what what does it mean? Rashi quotes Chazal that Bereishis bara Elokim,

שתחילה עלה במחשבה לברא עולם במידת הדין, ראה שאין עולם מתקיים, ששיתף עמו מידת הרחמים.

So that anthropomorphism, so obviously again Hakadosh Baruch Hu doesn't have hava aminas, maskanas, he doesn't have to revise plans, so what what is that anthropomorphism supposed to tell us? So the Sfas Emes says that what it means is this: that by telling us that בתחילה עלה במחשבה לברא עולם במידת הדין, Chazal are telling us that's what a person is supposed to aspire to. A person is supposed to aspire to a level of conduct that his life, that he can answer for his life על פי מידת הדין. A person is not supposed to say well, היות שאני רק בן אדם and therefore certain allowances have to be made, so I'll turn the alarm off and go back to sleep and maybe I will or maybe I won't wake up in time for zman krias shema. Whatever the Ribono Shel Olam's middas harachamim, middas hachesed, however it plays out, I'm not sure one should expect it in that scenario, however it plays out, but that's not the way a person sets his sights, that's not what determines a person's aspirations. A person is supposed to aspire על פי מידת הדין. That's what it means that בתחילה עלה במחשבה לברא עולם במידת הדין, meaning that that's what a person should be striving for. L'mayseh l'mayseh, of course Hakadosh Baruch Hu, the way he judges the world is with this blend of din and rachamim. I think the Sfas Emes also adds that that's the pshat in the progression between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. So we know that the sefarim all explain that Rosh Hashana the emphasis is more on the din and then Yom Kippur the emphasis is more on the rachamim. So why don't we just skip Rosh Hashana and fast forward to Yom Kippur? Why do we have to, we'll find some other time to eat the apple and the honey, we'll just we'll just the Sfas Emes says no, because a person should aspire not to be a beinoni who is going to tip the scales during aseres yemei teshuva and with a middas harachamim of Yom Kippur. No, there's supposed to be a Rosh Hashana for the same reason that Chazal tell us that kavyachol בתחילה עלה במחשבה לברא עולם במידת הדין. So too in doing teshuva l'mayseh Hakadosh Baruch Hu says mi'tzidi, he says I'm not going to unless the person rachmana litzlan is a mumar lehachis, I'm not going to look at your avera as though you were challenging my authority. I'm going to look at it that you succumbed to a yetzer hara and therefore there are different dargas of averas and different cheftzas, different chomer of maaseh avera. So that's mitzad Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Mitzadeinu, mitzadeinu, so we shouldn't be content with trying to do a teshuva on that level. We should also be looking לגדולת מי שהזהיר עליה. Ha-sheni, the second reason why again even though on one level certain avela or certain averos are classified as kalos. But we should recognize that on a different level kalos actually are or potentially latent within the kalos is a potential for chamuros. והשני כי היצר שולט בעבירות הקלות. It's not such a big deal. It's not such a big deal. It's only a minhag, it's only a derabbanan. It's not such a big deal a person tells himself.

והשני כי היצר שולט בעבירות הקלות ואולי תהיה זאת סיבה להתמיד בהן.

And because a person is susceptible to that argument of the yeitzer hara so then the potential is there for a person to become rachmana litzlan a perpetual chotei. ואז יחשבו גם הן כחמורות בהצטרף עונש כל פעם. So within every kal is latent a chamur. ומשלו על זה מחבל של משי שהוא נרפה וחלש. If you take a thread which itself is a silk which is really a very soft and weak thread. However, כאשר יכפול אותו כפלים רבים יעשה עבות חזקה it becomes very thick. השלישי כי בהתמדתו על העבירה נעשית לו כהיתר. Again the potential within every kal is that it easily can escalate rachmana litzlan into davar chamur. How so? Because if rachmana litzlan a person will be dash be'akeivav, if a person will have this sense of this cavalier attitude and because of that rachmana litzlan will repeat the aveirah kala, so na'asis lo keheter veyifrok ol me'alav and he won't be nizhar in it at all. velo yishtomeim mimenu. It won't even register anymore and then rachmana litzlan he's a poreik ol. He's not over an aveirah but he's a poreik ol in that he's rejecting a mitzvah. ויחשב עם פורקי עול וכופרים בדבר אחד. harevi'i, the fourth reason why there is a tzad chamirus even in those aveiros which are on another level classified as kalos,

כי אם ניצח היצר בדבר קטן ינצחהו מחר בדבר גדול.

If a person negotiates with the yeitzer hara, if a person makes concessions to the yeitzer hara, so teva ha'olam is such that the concessions become greater and greater. Initially ניצח היצר בדבר קטן, the yeitzer prevails on again something which is classified as a davar katan, but ultimately ינצחהו מחר בדבר גדול, whether it's machar kipshuto, whether it's machar achar zman, but either way that that process is set into motion.

כמו שאמרו רבותינו זכרונם לברכה המקרע כליו בחמתו יהיה בעיניך כאילו עובד עבודה זרה.

When a person doesn't have the self-discipline, when a person allows himself to be overcome, totally overcome with anger, so that lack of self-discipline is something which will then translate even will have increasingly serious and severe manifestations.

ונאמר הלא אם תיטיב שאת. פירוש למה נפלו פניך הלא אם תיטיב מעשיך ותשוב אלי שאת. פירוש תישא פניך מלשון כי אז תישא פניך ויש לפרש מלשון סליחה ואם לא תיטיב לפתח חטאת רובץ. אם לא תשוב ממה שחטאת לא העוון אשר בידך לבדו ילין עמך כי היצר יצא רובץ לפתח להטעותך בכל אשר תלך וינצחך תמיד.

I think the baalei mussar, I guess based on this Rabbeinu Yonah perhaps, or is it in Sukkah, that says that the yetzer hara for tzaddikim is domeh k'har gadol? It's like overcoming the yetzer hara is like climbing Mount Everest. And for reshaim, it's something very small. So the Gemara seems to be totally counterintuitive. Adaraba, for the tzaddikim, it wasn't such a big deal, ve-harei de-misgaver on it. For reshaim, clearly it's a very big deal, vaharei they don't succeed in being misgaver. And yet the Gemara gives the opposite distinction. So the baalei mussar explain, this is exactly the explanation Rabbeinu Yonah is giving here, is that the rasha mistakenly thinks that if I give in to the yetzer hara, so it's not a big deal. Yetzer hara is not such a potent force, so I can throw him a scrap and make a token concession. He doesn't take the yetzer hara so seriously, doesn't take... the tzaddik recognizes the tremendous force and influence that can be exerted by the yetzer hara, and because of that, he marshals all his resources to be misgaver. This way you hear stories about people who understand this yesod, who are baalei avodah, how makpid they are on not just kotzo shel yud in halacha, but kotzo shel yud in minhagim. Because the way this dynamic unfolds that the Shaarei Teshuva is describing, if a person psychologically makes concessions, but each time, okay, you can move a little bit in that direction. But if you think of it, so let's say the cliff is a mile away. So a person is, he figures there's such a great distance, so if I move a little bit, it's okay. But the point is that once the person gets used to making that little concession, so each time he moves a little bit, so the cliff isn't that far away anymore. And kama kama mitztaref, and it adds up because a person gets used to making the concession. Once a person has a mindset of concessions, so then one concession breeds another concession, and then before he knows it, it's not just he's being mevater a minhag. Now it goes מן הקל אל הכבד. Again, we're talking about when a person is mevater out of convenience, out of... obviously, sometimes the din is, so sometimes there's a din that a person has conflicting priorities, and sometimes the din is like that. We're talking about when a person is doing it just out of comfort, out of ease, vekhulu. And Shlomo Alav Hashalom בז לדבר יחבל לו וירא מצוה הוא ישלם. And he said this about the baz la'averos kallos. A person who is scornful of something, so it's gonna hurt him. So it refers to a person who's scornful of, "It's not such a big deal." It's not such a big deal, but for all the reasons described, for the four reasons described, but especially the last three.

כי יחבל לו מן הפנים אשר זכרנו וירא מצוה שהוא ירא לבטל מצוה כאשר ירא מעבירה חמורה הוא ישלם,

he'll be rewarded. Hu misatid, he's destined el hagamul hashalem. And rabboseinu zikhronam livrakha said הוי זהיר במצוה קלה כבחמורה. And they also said that mitzvah gorreres mitzvah and aveirah gorreres aveirah. There's a momentum in what a person does. So everything a person does has to be weighed, hen mitzad the action itself, hen mitzad the momentum that it generates. And they also said that mitzvah gorreres mitzvah and aveirah gorreres aveirah, schar mitzvah mitzvah, schar aveirah aveirah. V'ikar havidui, as it says

והתוודו את חטאתם אשר חטאו עליה. ויש עליו להזכיר עוונו ועוונות אבותיו. כי היה נענש עליהם באוחז מעשה אבותיו בידו.

If a person was perpetuating the chatta'im of his father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather, so then he'd be punished for that, and mimailo the chiyuv vidui extends to that as well. V'chein kasuv והתוודו עוונם ואת עוון אבותם. Here in this edition of the Shaarei Teshuva that I have, so they point out on the bottom that both in the Gemara in Yoma as well as when the Rambam quotes it, so the Rambam doesn't have it, right? The Gemara in Yoma says that אבל אנחנו חטאנו הוא עיקר וידוי. And that's why the Rambam quotes it as well, not אבל אנחנו ואבותינו חטאנו. So ayan alav what the again, is there a machlokes, what the machlokes there is in the Rishonim? Again, our minhag is again before the Ashamnu, אבל אנחנו ואבותינו חטאנו, we takeh do like it says in this Rabbeinu Yona. Ayan alav.