Conclusion of Igeres Hateshuvah - 'and the understanding one will easily grasp...'

00:03 In Igeres Hateshuvah, in its final section, the Alter Rebbe discusses accepting suffering and the reason for rejoicing in physical suffering. Why should a person accept physical suffering with joy? And how does that fit into Igeres Hateshuvah? It follows what the Alter Rebbe said in chapter 11. There, he explains that a person must do teshuvah while remaining joyful, spending the whole day in great joy. Alongside teshuvah, there must also be great joy. The joy comes from being certain that Hakadosh Boruch Hu is abundant in forgiveness. So as soon as a person asks for pardon and forgiveness, Hakadosh Boruch Hu certainly forgives him. Alongside the humility of teshuvah, then, there must also be joy. [unclear] out of joy. The Alter Rebbe goes on at length about how a person must be certain that Hakadosh Boruch Hu always forgives us. Then he raises a question: How can that joy fit with “my sin is before me always”? How can both things be true? We are told to always remember our sins. But if a person constantly remembers his sins, how can he be joyful? And if he is joyful, doesn’t that mean his sins don’t bother him—that he is taking them lightly? The Alter Rebbe says that “my sin is before me always” is not meant to make you sad. On the contrary. First of all, the Alter Rebbe explains, “before me” means at a distance. It does not mean thinking about your sins as though they are right here before your eyes. The memory is at a distance—opposite you, but far away, two thousand cubits away, so to speak. A person remembers that he is not entirely as he should be, that he still has things to correct. But that memory remains at a distance. Not only does it not interfere with joy,

02:20 it helps bring joy, because it enables a person to be in a state of higher teshuvah, with great joy, all the time. Why? Because it helps him accept everything joyfully. That is how the Alter Rebbe concludes chapter 11: “The intention is only that his heart should not become haughty, and that he should be humble before every person, when he remembers that he has committed many sins.” It helps a person be humble before everyone. “On the contrary, when it comes to joy, remembering one’s sins is beneficial.” It helps a person even more to accept joyfully everything that happens to him, whether it comes from Heaven or through other people. When a person keeps “my sin is before me always” at a distance, it helps him accept with joy everything that comes his way: suffering that comes from Above, or suffering caused by people who bother him or do things to him. He can accept it all with joy, whether it is through speech or action. Whether people mock him, say unpleasant things to him, or treat him badly, the Alter Rebbe says, “This is also good advice for avoiding anger and all kinds of resentment, etc.” Incidentally, the Alter Rebbe is saying that this is also simply good advice—very practical advice for avoiding anger and resentment. When a person knows that these experiences atone for all those undesirable things, he does not become angry when someone bothers him, says something unkind, upsets him, or treats him badly. That way, he does not become

04:09 angry or resentful. The Alter Rebbe concludes chapter 11: “As our Sages said: ‘Those who are insulted but do not insult in return, who hear themselves disgraced but do not answer, who act out of love and rejoice in suffering, etc.’” He quotes this teaching of our Sages from the Gemara, Gittin 36b. The Gemara says: “The Sages taught: Those who are insulted but do not insult in return, who hear themselves disgraced but do not answer, who act out of love and rejoice in suffering, etc.” The Alter Rebbe does not quote the continuation. The Gemara goes on to say: “Of them, the verse says: ‘And those who love Him shall be like the sun going forth in its might.’” That is the reward Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives when a person acts as he should. But the Alter Rebbe does not quote the reward; he just writes “etc.” The Alter Rebbe concludes: “And whoever overlooks offenses against him, all his transgressions are overlooked.” That is another teaching of our Sages, from Rosh Hashanah. It is relevant here too. A person who overlooks offenses against him does not get angry. He may want to get angry, but he restrains himself: he does not get angry, upset, or resentful. Then Hakadosh Boruch Hu overlooks all his sins. That is where chapter 11 ends. Then comes chapter 12, where the Alter Rebbe asks: “And what is the reason for rejoicing in physical suffering?” Why is it important to rejoice in physical suffering? He explains that it is a great benefit, because it atones for sins. Through physical suffering, Hakadosh Boruch Hu saves a person from the suffering of Gehinnom and other forms of punishment. When a person experiences even the smallest amount of suffering down here, most of his suffering is removed Above. It is like the sun: up above it travels thousands of kilometers very quickly, while down here it moves only a handbreadth. So through this,

06:05 a small amount of suffering here atones for an incomparably greater amount of suffering. And since this is about the avodah of teshuvah and atonement, rejoicing in suffering is part of that atonement. That is what Tanya says in Igeres Hateshuvah. Now, what question arises? A simple question: Why doesn’t the Alter Rebbe quote the end of the Gemara? He quotes its wording—“Those who are insulted but do not insult in return, who hear themselves disgraced but do not answer, who act out of love and rejoice in suffering, etc.”—but leaves out the ending. Why? That is the main point: What does Hakadosh Boruch Hu give you for it? “Of them, the verse says: ‘And those who love Him shall be like the sun going forth in its might.’” Why doesn’t he quote that? Especially since the Alter Rebbe discusses suffering elsewhere. Earlier, in Likkutei Amarim, chapter 26, he discusses accepting suffering with joy. Everyone knows chapter 26? The Alter Rebbe talks there about serving Hashem with joy, and how a person should accept with joy difficulties concerning children, life, and sustenance. And there the Alter Rebbe does quote it. In fact, he specifically quotes the main point—the ending: “Therefore our Sages said that of those who rejoice in suffering, the verse says: ‘And those who love Him shall be like the sun going forth in its might.’” It is the other way around: he does not quote the whole lengthy passage about those who are insulted but do not insult in return. He quotes mainly the final part: those who rejoice in suffering—“of them, the verse says: ‘And those who love Him shall be like the sun going forth in its might.’” And not only does he quote it; he explains it too.

07:58 The Alter Rebbe explains what it means that those who rejoice in suffering are the ones of whom the verse says, “Those who love Him will be like the sun emerging in its strength.” The Alter Rebbe explains: their joy comes from love, because their love for Hashem is greater than their love for anything in this world. Why is a person happy amid suffering? Because he loves Hakadosh Boruch Hu more than this world. He knows that suffering comes from the Name Havayah, from the hidden realm, and so on, and he loves Hakadosh Boruch Hu even though he is suffering physically. His love for Hakadosh Boruch Hu is greater than his love for this world. Therefore, says the Alter Rebbe, he merits “the sun emerging in its strength” in the future. That is why this Jew receives such a reward: what matters most to him is his love for Hashem. He loves Hakadosh Boruch Hu more than anything else. So his reward, too, is that “the sun emerging in its strength” will be revealed to him: the revelation of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. That is what “the sun emerging in its strength” means—the revelation of the Name Havayah without the concealment of the Name Elokim, the revelation of the hidden realm, and so on. That is the reward he receives for this, and that is why he should be happy. So why does the Alter Rebbe bring this in Likkutei Amarim and explain it at length, while here, in Igeres Hateshuvah, he does not bring it at all—not even mention it? There is another question as well: we need to understand why the Alter Rebbe brings the continuation. He could have quoted, “Whoever overlooks offenses committed against him, all his transgressions are overlooked.” Why does he need to bring this teaching of our Sages here? How does it fit into what follows? So, the Rebbe has a sicha on this. The Rebbe studied Igeres Hateshuvah around 5731. For two or three years, the Rebbe would study a section of Igeres Hateshuvah each time. Thanks to

09:39 this, we were privileged to receive wonderful explanations of Igeres Hateshuvah. Some of them are also in Likkutei Sichos. In particular, the Rebbe would edit all the lengthy explanations in Reb Levik. There are many sichos with deep and wonderful explanations of Igeres Hateshuvah. But besides the explanations in Reb Levik, there were also straightforward explanations of Igeres Hateshuvah—its plain meaning. Each time, the Rebbe would take a passage and explain it in an orderly way. We started with chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and it went on for several years, with the Rebbe explaining another part of Igeres Hateshuvah each time. Here the Rebbe gives a wonderful sicha, which will also help us understand the plain meaning of the Gemara. In other words, it gives us the plain meaning of the Tanya. And, by the way, the Rebbe also gives a delightful explanation of the plain meaning of the Gemara here, as we will see shortly. First, let us get to the Tanya. What is the difference between Likkutei Amarim and Igeres Hateshuvah? The Gemara is talking about reward: “Of them the verse says, ‘Those who love Him will be like the sun emerging in its strength.’” It is talking about the reward a person receives for being insulted without insulting back. He does not speak disrespectfully, he does not belittle the other person, he does not retaliate. “They hear themselves shamed and do not respond.” So what is their reward? “Those who love Him will be like the sun emerging in its strength.” That is the reward Hakadosh Boruch Hu shows us. In Likkutei Amarim, the reward is relevant. Why? Because there the Alter Rebbe comes to explain what helps a person—what gives him the strength to overcome his worries, so that he will not be troubled by them. What is the point of Likkutei Amarim? The Alter Rebbe explains how a person overcomes all his worries, because to serve Hashem, you cannot be weighed down by worry. If you have worries, you become sad. And if you are sad,

11:35 the yetzer hara defeats you. That is the whole point of chapters 26, 27, and 28, where the Alter Rebbe gives us advice on overcoming all the worries that interfere with serving Hashem with joy. There are worries about material matters, and there are worries about spiritual matters. The Alter Rebbe explains what to do about each kind of worry. Now, when you have worries about material matters, knowing that through them you will receive this revelation of G-dliness makes a difference. We are speaking about a beinoni, a Jew who seeks Hakadosh Boruch Hu, who wants a revelation of G-dliness and wants to draw close to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. He has love for Hashem. When he contemplates that within this suffering there is Hashem’s love, because through it he will receive the revelation of “the sun emerging in its strength,” the Name Havayah will be revealed—then he can rejoice. But here we are talking about atonement. Here, the idea of “the sun emerging in its strength” is not relevant. That is not a matter of atonement. But this raises a question: if so, why does the Rebbe bring it here? This Gemara has nothing to do with Igeres Hateshuvah. They are two different things. The Alter Rebbe should not have brought this teaching of our Sages at all; it has no connection to this passage. Our Gemara is talking about reward. It tells us what a great reward there is for a Jew who is insulted and does not insult back. But in Igeres Hateshuvah the Alter Rebbe is talking about atonement. So why bring this teaching of our Sages at all? He could go straight to chapter 12 and explain the reason for rejoicing amid physical suffering, drawing on this teaching of our Sages, on the Ramban’s discussion of Iyov, and so on. Our Gemara does not seem connected. Why does he bring it? The Rebbe gives a wonderful insight here—a profound insight that gives us a deeper understanding of everything being said in Igeres Hateshuvah.

15:22 Think about the teaching of our Sages, “Those who are insulted and do not insult back.” The wording implies that this is a person who has something he could say in response. It does not say he has no answer. If a person has no answer—if someone points out something he really did wrong and rebukes him for it—that is not what “those who are insulted and do not insult back” means. What is novel about this teaching? That even when a person could answer, he does not. “I could answer you. I could give it back to you. I could explain why you are wrong in what you are saying to me or doing to me.” He has answers, and nevertheless, that is the point: he does not insult back. He works on his character traits. Even though he could respond, he does not. That is the point we see in this teaching of our Sages. The Rebbe says that the same thing applies here, and this brings us back to what we said. The fact that a person has an answer but does not give it is connected to what Igeres Hateshuvah is discussing here. Why? The person discussed at the end of chapter 11 of Igeres Hateshuvah has already done teshuvah. It is not that he has not done teshuvah—he has. In chapter 11, the Alter Rebbe speaks about someone who has already done teshuvah, asked forgiveness, and done not only the lower level of teshuvah but the higher level as well. Every day he engages in the higher level of teshuvah with great joy. This is a person who has done teshuvah completely,

17:08 and nevertheless he suffers. Hakadosh Boruch Hu still sends him suffering. Seemingly, he could respond. Just as we say about a person’s dealings with another person, the same applies in his relationship with Hashem. A person could have complaints to make to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. “Why are You giving me suffering? I have done teshuvah. Surely I do not deserve to suffer.” And nevertheless, he is insulted and does not insult back. That is how the ideas here connect. The Alter Rebbe is saying: after I have explained all of Igeres Hateshuvah to you—ten chapters on how a person should do teshuvah, the lower level and the higher level, and everything involved, and how he should be completely certain that Hakadosh Boruch Hu forgives him as well—suddenly you find yourself suffering. You could ask, “Why am I suffering? Don’t I deserve better? I did everything I was supposed to do, and I am even confident that Hashem has forgiven me. Why is He sending me suffering?” That is why the Alter Rebbe brings the teaching of our Sages about those who are insulted and do not insult back: even when a person could answer, he accepts the suffering with love; he rejoices amid suffering. On what basis? The reason here is not the same as there. In the Gemara, “those who are insulted and do not insult back” is about reward. A person truly could answer the other person, but instead he overlooks the offense and restrains himself; Hakadosh Boruch Hu will give him a special reward. That is not what is relevant here. What matters here in the teaching of our Sages is that the Torah demands of a person that even if he has an answer, even if he could respond and retaliate, even though

18:54 Right, he won’t do that. That’s what we learn from this teaching of our Sages, and it applies here too: even when, by all reasonable reckoning, a person has done teshuvah and Hakadosh Boruch Hu has forgiven him—he has an answer, he has something to say—he nevertheless accepts it with love. Why, really? What’s the explanation? Here the Alter Rebbe says something that bears on complete atonement. This continues chapter 12. In other words, a Jew knows that besides teshuvah, there is also complete atonement. A Jew wants Hakadosh Boruch Hu not only to forgive him; he also wants complete atonement. Listen carefully: there’s a tremendous point here, a fundamental point that bears on all of Igeres Hateshuvah. What are we seeking through teshuvah? There are two aspects to teshuvah. The Alter Rebbe says at the beginning of Igeres Hateshuvah: there is teshuvah, and there is atonement. That’s how Igeres Hateshuvah begins, right? It discusses the different forms of atonement; teshuvah atones for everything. The Alter Rebbe quotes an entire beraisa showing that teshuvah and atonement are distinct. Then, after quoting the whole beraisa, the Alter Rebbe begins: “Now, the mitzvah of teshuvah according to the Torah is simply to abandon sin.” What is the Alter Rebbe telling us? What is the Alter Rebbe telling us? It’s a well-known question; the Rebbe asks it in Likkutei Sichos too. Why did the Alter Rebbe quote the beraisa? The Alter Rebbe quotes a whole beraisa, spends an entire page explaining it, and then begins, “Now, the mitzvah of teshuvah according to the Torah...” What’s the connection? Couldn’t the Alter Rebbe have started directly with “The mitzvah of teshuvah according to the Torah”? The Alter Rebbe is teaching us that teshuvah has two aspects. There is the mitzvah of teshuvah itself. The Rebbe discusses this in Likkutei Sichos, volume

20:39 17, on Parshas Acharei Mos. Two aspects of teshuvah. There is the mitzvah of teshuvah itself—that’s “the mitzvah of teshuvah according to the Torah.” The mitzvah of teshuvah according to the Torah. What is the mitzvah of teshuvah? The mitzvah of teshuvah has nothing to do with atonement. The mitzvah of teshuvah itself, as we were just discussing—yes, yesterday—is simply to abandon sin. Abandoning sin is about the future. The mitzvah of teshuvah itself is for a Jew to make a resolution from now on. It has nothing to do with the past at all. Simply abandoning sin means from now on: never to return to his folly, and to resolve in his heart to accept the sovereignty of Heaven and observe all His mitzvos. Teshuvah is about the future. That is the mitzvah of teshuvah itself; that is the mitzvah according to the Torah. Whether Hashem will atone for you has no bearing on teshuvah itself. So much so that, as the Rebbe also cited from halachah, even a person who knows—who has been told from Heaven—that Hashem is not going to grant him atonement fulfills the mitzvah of teshuvah completely. The two are not dependent on each other. Atonement and teshuvah are two separate matters, and that is what we learn from the beraisa. The beraisa says: there is atonement, and there is teshuvah. The mitzvah of teshuvah itself is abandoning sin, accepting the sovereignty of Heaven, beginning a new life. After that, there is another matter: what we seek from it. Something further. The result of teshuvah. When a person does complete teshuvah, not only has he fulfilled the mitzvah of teshuvah; Hashem forgives him, and he also gains atonement for the past. As the Alter Rebbe says in chapter 2 of Igeres Hateshuvah, “He becomes pleasing and beloved before Him as he was before the sin.” That is complete atonement. Atonement requires additional things besides teshuvah. For atonement there is Yom Kippur; for cleansing there is suffering; in cases involving kares and court-imposed death penalties, there are various things. Those belong to atonement. So what does the Alter... So the Rebbe explains in that sicha in volume 7 that this is what the Alter Rebbe wants to teach us. The Alter Rebbe wants to tell you

22:30 two things. On the one hand, the Alter Rebbe wants to explain what teshuvah itself is, so we understand the essence of teshuvah, as we discussed in the previous class. The Alter Rebbe teaches us the essence of teshuvah. Teshuvah itself means abandoning sin; it concerns the future, beginning a new chapter. That is the central point of teshuvah according to the Torah. Its results are not part of the mitzvah of teshuvah itself. But the Alter Rebbe also wants to say that a Jew should want his teshuvah to leave no trace of the sin behind. Part of the work of teshuvah—what is called complete teshuvah—is not only teshuvah itself, but also making sure no trace remains, so that I will be pleasing and beloved as I was before the sin. For that, I do need to cleanse and atone. As the Alter Rebbe says, “atone” means “cleanse,” so that no trace of the past remains either. For that, fasts are needed. Today it’s tzedakah, along with all the things the Alter Rebbe discusses in chapters 2 and 3 of Igeres Hateshuvah. That’s why the Alter Rebbe included them in Igeres Hateshuvah. Otherwise, why would the Alter Rebbe discuss them at all? If the Alter Rebbe only wanted to explain the mitzvah of teshuvah itself, then all of chapters 2 and 3 of Igeres Hateshuvah would be unnecessary. Rather, that is precisely what the Alter Rebbe wants to say: there is the mitzvah of teshuvah itself, and there is what we seek from teshuvah. The mitzvah of teshuvah itself is simply to abandon sin. What we seek through teshuvah is complete atonement as well. And for atonement to be complete, there is tzedakah, there are fasts, and there are various other things that bring atonement. So that is what the Alter Rebbe is saying here too. For atonement to be complete—meaning that no blemish, no trace, nothing at all remains—sometimes Hakadosh Boruch Hu brings suffering upon a person. That is

24:10 the point of— And that’s why it says, “Those who are insulted but do not insult in return.” It’s true that you have already done teshuvah. It’s true that, as far as teshuvah itself is concerned, you have done all the work required of you. Nevertheless, Hakadosh Boruch Hu will cleanse them. In other words, blemishes still remain, and Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants to— On the contrary, it comes from love, as the Alter Rebbe says at the beginning of Igeres Hateshuvah, so that there should be love. Hakadosh Boruch Hu loves you so much that He does not want any trace, any blemish, to remain. So, through other people, Hakadosh Boruch Hu brings these experiences upon you to cleanse you, so that no trace remains. This is part of atonement, and that is why the Alter Rebbe quotes this teaching of our Sages here. The Rebbe says that, based on this, we can also understand the Gemara in Gittin. We’ve discussed the meaning of Igeres Hateshuvah; now, says the Rebbe, based on this we can also understand our Gemara in Gittin. What does the Gemara in Gittin mean here? Listen carefully. Before the Gemara brings the teaching about “those who are insulted but do not insult in return,” it brings another teaching of our Sages. This is what the Gemara says: “Wretched is the bride who was unfaithful during her wedding canopy.” Right? First the Gemara brings another teaching of our Sages: “Wretched is the bride who was unfaithful during her wedding canopy.” It’s speaking about the Jewish people, who sinned with the Golden Calf immediately after the Giving of the Torah. And it uses the word “wretched.” The Gemara wants to know what the word “wretched” means. So, “wretched is the bride”—it refers to the audacity of the Jewish people, who had just received the Torah and, while still under the wedding canopy, committed the sin of the Golden Calf, right? And the Gemara cites a verse from Shir Hashirim about this. Yes, what is the verse? “While the King was at His banquet, my nard gave forth its fragrance.” They are with the King at His banquet, together with the King at the celebration of

26:06 At the Giving of the Torah, they had already spoiled things, already “given off their fragrance”—as they say, they had already done the damage. They had already gone bad. What is the connection? What is the connection between these two teachings of our Sages? On the face of it, the connection is the word “wretched.” It says “wretched” here, so the Gemara brings two teachings of our Sages about being wretched. Fine, but there is something deeper in the Gemara than simply bringing two teachings that use the same word. What is the deeper point? One explains the other. After all, something similar happened at the Giving of the Torah. What happened? The Jewish people received the Torah, and forty days later they sinned with the Golden Calf. “While the King was at His banquet,” right? They sinned; “my spikenard gave off its fragrance”—they spoiled things. But afterward they also did teshuvah. Moshe went up the mountain and prayed for forty days. Then came the forty days of Elul, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, until Hakadosh Boruch Hu said, “I have forgiven, as you have spoken,” right? What does that mean? That the Jewish people did complete teshuvah—lower teshuvah, higher teshuvah. “I have forgiven, as you have spoken.” They received the second Tablets. Hakadosh Boruch Hu forgave them. So the same question can be asked on behalf of the Jewish people: Why does it say, “On the day I make an accounting, I will call them to account”? Why, after the sin of the Golden Calf, does Hakadosh Boruch Hu still give the Jewish people various punishments connected with that sin? Wait—didn’t we do teshuvah? We were done with it. We did teshuvah, we received forgiveness—“I have forgiven, as you have spoken”—complete forgiveness. A baal teshuvah is even greater than the righteous. After Yom Kippur, the Jewish people had, in practice, done teshuvah. Everything was all right. So why were there still further hardships and punishments afterward? We didn’t deserve them. So the Gemara brings the continuation: “Those who are insulted but do not insult in return.” If so,

27:59 a Jew could immediately complain. A Jew could complain, and yet he does not respond in kind. A Jew accepts suffering that seems unjust, even though he knows what has happened. Why? Because he knows there are levels of atonement, levels in how complete atonement can be. And so, like those who are insulted but do not insult in return, he accepts it; he accepts all these things even when they seem unjust. This also explains the continuation of our Gemara. And on this basis we can also explain why the Alter Rebbe brings a different teaching of our Sages: “Whoever overlooks offenses committed against him, all his transgressions are overlooked.” Why else does the Alter Rebbe bring this teaching here? “Whoever overlooks offenses committed against him, all his transgressions are overlooked.” This, too, follows from what we have been saying. Overlooking offenses, in the context we are discussing, means overlooking them in connection with suffering. I could complain, become upset, and be angry with Hakadosh Boruch Hu: Why does He give me suffering when I don’t deserve it? Or I could be angry with the person Hakadosh Boruch Hu sent—even when the suffering comes at the hands of other people. Hakadosh Boruch Hu sent someone to trouble me, and again I feel I don’t deserve it. Right? And yet I overlook the offense. What does it mean that “all his transgressions are overlooked”? The precise wording is “all his transgressions.” In other words, although the person has done teshuvah, although he has essentially done everything required of him by doing teshuvah, there still remain, as we said, subtle blemishes. That is the significance of “all his transgressions.” We are not talking about someone who has not yet done teshuvah. The emphasis in the Sages’ wording is on “all his transgressions,” including those subtle blemishes that remain in the soul. Those subtle traces still need

29:42 to be atoned for completely, and that happens when he overlooks offenses committed against him. The very fact that he does not complain, even though he could complain—and yet he does not—means that he overlooks the offense. Then all his transgressions are overlooked. All of them. In other words, no trace remains, no part of it. Even the subtlest blemishes—Hakadosh Boruch Hu erases them because he overlooks offenses committed against him. That is how these ideas follow one another here. By the way, the Rebbe says that, according to this, the Alter Rebbe offers a novel interpretation of this teaching of our Sages—a very significant one. “Whoever overlooks offenses committed against him.” This teaching is also brought by the Rambam. The Rambam brings this idea in Hilchos Deios. He writes—and we will come to the matter of, what is it called, in Hilchos Deios. The Rambam writes, when he gets to the subject of revenge—there, in Hilchos Deios, in the laws concerning revenge, “Do not take revenge,” “Do not bear a grudge,” and all those things—that it is proper for a person to overlook offenses committed against him. What does the Rambam mean by overlooking offenses between one person and another? Not getting angry with the other person. And the Rambam explains that, to a wise person, all these trivial matters—no, how does it go?—are not worth getting angry over or taking revenge for. A person should be occupied with loftier things and not mind if someone bothers him. That is why he should overlook offenses. So there are two differences between the Rambam and the Alter Rebbe. One difference is that the Rambam is speaking about relations between one person and another, while the Alter Rebbe is speaking about the relationship between a person and Hashem. The Rambam explains overlooking offenses as not taking revenge, not getting angry or upset with the other person. The Alter Rebbe is speaking about overlooking offenses even in relation to Hakadosh Boruch Hu—not complaining if

31:34 Hakadosh Boruch Hu does something to you and you do not understand why you deserve it. There is another difference between them, too, which brings us to the next point. The Rambam does not bring the words “all his transgressions are overlooked.” The Rambam says to overlook offenses because a wise person regards all those things as—what is the word? Foolishness? Trivialities? I don’t know the exact wording there—as trivialities. He does not mind them. It is not a matter of whether you deserve what happened. The Alter Rebbe brings the continuation of the teaching: “All his transgressions are overlooked.” What is the difference? It follows from the context; these two differences depend on that. The Rambam speaks only about relations between one person and another. He is discussing Hilchos Deios, matters of character and conduct toward other people. So the idea that “all his transgressions are overlooked” is not relevant there. True, it says that in the Gemara, but it is not relevant there in Hilchos Deios. Hilchos Deios is a work of halachah. So the Rambam writes only what is relevant in practice: overlook offenses. Why should you overlook them? Because wise people are not bothered by the foolishness of the world. People bother them, but they are not affected by it. So they overlook offenses for that reason, not because of what they gain by doing so. That is what is relevant to Hilchos Deios. Here, in Igeres Hateshuvah, the subject is atonement. As we explained, atonement is part of teshuvah. Here the person is seeking atonement, because for teshuvah to be complete, the atonement must be complete. For the atonement to be complete, this is what the Rebbe says: “Whoever overlooks offenses committed against him”—through the very act of overlooking them, “all his transgressions are overlooked.” The atonement is complete, and consequently nothing remains, not even a trace. Through this, the teshuvah is complete in the fullest sense. So that is the explanation in Igeres Hateshuvah.

33:17 That, in turn, explains all the details. We understand why Likkutei Amarim speaks of “those who love Him, like the sun going forth in its strength.” There, this particular point matters. Why does Igeres Hateshuvah mention only the first part? Because here, that particular point matters. And why does the Gemara bring the two sayings of our Sages one after the other? We can understand exactly why the Gemara brings them that way. Why does the Rambam bring “whoever overlooks offenses against him” without the continuation, while the Alter Rebbe brings it with the continuation? We can see that each passage appears where it belongs, according to what is being discussed. And the Alter Rebbe concludes Igeres Hateshuvah with its last line. What is the conclusion of Igeres Hateshuvah? That last line. The Rebbe says this is not only the conclusion of Igeres Hateshuvah; it is the conclusion of the first three parts of Tanya. As is known, Tanya was first printed with only its first two parts. But when the Alter Rebbe printed it a second time, he also printed Igeres Hateshuvah. The three parts were printed in 5561, or something like that; I don’t remember the year. In any case, when the Alter Rebbe printed Tanya with Igeres Hateshuvah—Iggeres Hakodesh was printed after his passing, but during the Alter Rebbe’s lifetime, the three parts were printed. So these words are the conclusion of all of Likkutei Amarim, coming at the end of Igeres Hateshuvah. What is the content of these lines? What do these words contain? First of all, daas. The Alter Rebbe explains in Igeres Hateshuvah that his innovation there concerns daas: deeply applying one’s mind. The Alter Rebbe speaks about teshuvah that comes from contemplation, from deeply applying one’s mind. In other words, if a person wants the teshuvah of Tanya, the teshuvah of Chassidus, it is

35:20 teshuvah that requires a person to contemplate. With regard to lower teshuvah, he must think deeply about what his sin has caused and done, and so on, as the Alter Rebbe explains in chapter 7. He must apply his mind deeply to matters of lower teshuvah to awaken bitterness over his sorrow, and so on. And with the avodah of higher teshuvah—there, certainly, the point is daas, right? The whole matter of higher teshuvah involves engaging in Torah and studying Torah, and so on, and davening. All these things require understanding and deeply applied thought. “Knowledge comes easily to the discerning”—because teshuvah is associated with Binah. As the Alter Rebbe explains, sin causes a blemish on four levels: Chochmah, Binah, middos, and Malchus—yud, hei, vav, hei. The Alter Rebbe explains in chapter 4, right, that sin affects the four letters of the name Havayah. That is why he brings these words here, from two verses in Mishlei, which include all four aspects. “Knowledge comes easily to the discerning,” and “one who considers a matter will find good.” Knowledge and discernment refer to the blemish in the intellectual faculties; this is connected with higher teshuvah. Then there is “a matter”: Malchus is called “speech,” and one rectifies one’s words. “Will find good”—“good” refers to the middos. Chessed is called good; the point is that the middos are called good, all ten middos. So these verses contain all four aspects: Chochmah, Binah, middos, and Malchus. They contain all four letters of the name Havayah. Since the blemish affects all four letters, the rectification must take place in all four aspects. But the Alter Rebbe begins with daas, because deeply applying one’s mind—daas—is the main thing in teshuvah. Also, daas is rooted in Kesser, because to achieve atonement one must reach Kesser. So you see, he said earlier that through... because through teshuvah a person reaches Kesser, where all the blemishes are rectified. And “knowledge comes easily to the discerning”: when one has daas, it becomes easier for the discerning person too.

37:05 One can contemplate more easily. When a person has daas, a firm connection, that also makes Binah easier—teshuvah is associated with the higher hei, with Binah. Then, “one who considers a matter will find good.” “One who considers” refers to Chochmah, koach mah: self-nullification, the yechidah, the self-sacrifice a Jew possesses. “One who considers a matter” means that this extends from Chochmah down to Malchus, so that the power of self-sacrifice is revealed even in actual practice. “Will find good”—the wording is “will find.” Finding means coming upon a discovery. “I found him in a desert land.” When a person does teshuvah, then, as it says, teshuvah brings a revelation that comes as a discovery: “I found him in a desert land.” Specifically through teshuvah, one attains a revelation like an unexpected find, something one was not due. Hakadosh Boruch Hu gives everyone the strength to draw close to Him in complete perfection. That is the central point of all of Igeres Hateshuvah.