The Answer: Immeasurable Kindness

"For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

King Solomon informs us here that every action a person does will be brought to judgment before the Creator of the world. This contradicts the opinion of people who think to themselves: "Hashem is good and merciful, I'll manage to work things out with Him up there." The Sages say: "Whoever says that Hashem overlooks sins, may his intestines be overlooked" (Tractate Bava Kamma 50a). This means that whoever relies on Hashem's leniency will ultimately suffer, God forbid. Why? Because while it's true that Hashem is merciful, the source of compassion and kindness, the concept of overlooking sins doesn't apply here. It's like a doctor who cannot "overlook" painful treatments that a patient must undergo. It's necessary, inevitable, and for the patient's benefit. Similarly, regarding a person's sin, the concept of Hashem overlooking it doesn't apply, because heavenly punishments are not vengeful, God forbid, but rather they correct and purify a person for what they corrupted. As the Sages said (Yalkut Shimoni, Micah 556): "If your evil inclination tells you, 'Sin, and Hashem will forgive you,' do not listen to it!"

Indeed, how is Hashem's attribute of mercy expressed toward the sinner?

The Ramchal (Mesillat Yesharim, Ch. 4) wrote that the attribute of mercy, without which the world could not exist, is expressed toward the sinner in three ways:

1. Timing of punishment - According to strict justice, the sinner should be punished immediately, but Hashem "extends His patience" and waits, hoping the sinner will return in repentance.

2. Severity of punishment - The Sages said: "The measure of good exceeds the measure of punishment by 500 times." This means that when Hashem rewards a person, He does so at very high rates, but when He punishes - He gives the minimum necessary for the correction of one's soul. If we knew what damage and corruption sin causes in the upper worlds, we would understand how the punishment is not proportional to the transgression, but rather minimal. This is similar to a primitive wagon driver who wandered into a military camp and saw signs with red letters: "Do not touch the electrical and communication cables." But because he didn't understand what these cables were, he carelessly cut himself a piece of "rope" to tie his horse. Immediately, all the electrical and communication systems collapsed, causing enormous damage. If they wanted to exact full justice from him, they would charge him for all the damage caused, not just for the cost of the cables he took. Similarly, when a person sins, they cause great damage in the upper worlds, and according to strict justice, they should receive enormous punishments, but due to Hashem's mercy, they receive the minimum punishment necessary to correct their soul. [But even this - is an expensive enough payment, and a difficult enough punishment, to make us flee from sin like fire].

3. Repentance - According to justice, the reality of repentance should not exist in the world, because how can a person correct what they have distorted and sinned, and how can the situation be restored and the deed that has already been done be removed? Does a murderer who repents bring the victim back to life?! Can a person who desecrated Shabbat restore what they corrupted and damaged?!

Indeed, the Sages said (Jerusalem Talmud, Makkot Ch. 2): They asked Wisdom: "What is the sinner's punishment?" It replied: "Evil pursues sinners!" They asked Prophecy: "What is the sinner's punishment?" It replied: "The soul that sins shall die"... They asked Hashem: "What is the sinner's punishment?" He said: "Let him repent and he will be forgiven." And about this it is said (Psalms 25:8): "Good and upright is Hashem; therefore He instructs sinners in the way" - that Hashem shows sinners the path to repentance.

From the perspective of wisdom and prophecy, a person bears the consequences of their actions. However, from Hashem's attribute of mercy - to allow a person to be cleansed of their sins and return in repentance, as Sha'arei Teshuvah wrote: "Among the good things that Hashem has bestowed upon His creatures is that He prepared a way for them to rise from the pit of their deeds and escape from the trap of their transgressions, to save their souls from the grave and turn away His anger from them. And He taught and warned them to return to Him when they sin against Him, due to His abundant goodness and uprightness, for He knows their inclination, as it is said: 'Good and upright is Hashem; therefore He instructs sinners in the way.' And even if they increased their rebellion and betrayal, and the traitors truly betrayed, He did not close the doors of repentance before them."

"Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: He who performs one mitzvah acquires for himself one advocate, and he who commits one transgression acquires for himself one accuser. Repentance and good deeds are like a shield against punishment". (4:11)

On the great and awesome day of judgment, when a person stands before Hashem's judgment, every mitzvah will be an advocate for them, and every transgression will be an accuser that will, God forbid, jump to prosecute against them. Therefore, the advice is: "Repentance and good deeds are a shield against punishment"!

Repentance includes: abandoning the sin, confession [saying one's sin verbally], regret, and commitment for the future.

In the pure language of Rabbeinu Yonah (Sha'arei Teshuvah, First Gate, letter 10): The first principle is regret. One's heart should understand that it is evil and bitter to abandon Hashem. And one should consider in their heart that there is punishment, vengeance, and retribution for sin. And one should regret their evil deeds. And say in their heart: What have I done, how was the fear of God not before my eyes, and I did not fear rebuke for iniquity, and the evil judgments?! For many are the pains of the wicked. I did not pity my body, nor did my eye spare it from destruction, for the sake of a moment's pleasure. And I was like a person who robs and steals and eats and is satisfied, knowing that after eating and drinking, the judge will grind his teeth with gravel. And worse than this, I was cruel to the precious soul. And it was defiled with the idols of my inclination. And what has it profited in all its acquisitions, if it is evil in the eyes of its Master?! How did I exchange a passing world for an eternal world?! How was I compared to beasts, and went after my inclination like a horse or mule without understanding, and strayed from the path of intellect?!

Behold, the Creator breathed into my nostrils the breath of life, wisdom of heart and good intellect, to know Him and fear Him. And to rule over the body and all its consequences. And after this was why I was created, and the opposite happened to me, why do I need life?! "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey - its master's crib", and I did not know and did not understand. And I did not remember the day of death. Which will leave nothing of my soul before me - except my body and my earth.

The Scent of His Garments

When Jacob our father, peace be upon him, came to bring his father Isaac the goats he had prepared for him, it is said about Isaac: "And he smelled the scent of his garments - and blessed him." What exactly did Isaac our father smell that caused him to bless Jacob? The Midrash says: Do not read "his garments" (begadav) but "his traitors" (bogdav) - for Isaac our father saw with divine inspiration the traitors who would come in later generations from his son Jacob, such as 'Joseph Meshita' and 'Yakum Ish Tzrorot' [their stories are brought in the booklet "The Awesome Days in Halacha and Aggadah" page 18], who although they were traitors, their end was good and their scent like the scent of the Garden of Eden, since they repented.

We see something wonderful, people who were in the lowest pit and drowned in severe and terrible sins, merited in a moment of awakening to repent and reach a supreme level. Therefore it is written: "And he smelled the scent of his garments" - to teach us that sins are not part of the essence and personality of the Jew, but only like a garment and clothing that wraps the person, and with true desire, one can remove them and wear instead silk garments and bright clothes of commandments and good conduct. As the verse says (Song of Songs 1:6) "Do not look at me because I am dark, because the sun has tanned me." That is, do not look at the sins which are the darkness, since they are not part of the Jew himself, but only like the tan of the sun that passes after some time, through repentance and good deeds.

We can see people who are far from a life of Torah, and they are "returning in repentance." The question arises: Why do we say they are "returning in repentance," when they were never there before?! For illustration: A person who has never been to America, and now for the first time is flying to America, can we say about him that he is "returning to America"? Certainly not. If so, how can we say about a person who has never lived a life of Torah and commandments, and now has begun to do so - that he is "returning in repentance"?

The answer is beautiful and truly touching: Every Jew at their source - is connected to Hashem, to the Torah! Every Jew - their soul stood at Mount Sinai and declared "We will do and we will hear"! Their soul is hewn from beneath the Throne of Glory! And if so, when they live without Torah and commandments, this is an unnatural path of delusions that they mistakenly adopted. And when the time comes, when their spirit awakens - and they return in repentance, return to lovingly embrace their Father in Heaven! They are not going to a new place, but returning to the most natural place for them!

A person who merits to return in repentance completely transforms their entire world, as the Rambam writes: "Great is repentance, for it brings a person close to the Divine Presence. Yesterday this person was hated before the Omnipresent, detestable, distant, and abominable - and today they are beloved and cherished, close and dear. Yesterday this person was separated from Hashem, the God of Israel, crying out and not being answered, performing commandments and having them torn before their face. And today they cleave to the Divine Presence, cry out and are answered immediately, perform commandments and they are received with pleasure and joy, and not only that but they are desired." And so the Sages said (Berachot 34b), "Rabbi Abahu said: In the place where penitents stand, completely righteous people cannot stand."