Repent Today, Not Tomorrow — The Power of Immediate Teshuvah in Jewish Thought

The Mishnah teaches (Yoma 8:9): “One who says, ‘I will sin and then repent, I will sin and then repent’ — is not given the opportunity to do teshuvah (repentance).”

The moment a person feels inspired to return to God, he must act immediately. If he tells himself he can continue sinning and repent later, he risks losing that sacred window of opportunity — as the Mishnah warns, “He will not be given the chance to repent.”

A Parable About Delayed Repentance

Our sages illustrate this with a poignant parable: A man sat at his table, enjoying a lavish meal when a poor beggar knocked at his door, asking for food. The man turned him away coldly. An hour later, when he was full and could eat no more, he said, “Give the food to that beggar.”

A wise man standing nearby said, “Fool! When you were hungry, you gave him nothing. Now that you’re full and can’t eat another bite, you offer him your leftovers?!”

So it is with a person in this world — chasing wealth, pleasure, and vanity. The poor man in the parable is the good inclination, pleading: “Turn back, learn Torah, do good deeds.” But the person refuses, saying, “Later.” When old age comes and he can no longer pursue worldly gain, he says, “Now I’ll repent.” But it may be too late.

As the verse says (Kohelet 12:1): “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, when you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’”

One who plans to sin now and repent later reveals that his teshuvah is not sincere — for if his repentance were genuine, he would not be able to continue sinning.

Repent One Day Before You Die

The Mishnah also says (Avot 2:10): “Repent one day before your death.”

Who knows when they will die? Obviously, the Mishnah’s intent is clear: Since no one knows when his final day will come — repent today, lest tomorrow never arrive.

Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk would go every Friday with his son to the cemetery and say: “Look at these graves. Imagine how happy each of these souls would be if they were granted just one more hour to live — one more hour to fix what needs repair. But they cannot. And we never know our time — so better to do teshuvah now.”

“Be Ready!” — A Lesson from Rabbeinu Bachya

Rabbeinu Bachya writes in Chovot HaLevavot (Sha’ar HaTeshuvah): “If someone warned an entire city: ‘One of you will die this month,’ but didn’t say who — would it not be right for every person to prepare for death? How much more so should we all be ready, when every month we see death claiming so many lives! We must care for our souls, prepare provisions for the World to Come, and ready our eternal home before the need arises.”

Serve God with Joy

The Gemara (Berachot 5a) teaches a spiritual “prescription” for conquering the evil inclination: “A person should always incite his good inclination against his evil inclination. If he prevails, good. If not, he should study Torah. If that fails, he should recite the Shema. If even that fails, he should remember the day of death.”

This is a four-step spiritual treatment:

1. Rouse your good inclination — awaken your conscience and moral will.

2. Engage in Torah study — the ultimate remedy against sin.

3. Recite Shema — reaffirming your acceptance of God’s kingship.

4. If all else fails, remember the day of death.

The memory of mortality is the strongest medicine — but also the harshest, sometimes bringing sadness or despair. The sages therefore advise: use it only when needed, and strive instead to serve God with joy and love, not fear alone.

The Higher Path: Joyful Service

True spiritual strength comes not from fear of death but from love of life — from serving God with gratitude and joy: “Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with song. Know that the Lord is God — it is He who made us, and we are His people, the flock of His pasture.” (Tehillim 100:2–3)

Teshuvah done with joy, love, and sincerity brings healing not only to the soul but to the heart — for the best time to return is not “someday,” but now.