Yom Kippur - The Baal Shem Tov's Path in Teshuvah

00:00 In 5702, the Frierdiker Rebbe was in Chicago. He had traveled there to visit the Jews of Chicago. The trip was very difficult for him because of his health, with all the medical problems he had at the time, but he made a great effort and went nonetheless. He stayed in Chicago for several weeks. During that time, he held farbrengens with those who came to see him. There were many Jews there then. After all, these were the first years after he had arrived in America. Many Jews had come from Europe, and many were drawn closer. He farbrenged at length and spoke about a number of subjects. Among them, the Frierdiker Rebbe told a long story. In brief, the main point of the story concerned the new approach the Baal Shem Tov introduced through Chassidus. He related that in the first years after the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch, the Alter Rebbe would travel from town to town. His aim was to spread Chassidus and convey the Baal Shem Tov’s path, the path of Chassidus. The Alter Rebbe specifically chose towns full of Torah scholars, where there were many great scholars. The Alter Rebbe himself was a towering genius, and he chose those places so that he could

01:39 debate with them. In other words, they would initially discuss even the revealed dimension of Torah. Once they saw the Alter Rebbe’s great genius in that area, he would reveal to them the inner dimension of Torah, the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov. In this way, he raised generation after generation; many Jews were drawn to Chassidus. He related that one of these debates took place in Minsk, where many of the leading opponents of Chassidus lived, and a major debate was held there. All the leading scholars from the surrounding towns came. This was in 5533. The Torah scholars put several questions to the Alter Rebbe about the Baal Shem Tov’s approach. Broadly speaking, there were two questions. One was: Why did the Baal Shem Tov draw ordinary people so close? As is well known, this was one of the foundations of his approach: he drew every Jew close and showed him Ahavas Yisroel. He had a special love for ordinary people, for the ordinary Jews living in the area at the time. He showed them great love. The objection was that this closeness he showed ordinary

03:05 people might lead them to show disrespect for the Torah scholars. The second question concerned something they had heard the Baal Shem Tov say: that Torah scholars, too, need to do teshuvah. This, too, struck them as disrespectful. Saying that even Torah scholars need to do teshuvah seemed to imply that the scholars were not on a worthy spiritual level. To say they needed to do teshuvah seemed an even greater slight to the honor of Torah scholars and the honor of the Torah. The Frierdiker Rebbe later related what took place at this great gathering, as he had heard it [unclear] from a chossid who was there at the time. He was among the great chassidim and leading rabbis, and his name was Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac of Vitebsk. He was a great Torah scholar, a great genius. Previously, he had been one of the Lithuanian Torah scholars; later he was drawn to Chassidus and became one of the great chassidim, subsequently following our Rebbeim—the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe, and the Tzemach Tzedek. He related the details of the story. He said that for several days there was an extensive debate on profound matters in the revealed dimension of Torah, and everyone was impressed by the Alter Rebbe’s genius, clarity, and sharpness in those matters. Then came

04:30 the day when the Alter Rebbe explained the holy approach of the Baal Shem Tov and his disciple, the Maggid of Mezritch. The Alter Rebbe said that the Baal Shem Tov’s approach is founded on the first revelation to Moshe Rabbeinu: the Shechinah revealed itself to him in the thornbush. As the Torah relates in Parshas Shemos, when Moshe Rabbeinu was near the bush, he came closer and saw a flame of fire. “An angel of Hashem appeared to him in a flame of fire from within the bush.” This was a revelation of G-dliness, as the Targum says, “And He was revealed”: a revelation of G-dliness appeared in the bush. When Moshe Rabbeinu saw this revelation, he saw that “the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.” He came closer and said, “Let me turn aside now and see this great sight—why does the bush not burn up?” Moshe Rabbeinu was saying: I want to come closer and look at this great sight. How can the bush be burning without being consumed? “Why does the bush not burn up?” And Rashi explains “Let me turn aside now and see” to mean: “Let me turn from here to come closer there”—to move from where he stood, approach the bush, and see this great sight and wonder. Now, what did the Baal Shem Tov see here? This is what the Alter Rebbe conveyed, which

05:56 he had heard from his teacher, the Maggid of Mezritch, who had heard it in the name of the Baal Shem Tov. What was the first revelation to Moshe Rabbeinu? It was before the Giving of the Torah, when Hakadosh Boruch Hu was preparing Moshe Rabbeinu for it. Here, He wanted to reveal the inner essence of the Jewish people: why Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives them the Torah, and what the Jewish people are. What defines the Jewish people is the revelation of the Shechinah to every Jew, according to his level and his circumstances. Now, when we speak about the bush—the bush is the humblest of trees. Regarding trees in general, the Gemara says that “a tree that bears fruit” alludes to Torah scholars. On the verse “For man is a tree of the field,” the Gemara says that it refers to Torah scholars, who truly are the trees of the field. Torah scholars are “trees that bear fruit”: they study Torah, acquire wisdom, and learn all these things. The bush, by contrast, alludes to an ordinary person. It is the humblest of trees; it bears no fruit. It is a barren tree, and it alludes particularly to ordinary people. What did Hakadosh Boruch Hu show Moshe Rabbeinu here? Where was the Shechinah revealed? Specifically in the bush. When Moshe Rabbeinu looked at the bush, he saw an ordinary person.

07:22 An ordinary Jew, with no understanding of Torah and no grasp of G-dliness—a completely ordinary Jew. Yet a flame of fire can be seen in him. And that flame is the heart, as Rashi says of “in a flame of fire”—the heart. A fire for G-dliness burns in his heart: the simple faith of an ordinary person. When he recites a verse of Tehillim, he says it with a flame of fire, with a broken heart and with simplicity. And that flame in an ordinary person is such that “the bush does not burn up”: “The bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.” He has G-dliness within him; he has simple faith; he has a fire burning for G-dliness; and he recites the verse of Tehillim with sincerity and simplicity. He does not understand all these things or grasp their depth, yet he says them simply, with a broken heart and from the depths of his heart. And that heartfelt feeling, that burning fire, is “the bush does not burn up”—he is never satisfied. He always has this thirst, this broken heart, and this longing to come ever closer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. The bush “does not burn up”—he is never sated with this feeling for G-dliness. Moshe Rabbeinu saw this specifically in ordinary people, and it stirred in him [unclear].

08:46 [unclear], the preciousness of the ordinary person, the love for the ordinary person. And what effect did this have on Moshe Rabbeinu himself? Moshe Rabbeinu was a great tzaddik. He was a great Torah scholar and a complete tzaddik, and as we know about him, “When he was born, the entire house was filled with light.” In other words, from the moment of his birth, his soul shone within him. Nevertheless, the thirst, fervor, and sincerity he saw in ordinary people stirred a movement of teshuvah in Moshe Rabbeinu, that great tzaddik and great Torah scholar. This is the meaning of “Let me turn aside now and see”: “Let me turn from here and come closer there.” This was not, G-d forbid, teshuvah in the sense of “turn away from evil”; Moshe Rabbeinu, a complete tzaddik, was on a lofty level. But that movement, that feeling for G-dliness he saw in ordinary people, stirred a movement of teshuvah even in Moshe Rabbeinu—the teshuvah of a tzaddik. After all, the Zohar says: “Moshiach will come to bring the righteous to teshuvah.” A tzaddik, too, must experience a movement of teshuvah. For teshuvah is not only repentance for transgressions. As the Alter Rebbe explains many times in Likkutei Torah, in the maamarim for Rosh Hashanah, the Ten Days of Teshuvah, and Yom Kippur, true teshuvah is not only repentance for sins and wrongdoing,

10:08 But the true meaning of teshuvah is “I will return,” “I will turn away from here and draw closer there”—to draw closer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And since Hakadosh Boruch Hu is infinite, drawing closer to Him is also an infinite endeavor. Moshe Rabbeinu learned this from ordinary people: “I will turn away from here and draw closer there.” The work of teshuvah is to keep rising, to draw ever closer to the Infinite, to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This is the true meaning of teshuvah, from the words “and the spirit returns to G-d.” That is why Torah scholars and tzaddikim also need to do teshuvah. These are the two points. And this is what the Alter Rebbe explained, [unclear], about what the Baal Shem Tov learned from the Divine revelation in the fire of the burning bush; these are foundations of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings. First, the great warmth and love for Hakadosh Boruch Hu found among ordinary people. From this comes Ahavas Yisroel. The Baal Shem Tov removed the barriers: no matter where a person is or what his situation is, [unclear], genuine Ahavas Yisroel for every Jew. And second, the aspect of teshuvah that the Baal Shem Tov revealed: teshuvah is not only for sins and transgressions. On the contrary, it is precisely tzaddikim and Torah scholars who need teshuvah—the teshuvah of “I will turn away from here and draw closer there,” the true meaning of teshuvah: to be

11:30 closer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. There is a Midrash cited in the Yerushalmi, which also appears in Midrash Tehillim on the verse, “Hashem is good and upright; therefore He instructs sinners in the way.” The Midrash presents four levels and says: “They asked Wisdom.” There are several versions of this Midrash, and today we’ll follow the version cited in maamarim of Chassidus. Its source is the book Vavei HaAmudim by the son of the holy Shelah, where he quotes this wording. The Midrash says: “They asked Wisdom”—they asked Wisdom: “A soul that sins”—a person who has sinned—what should be done with him? And Wisdom answered: “The soul that sins shall die,” G-d forbid. That is a verse in Yechezkel. The Midrash goes on: “They asked Prophecy.” They asked Prophecy: What is the judgment for “a soul that sins”? What should be done with him? And Prophecy answered: “Evil pursues sinners.” Not “he shall die,” G-d forbid, but “evil pursues sinners”—meaning suffering. It continues: “They asked the Torah.” They asked the Torah about “a soul that sins,” and the Torah answered: “Let him bring a sacrifice, bring a guilt offering, and he will be atoned for.” He should bring a guilt offering, and it will serve as atonement for him. We understand, of course, that he must do teshuvah; but even together with teshuvah, that is still not enough, and he must also bring a sacrifice. [unclear].

13:20 Yes, the meaning is that through teshuvah, his deliberate transgressions are counted only as unintentional ones. He must still bring a sacrifice to atone for the unintentional transgression, as is the purpose of sacrifices, including the guilt offering. The Midrash goes on: “They asked Hakadosh Boruch Hu: A soul that sins—what will become of it?” What should be done with it? And Hakadosh Boruch Hu said: “Let him do teshuvah, and he will be atoned for.” Not death, G-d forbid, not suffering, G-d forbid, and not even sacrifices, but teshuvah itself. Hakadosh Boruch Hu said that teshuvah alone brings atonement. What are these four levels? This is where the verse applies: “Hashem is good and upright; therefore He instructs sinners in the way.” Because Hakadosh Boruch Hu is “good and upright,” in His goodness, teshuvah itself is enough: when a person does teshuvah, he receives atonement. There is no need for other means; teshuvah alone accomplishes it. What are the four levels? We can understand this, as explained in Chassidus, from the explanations concerning sacrifices. What are the four levels? The first level is Wisdom. The Wisdom spoken of here is not just any wisdom, but Divine wisdom. Yet it is the level of Wisdom as it relates to, as it is clothed within, the parameters of the worlds, the parameters of this world, and human intellect.

14:44 It is Divine intellect, yes, the intellect of the Torah, but Torah intellect already involves understanding and comprehension. In other words, when we consider sin and transgression, we see that they are not only spiritual matters, matters whose effects are beyond nature, but also quite literally natural matters. The fact that Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants a person to fulfill certain mitzvos and not commit certain transgressions, as explained in the sefarim, is not only because that is what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wanted; it is also established within the laws of nature, within the workings of the world. A transgression harms a person even physically, and a mitzvah benefits him even physically. As explained in the sefarim, including by a number of the great Rishonim, the prohibition against forbidden foods, for example, and other laws of the Torah and mitzvos, also reflects what is good according to nature—literally, in the physical sense. So when a person commits a transgression, it also causes harm, G-d forbid, to the health of the physical body, to both the soul and the body. The Gemara says that mitzvos and transgressions affect both the soul and the body. In this

16:05 way, when he commits a transgression, a separation and a weakness arise in both body and soul. And here comes the first response: Wisdom. Wisdom says that when he committed a transgression, he severed himself from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the source of life. Hakadosh Boruch Hu is the source of life. All a person’s vitality comes from receiving the life force from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. When he commits a transgression, he cuts himself off from Hakadosh Boruch Hu, pushes Hakadosh Boruch Hu away, and thus disconnects himself from the source of life. As a result, a separation arises between body and soul. And therefore: “Evil pursues sinners.” This is what Wisdom says. Then, all right, netzach, chesed—huh? When a person sins, a separation arises Above between body and soul, between lights and vessels. This leads to a separation below between body and soul. And therefore: “Evil pursues sinners.” Then comes Prophecy, because Prophecy is different from Wisdom. Prophecy—well, netzach, chesed—that is the domain of the prophets. Yes, because they were on a high level, and in the terms of Kabbalah, netzach and hod—at any rate, the prophets stand on a high level. And so they say that, G-d forbid, “the soul that sins shall die.” But at any rate, there must be suffering. For inevitably, sin and transgression bring about a weakening, a disconnection, in body and soul. Consequently, each sin, according to its particular nature, must be atoned for through suffering connected to that sin and transgression. And so they said: “Evil pursues sinners”—through suffering, at least,

17:53 the matter is atoned for. The soul can remain in the body, but one must undergo suffering to atone for sins and transgressions. Then comes the Torah. But this is not the Torah at the level of intellect, for the Torah is a Torah of kindness. The Torah, in fact, comes from a higher place. Through a transgression, a person has disconnected himself from the source of life. According to reason and logic, there is no way to repair that. But the Torah is, necessarily, a Torah of kindness. Along comes the Torah, a Torah of kindness. The Torah says that when the person committed the transgression, he did not act like a human being; he was like an animal. He acted like an animal, and the Gemara says in Sotah: “A person does not commit a transgression unless a spirit of folly enters him.” Since a spirit of folly entered him, his act was the act of an animal. He behaved like an animal. That was not the person himself; it was not who he is, not his essence. He himself is a human being, he has a soul, and all these actions are beneath him. But because a spirit of folly entered him and he acted like an animal, he must bring an animal as a sacrifice, and through this he is atoned for. And where is the kindness in this Torah? The Ramban writes, as do other Rishonim, that the person should really nullify himself. When he does teshuvah and then brings the animal, and the animal is slaughtered and everything that needs to be done to it is done, the person contemplates the whole process and comes to the conclusion—he understands—that all these things should really have been done to him. But what happens instead? The Torah, the Torah of kindness, takes into account that he acted like an animal, and therefore this brings atonement. And when the person contemplates this act and resolves that he should not stand together with a sacrifice of

19:55 An animal—and through this he repairs the world, and through this he gains atonement. Why does the Midrash specifically mention an asham offering, rather than a chatas offering? What is the significance of mentioning an asham specifically? The Rabbi gives two interesting explanations. We find that an asham offering is brought for both less severe and more severe matters: there is an asham for theft, an asham for testimony, an asham for a betrothed maidservant, an asham brought by a nazir, an asham brought by a metzora, and an asham brought in a case of doubt. On the one hand, an asham is brought even for a matter of doubt, as with an asham brought in a case of doubt. On the other hand, even for the case of a betrothed maidservant, which involves an intentional act, an asham is brought. In other words, the asham in particular encompasses transgressions from one extreme to the other. There is a second interesting explanation concerning the asham offering specifically. As is well known, Rabbeinu Yonah asks: How is it that when a person commits a transgression and knows he has done so, albeit unintentionally, he brings a chatas, which can be an animal, [unclear]? It can be a small animal. Yet for an asham he must bring something larger, a ram, which is worth more. How is it that specifically for an asham brought in a case of doubt, one brings a larger animal, worth more than a chatas for a definite transgression? Rabbeinu Yonah says: On the contrary, that is precisely the point. When a person commits

21:35 a transgression and knows he has done so, he regrets it and does teshuvah. When a person is only in doubt, he tells himself: Presumably it’s all right; I didn’t do anything. Presumably it didn’t happen. So his regret is not complete. That is why the Torah says he must bring a larger offering: because his regret is not complete. That is why it specifically says asham. And this is the point we see: the offering does not accomplish its purpose when “and it shall be, when he incurs guilt” remains a matter of doubt regarding all these things. And here comes the fourth level: They asked Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Hakadosh Boruch Hu is above wisdom, above prophecy, and even above Torah. Of Hakadosh Boruch Hu it is said, “I, I am the One Who erases your transgressions for My sake.” What does that mean? “I” is written twice. There is the “I” spoken at the Giving of the Torah. And there is “I, I,” which is above even the Torah; this refers to Hakadosh Boruch Hu as He is above the Torah. When one comes to Hakadosh Boruch Hu, Who is above the Torah, a person’s bond with Him is revealed—a bond above all other considerations. From that standpoint, Hakadosh Boruch Hu says: Let him do teshuvah and he will be forgiven. Precisely from the standpoint of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, the sin and the damage it causes matter in the deepest way. And Hakadosh Boruch Hu truly knows just how deep the damage caused by sin reaches.

23:00 Nevertheless, because Hakadosh Boruch Hu can do anything, He says: Let him do teshuvah and he will be forgiven. Hakadosh Boruch Hu can do anything; because He has no limitations and can do anything, He does not take [unclear]. Hakadosh Boruch Hu says: I want nothing more than one thing alone. I want you to leave your limitations behind—let him do teshuvah. For Hakadosh Boruch Hu is without limit and need not be bound by any considerations—not those of wisdom, prophecy, or Torah. And when a Jew places himself in a state of being without limit, that is what teshuvah means. Teshuvah means going beyond one’s limitations. When a Jew does teshuvah, he goes beyond his own limitations; he adopts the attitude of “I will turn away from here and draw close to there.” He goes beyond himself, beyond his own letters, beyond his limitations, and devotes himself to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And because Hakadosh Boruch Hu is above all measures and limitations, let him do teshuvah and he will be forgiven; for him, deliberate sins will be transformed into merits. Not only do deliberate sins come to be regarded as unintentional, but through the bond with Hakadosh Boruch Hu, which is above all limitations, “let him do teshuvah and he will be forgiven” takes effect from one extreme to the other, until deliberate sins become actual merits. And this is the essence of Yom Kippur. This is the great elevation of teshuvah spoken of in connection with Yom Kippur: Yom Kippur brings atonement. When a Jew places himself

24:18 But on Yom Kippur, the essence of the day atones. On Yom Kippur, the essential bond between the essence of a Jew’s soul and the very essence of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed, and because of this, the day atones—even for those who repent. This is indeed the halachah: yes, one must also be among those who repent. But at the same time, the Rambam’s wording is: “The essence of the day atones for those who repent.” On Yom Kippur, the essential bond between the essence of the soul and the very essence of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed, above all calculations and all other considerations. This is what the Midrash says about the verse, “And no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he enters to atone in the holy place.” When the Kohen Gadol enters the Beis Hamikdash, into the Holy of Holies, “no man”—not even those of whom it is said, “the face of a man,” not even angels, seraphim, and ofanim, the highest levels in the order of spiritual worlds—can enter the Holy of Holies while the Kohen Gadol enters and atones for all the Jewish people. The reason, as mentioned earlier, is that on Yom Kippur this bond between the essence of the soul and the very essence of Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed. On Yom Kippur, a Jew goes beyond all the limitations of the order of spiritual worlds. He stands above the angels, above the seraphim—“and no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting.” He stands above all other considerations. Then “Yisroel and the King are alone together”; a Jew and Hakadosh Boruch Hu are one. Chassidus explains that this is the yechidah of the soul, which is revealed on Yom Kippur, the day that has five prayers. And so

25:47 Chassidus explains: The five prayers correspond to the five names by which the soul is called—nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah, and yechidah. In particular, the yechidah of the soul shines on Yom Kippur. Then the level of Hakadosh Boruch Hu that is above wisdom, above prophecy, and above Torah is revealed. And the Rebbe [unclear] himself says: “Let him do teshuvah and he will be forgiven.” Not only is he forgiven, but his sins “become merits for him”—actual merits. From this comes the greatest joy. Chassidus explains the nature of the joy of Yom Kippur: “The day of His wedding”—the Giving of the Torah—refers to Yom Kippur. This is especially so during the Ne’ilah prayer of Yom Kippur, and at the end of Ne’ilah, when we say “Shema Yisroel” and the verses proclaiming Hashem’s oneness. Then a Jew’s essential oneness with Hakadosh Boruch Hu is revealed, above all other considerations, and there is no place there for sin or wrongdoing. Then atonement is complete, and from this, his sins “become merits for him.” This arouses the greatest joy. We say, “Next year in Jerusalem,” and there is a custom for everyone to dance with tremendous joy because a Jew has become one with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And Hakadosh Boruch Hu—“Let Yisroel rejoice in his Maker,” “May Hashem rejoice in His works”—a Jew and Hakadosh Boruch Hu are one. From there we move on to the greatest joy of “the season of our rejoicing,” the festival of Sukkos and Shemini Atzeres. Yes. And all this also relates to love and affection for simple people.

27:10 There is a well-known teaching of the Maggid of Mezritch about the sukkah’s s’chach: he said it is connected to the clouds of incense, and that s’chach is made from “the waste of the threshing floor and the winepress.” This relates to what we discussed earlier about the ways of simple people—that is the idea of s’chach. So too, the waste of the threshing floor and the winepress is later used to make the sukkah’s s’chach, and it comes from the clouds of incense. The Alter Rebbe therefore said that when he heard this teaching from the Maggid of Mezritch, it awakened in him a true love for simple people. And these are the two things we take from the Yom Kippur service. Everyone must engage in teshuvah, even [unclear]; every Jew must bring himself to do teshuvah. Even Torah scholars must bring themselves to do teshuvah. [unclear] And this is true teshuvah. The second is Ahavas Yisroel, love for every Jew. Even for a simple person—and specifically for a simple person—true love for every Jew. This is the great quality of Yom Kippur, when we can see the Kohen Gadol performing the Yom Kippur service. May all the requests that Jews make be fulfilled, culminating in the true request: the true and complete Geulah through Moshiach, and the building of the Third Beis Hamikdash. Then we will see the Kohen Gadol’s service, with every aspect of it in its fullest perfection. Amen, may it be His will.