The Truly Repentant
Make A Return
RABBI ELIZER COHEN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
A
We had this amazing Purim festival at school,
and I
made the mask for Haman! I like learning about our holidays, our
history and about Israel too. I really want to go there! We never
s we find ourselves on the and voluntarily give his wife a
eve of Rosh Hashanah— properly drafted bill of divorce—
"The day of Judgement" a get. In the tragic circumstance
and the advent of the 10 when a woman is living under in-
days of penitence, there is per- tolerable circumstances and her
haps no more appropriate sedrah husband refuses to grant her a
then Nitzavim.
divorce, the rabbis in the Talmud
The last half of the sedrah - in fulfilling their responsibili-
deals with the topic of t'shuva. ties of leadership and authority
This term is usually translated - empowered the Jewish Court
as repentance, but actually the (Beit-Din) to physically beat the
literal meaning is rather "return." recalcitrant husband into com-
The concept of repentance in Ju- pliance - to issue a get. Mai-
daism is not simply regret and monides in his discussion of this
amends for our mistakes but seeming paradox of a "coerced"
rather a "return" to God and a re- voluntary get says:
turn to our own state of goodness
... and why doesn't this dis-
from which we deviated.
qualify the divorce because it is
Human beings are seen as in- coerced?... because we don't say
trinsically essentially good. Our it is forced unless he is forced and
trespasses and transgressions are coerced to do something that is
understood as aberrations from not required by the Torah... but
our basic nature caused by ego one who is coerced by his evil im-
and base desire and enabled by pulses to refuse to perform a
weakness. Thus, to repent is to mitzvah or to transgress and he
strengthen our resolve and to is beaten until he complies with
overcome our ego and desire and his obligation or until he dis-
to empower our real selves to tances himself from the trans-
emerge once again. This concept gression—this is not coercion but
of human nature can be clearly rather he coerced himself with is
contrasted to the Christian con- evil intention. Therefore he who
cept of the basic evil nature of refuses to grant his wife a di-
man from Original Sin and the vorce—since he really wants to
need for external grace and the live as a proper Jew and he wants
impossibility for man himself to fulfill his obligation and to dis-
alone to achieve atonement, ex- tance himself from sin— it is his
piation and salvation. In Judaism impulse that overpowered him
it is the sinner himself—and only and since he is beaten until his
the sinner himself—who can re- impulse is weakened and he says
pent and achieve atonement I agree he is then divorcing his
through the very force of his own wife of his own volition".
will and inner self
How beautifully the Torah pro-
claims this truth in Deuteronomy
30:11-14:
"For this obligation (to return)
that I command you today is not
a wonder inaccessible to you and
it is not far away. It is not in the
heavens—to say who will ascend
heaven-ward and acquire it for
The Rambam (Maimonides)
us that he will make it known to
us that we should do it. Nor is it is not simply justifying the
across the ocean—to say who will necessary law, he is stating the
cross the ocean and acquire it for Jewish view of sin and repen-
us that he will make it known to tance—of alienation and return.
us that we should do it. But it is Deep in our souls we yearn to
intimately close to you: in your serve the Eternal and to bring
very mouth and in your very love and goodness into the world.
We are often deterred from this
heart to do it."
The desire—no, the need to re- quest.
It is this time of year that helps
turn to God and to return to our
true nature is part of our very be- us revaluate and redirect our ef-
ing; it is within our mouths and forts. May we all be successful
hearts; it is the human soul. This and may we all enjoy a happy,
understanding of human nature healthy, prosperous year of good-
is not simply philosophical or the- ness and reconciliation with our
oretical. It is manifest in very creator and with our true inner
practical terms in many in- selves. El
stances in Jewish law itself.
For example, it is quite clear Eliezer Cohen is Rabbi of Young
in Jewish law that to effect a di- Israel Oak-Woods.
vorce the husband must freely
C C
used to celebrate the holidays at home, but my mom and dad are a
lot more interested since I started bringing stuff home from school.
Your gift to the Allied Jewish Campaign helps our day and congrega-
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MEL
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SUNDAY
October I, 1995
Shabbat Nitzavim:
Deuteronomy
29:9-30:20
Isaiah 61:10-63:9.
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