Two Ways of Achieving Atonement

Cancelling Fines? 

Nowadays we have cameras everywhere, and drivers can receive tickets directly to their homes without the police even having to stop them. The moment the ticket is received, there is no one to talk to, especially if the driver has a history of traffic violations. There’s no room for feelings or other considerations. The driver could be sorry and regret what he did and decide that it will never happen again – but he has to pay the fine, and he will get the points. And if it reaches the point of losing his license, that will happen too. 

The law is blind and unfeeling, which is reasonable. The moment there is a law, it applies equally to everyone, big and small. And once the punishment has been decreed, there is no room for any schticks. 

This is what is expressed by the words of the Talmud Yerushalmi: “Wisdom was asked: What is the punishment of the sinner? It replied, ‘Evil will pursue those steeped in sin’. Prophecy was asked: What is the punishment of the sinner? It replied, ‘That person who sins shall die.’”¹ Someone who sins against the king cannot be forgiven nor can he achieve atonement. 

The answers of Wisdom and of Prophecy are the simple truth, and they make sense. Rabbi Natan of Breslev writes: “According to the simple truth, there is no rectification for the sinner… and indeed, according to common sense, so is the truth.” 

The Pure Truth 

According to this, there is no room for such a thing as Yom Kippur. And it is very difficult to understand the entire matter of teshuva (repentance). And yet, the Talmud Yerushalmi continues and says: “Torah was asked: What is the punishment of the sinner? And it replied: ‘He will bring an offering and that will be his atonement.’ Then, the Holy One, Blessed Be He was asked: ‘What is the punishment of the sinner? And He replied: “He will do teshuva and that will be his atonement.’” ¹

The Holy One, Blessed Be He is chanun hamarbe lislo’ach – “the gracious One Who pardons abundantly”². If, according to the simple truth there is no rectification, then where do teshuva, slichah (pardon) and kapparah (atonement) come from? 

The holy Torah tells us: “Bezot – This is how Aharon is to enter the holy place”.³ Rabbi Natan explains that the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) comes to Hashem yitbarach with the pure truth of Hashem yitbarach Himself, which is the truth that only the choicest tzaddikim can understand, each one according to his different aspects. This truth is based on Hashem yitbarach’s tremendous and powerful mercy. 

The simple truth is the truth of the angels, who condemned the idea of creating man, claiming that he is destined to sin, and the sinner must die – and so, there is no room at all to create him. Hashem, Who’s seal is truth, dashed this truth to the ground and created man; because Hashem yitbarach’s truth is much greater and purer, and according to Hashem yitbarach’s truth there is always, always hope and teshuva and there is no despair, and even someone who has committed all the transgressions in the Torah can do teshuva and Hashem will receive him with love! 

So, what is really Hashem yitbarach’s pure and deep truth, upon which forgiveness and atonement and pardon are based, and according to which there is no reason to despair at all? 

There are two ways to approach this. 

A Piece of Information That Resurrects the Dead 

Approach #1: Hashem is a good father! Hashem loves you! Hashem yitbarach always loves me! 

The angels’ truth is based on Hashem being the King. Laws are connected to kingship, for “With justice, a king sustains the land”.⁴ And this is certainly true – that Hashem is a king, as we repeat endlessly in our prayers. 

But Hashem is also our father! And many psukim (verses) and sources point towards that. Hashem is a father before He is a king: Avinu, malkeinu! And the father always loves his children and wants to do only good to them, and always, always gives them the opportunity to start anew and He forgives them and pardons them and accepts them with love after all the mistakes they make.  

This is a deep truth. If you don’t know this clearly, there is no basis for all your emuna (faith) and kedusha (holiness); not knowing this is the deep root for all emotional suffering and anxiety, all despair and sadness.  

This knowledge resurrects the dead, really. I have seen Jews come to me all darkness, like an extinguished candle; they seem to lack any vitality, and the fact that they breathe is a miracle. And when I have the Heavenly merit to sit with them and give them these simple messages, you can see them coming back to life, truly a resurrection of the dead.  

Knowledge That Saves Life 

Approach #2: You are good! You want only good! And Hashem knows that you are good and that you want only good, and that no evil has any hold over you at all! 

The truth is that the essence of a Jew is his will to do good. Even if he fails repeatedly, as long as he holds on to his will and doesn’t relinquish it and doesn’t allow himself to be confused by his failures and falls – he is considered by Heaven to be a complete tzaddik, as we explained at length in the book A New Light (Ohr Chadash). 

The simple truth of the angels sees your external side, but the pure truth of Hashem yitbarach sees your inner self. The greatest danger is if the person believes the angels – that indeed, evil has some kind of connection to him. But the atonement of Yom Kippur comes from Hashem yitbarach’s superior truth; He knows that you are good and that your desires are only good.  

All a person’s failings in his daat (understanding) and all a person’s self-persecution that ruins his life and prevents him from achieving success in life, materially and spiritually – it all comes from not having this knowledge. 

And all the renewal of teshuva and kapparah and the ability to start afresh in life and come close to Hashem – it’s all coming from Hashem yitbarach’s truth, which is knowing that Hashem knows you are good, because you are a part of Hashem, your soul is all good and your inner drive is only to be good and to do good.  

That’s why I said that one must sing the song “Hashem yitbarach always loves me” in a different version as well: “Hashem yitbarach knows that I am good and wants to do only good and even better and even better…” And if the first song was a source of inspiration for the Jewish people, so this song too will give everyone hope and bring all Jews closer to Hashem out of love.  

Combining the Two Approaches 

Since there are two approaches here, we have in the kapparah of the Jewish people two parts: One is the ox of the Cohen Gadol, and the second is the two se’irim (goats) – one for Hashem and one for Azazel. 

The Cohen Gadol’s ox hints to the great love that Hashem has for Jews in every situation. For the ox reminds one of the Sin of the Golden Calf and that reminds one of the lowest point that the Jews ever reached, and yet it is brought as an offering and its blood is sprinkled in the Holy of Holies – to show that in the innermost place there is only Hashem’s love for the Jewish People in any situation. “Its space is lined with love”⁵. 

And the two se’irim hint to the fact that Hashem knows that every Jew is essentially good. For what are we doing when we offer up the se’irim? We confess on one sa’ir, placing upon him all the transgressions and sending him to Azazel; the second sa’ir is offered up to Hashem and its blood, too, is taken into the Holy of Holies. This is saying that really our transgressions do not belong to us at all, and we are, as it were, “throwing them” off the edge of the cliff where they will be smashed and obliterated. But we ourselves are pure and pristine and have no connection to sin, as Rabbi Nachman says: “He who knows the holiness of Yisrael, where they come from, and knows Yisrael’s spirituality and fineness, knows that Yisrael is far away from sin, and sin has no connection with them, none at all, in keeping with the immenseness of their rooted holiness and the extent of their fineness and spirituality.”⁶ 

He who wants to do teshuva must empower himself all the time with the two approaches, with the two combining in him to one whole approach called: To know Hashem yitbarach really and to know yourself really. And therefore, in the atonement of Yom Kippur the blood of the ox and of the sa’ir are sprinkled alternately and in the end, they are combined! 

We will conclude with some practical halacha. Prayer has to be true, not only the truth in your own heart, but the absolute truth that Hashem loves you and knows you. And therefore, whenever you pray, say these words prior to starting the prayer:  

Abba, I am your son. You love me and want only good for me; and You know that my will is to be only good. Always, always help me to know this and hold onto this truth and not distract myself from it.  

And with Hashem’s help, in the merit of saying this, you will merit to do complete teshuva out of love as well as meriting all salvation.  

 Editor’s Notes:

¹ Talmud Yerushalmi, Makkot 2:6

² Shemoneh Esrei (Amidah) 

³ Vayikra (Leviticus) 16: 3   

⁴ Mishlei (Proverbs) 29:4 

⁵ Song by Israeli singer Ishai Ribo 

⁶ Likutei Moharan II 7: 3