This article is in memory of my dear friend Reuvan Shalom Ben Avorhom a"h a complete Bal Tshuva, who passed on Shabbat 26 Tevet of this year.
What is a Baal Tshuva?
The Changing of Character or the Refraining of Sin.
The Rambam writes in Law of Tshuva (Chapter 2:1)
When a person who committed a specific sin, and is now faced with the exact same sin, in the same situation and ability and refrains from committing that sin on account of his wishing to do tshuva, that is called a complete tshuva.
The Rambam gives the example of a man who had forbidden relations with a women and now has another opportunity to do the same sin, with the same women, in the same place and time with the same passion and health etc. but refrains from doing so, not out of fear or lack of vigor or interest but because of tshuva; then he is a complete Bal T'shuva.
The Rambam continues however that, even if the person does tshuva in their old age on their death bed with all of their ability lacking, yet they regret have done the sins they did, that to is considered a tshuva (see Rambam tshuva chapter 2:1)
This rule and test can be applied in every case of sin that a person commits and whatever that person’s weakness is.
In example, if a person has a weakness for money and has stolen or cheated from others and now a new opportunity presents itself to steal or cheat under similar conditions as before, and the person refrains from do so because of tshuva, he is a complete Baal T'shuva.
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Or say a person has eaten non-kosher food and now decides to stop due to tshuva, while in good health, it is a complete tshuva. However even if they refrain because they have become ill g-d forbid and old and cannot eat those foods anymore due to illness and age, yet they regret in their hearts, having eaten the non-kosher food, even on their deathbed, it is considered tshuva. (See Rambam tshuva chapter 2:1).
However the highest level of tshuva is to do so while young and able, without other considerations involved, only for tshuva.
The Alter Rebbe Z"TL writes in his Sefer Ha'Tanya ( Igeras Ha' tshuva chapter one/ Talmud Sanhedrin chapter 3 / choshen mishpat sof siman 34) that though the essence of Tshuva is in the heart. To regret completely the sinful act in the heart and decide never to sin or rebel against G-d again or refrain from doing His will.
However the Alter Rebbe later adds, (In the end of chapter 9 - Tanna Divei Eliyahu) that in addition to refraining from the act of the sin, there is the need for the person to increase the amount of Torah he learns. (He elaborates there between tshuav ilyaha and tshuva tattaha- a lower and higher level of tshuva...)
The idea is that the person must change their "regelut" , habit.
This is also found in the Alter Rebbe's Torah Ohr (Parshat V'yachie page 47 right top side) where he writes: "This is the service of man to fight his nature for the love and fear of g-d, not so if his nature helps him, it is then not a perfect service".
In the laws of the Ramban as well (Laws of Tshuva chapter 2:4) the Rambam describing the path of the Baal Tshuva to:
1- Constantly cry out to G-d.
2-Give charity (see Sefer Ha'Tanya Igeras HaTshuva chapter 2)
3-Stay away from the object of his sin.
4-To change his name, as if to say I am a new person.
5-To change his general behavior and to do good.
6-To move away from his home; exile atones because it makes a person humble.
Hence we see the Baal Tshuva needs to work on acquiring the trait of humility.
See also the next Halacha (Rambam chapter 2:5). "If out of pride one hides his sin.... he will not attain complete tshuva".
I believe the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe, is teaching us something very important here. That in order for the person to be a true Baal Tshuva, in addition to not doing the sinful act again there is a need for the person to change himself and his character.
Just because the person has stopped sinning it does not mean he has become a better person in every respect. Inside he might be the exact same person and character except he now uses that same character and drive that he used earlier to sin he now uses in order to do mitzvahs.
The Talmud discuss the idea of Noval B'Rrshus Ha'Torah..."a despicable person with the permission of the torah" so to speak...
The person is following the letter of the law but has not internalized its idea nor become a better person or Yid inside.
This applies to every Jew, whether the person is a Baal Tshuva or a FFB. Though that person has stopped eating non-kosher-keeps Shabbat-gives charity-celebrates holidays etc., the person has not refined them selves.
It is the same person in a different garb.
This is all very deep and I believe over looked in the tshuva process, a very key factor of the tshuva process is trying to become a better person. Working on your traits of arrogance, anger, competitiveness, humility, and forbearance. Haughty, perfectionist, indulgence. Say the person is a type A personality who is a perfectionist or needs to win at all cost, or a quarrelsome person. He now has religion as a cause to fight and look down on people.
“Nothing like a g-dly cause for a good fight...."
What must be looked at, in addition to the acts that need correction are the, motives behind them and the Midos ; the character of the heart.
There is a need to circumcise the heart.
As we said before quoting the Alter Rebbe in Torah Ohr regarding a person whose nature has not changed. If he is angry and short tempered by nature and has done tshuva but has not changed his anger, he will still get angry, (which comes from arrogance... see Sefer HaTanya Lekuite Amarim chapter 1) but now become angry over spiritual things and Torah and Mitzvos instead of food and physical desires.
One the one hand it is better but on the other hand it is worse, they now have g-d and self-righteousness to fuel that anger.
Even in the case of a person being good-natured by birth. A person who has a good heart, who likes to give charity, study, stay away from lewd behavior by nature a "book worm," or "goody goody" type. Though good in that the person is now not sinning and is helping people but still not really an "Oved" Hashem (see Tanya L'Ktaie Amorim Chapter 15...) an active servant of g-d, having not really changed himself and nature for Him.
Let us conclude with the words of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe Z"TL (Sefer Hamamorim 5709). There is "Tshuvas Hageder" - "Tshuvas Hamishkal" and "Dorshin";
Tshuvas Hageder; is when the person puts up a fence, a "geder", like one would put up around an animal to fence it in. "To close the eyes from looking at what it desires and stuff up the ears from hearing what it wants"...
Tshuvas Hamishkol; is a "mishkol" a weight or measure. "The exact way he was first bound and dedicated to worldly affairs, in this same way he must give himself over to kedusha-holiness"...
Dorshin means: "to search and find the "dakus ho'rah" the more subtle evil within and to remove it. To be "bar-lav- a pure and cleansed heart.
In summation the true Baal Tshuva and true way to serve G-d, for every Jew, is by changing the very nature of the natural inclination, to work to break their very nature.
Whether good nature or bad and focus on transcending it and all limitations both within and without, in order to do return G-d.
G-d willing next article:
What makes a Bal Tshuva do tshuva? Suffering or Joy.
too see more of my writings please look at my blog :http://rabbiyw.blogspot.com/
I am also available for speaking engagements and the like for fee, to contact me email
rabbiyw@yahoo.com
or call 1 646 595 6435
Thank you
y.winner
cong. israel of kingsbay brooklyn
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