Nitzavim / Vayeilech: Teshuvah as a Ledge
Nitzavim / Vayeilech: Teshuvah as a Ledge
We're about to enter the Aseres Ymei Teshuvah (Ten days of Repentance) once again, and I find myself asking the same question I ask every year: Is teshuvah really as easy as Moshe Rabbeinu claims?
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Nitzavim / Vayeilech: Teshuvah as a Ledge
Year after year, I find myself bothered one of Moshe Rabbeinu’s closing statements in Devarim 30:11-14:
For this mitzvah that I command you today – it is not hidden from you, and it is not distant. It is not in the heaven, [for you] to say, “Who can ascend to the heaven for us and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and do it?” Nor is it across the sea, [for you] to say, “Who can cross to the other side of the sea for us and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it?” Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.
Many commentators (Ramban, Sforno, Tur, Akeidas Yitzchak, Abravanel, and others) understand the “mitzvah” in these verses to be a reference to teshuvah (“repentance” or “returning”). My question is straightforward: Is teshuvah really that simple? Granted, Moshe never uses the word “easy,” but the implication of this passage is that teshuvah is so accessible that anyone can (as a footwear company might put it) “just do it.”
Last year, I wrote an article on this topic titled, Nitzavim: What Would Teshuvah Look Like If It Were Easy? I followed it up with a second article, Shabbos Shuvah 5784: How to Do Teshuvah, Little by Little. This year, my thinking was inspired by Seth Godin’s blog post, The ledge (9/19/24). Here it is in full, with my emphases in bold:
Drowning is devastating, a tragic and painful way to go.
So much so that feeling like we’re drowning is a trigger, an overwhelming emotion that causes us to grasp, struggle and leave our best self behind.
It’s easy to experience this even when we’re out of the water. When the stakes are high and time is short, we can activate drowning mode, losing our focus, resilience, and generosity.
The ledge can be a useful way to talk ourselves out of the spiral.
If you’re in 8 feet of water, it’s easy to feel afraid. But once you realize that you’re only a few inches away from a ledge, one you can return to whenever you like, it’s possible to reset, to find your bearings.
It’s not that hard to imagine a ledge. Sure, the parts didn’t arrive on time, but our deadline isn’t for a few days, back to the ledge, let’s regroup and come up with a new plan. Yes, the project didn’t work, but our budget has enough slack in it that we can try again with a new project tomorrow.
The ledge is a combination of time and money. It’s the buffer between here and disaster. The ledge is a foundation, a place we can find our footing as we think about the next steps. And the ledge offers perspective, because we can realize that even if this moment feels momentous, it might not be.
Resilient project management and risk-taking requires investing in a ledge. When we put everything on the line and cut the timing to the absolute minimum, the stakes get higher and we expose ourselves to failure.
Part of the art of innovation is choosing projects we can afford to dance with.
And the daily emotional work is reminding ourselves that the ledge is right there. So we can refocus and go back to being our best.
Upon reading this, I wondered, “What if Moshe’s point is that teshuvah functions as a ledge?” There are two reasons why Moshe might have characterized teshuvah as being simple: (1) because it really is that easy and accessible, and his goal is correct our misperception, (2) because even if it’s not that easy, thinking it is easy and accessible will help make it so. Like Seth Godin’s ledge, merely knowing that teshuvah is there can prevent us from panicking and drowning in our many sins and imperfections.
I believe there is support for this second reading in the Rambam. Towards the end of the Guide for the Perplexed (3:35), Rambam recategorizes the 613 mitzvos into fourteen groups before expounding on the taamei ha’mitzvos (reasons for the commandments). These groups largely parallel the fourteen books of the Mishneh Torah, but with slight differences. The first category is “mitzvos representing foundational ideas. These are the ones I listed in Laws of the Foundations of the Torah. They also include teshuvah and taaniyos (fasts), as I will explain.”
What is the purpose of the mitzvah [1] of teshuvah? This may sound like a strange question, since the purpose of teshuvah is self-evident. But I’m not asking, “What is the purpose of teshuvah?” Rather, I’m asking, “What is the purpose of the mitzvah of teshuvah?” Rambam (3:36) answers:
It is obvious that teshuvah is likewise included in this category; that is to say, it is one of the doctrines which are indispensable in maintaining the existence of Torah adherents, for it is impossible for any man not to err and sin—either because he mistakenly adopts a wrongful doctrine or character trait, or because he is overcome by desire or anger. If man were convinced that he could never make his crooked ways straight, he might persist in his error or stray further, believing there is no alternative strategy. But the belief in teshuvah makes it possible for him to return to the good and [even] to a more perfected state than he was before he sinned. For this reason, [the Torah commands us] in many actions which establish our belief in this very beneficial principle: for example, the viduyim (confessions), the korbanos (offerings) for sins committed unknowingly—and in some cases even for sins committed intentionally—and the taaniyos. The general principle behind teshuvah from any sin is the complete removal of sin, and this is the purpose of this doctrine.
According to the Rambam, the Torah commands us in teshuvah, viduyim, korbanos, and taaniyos to strengthen our belief that teshuvah is possible. Without this belief, we would easily give up hope and persist in our sins. However, the mitzvah of teshuvah reinforces our belief in the possibility of teshuvah, and this belief makes it easier for us to actually do teshuvah.
To appreciate the connection between the Rambam’s explanation and Seth Godin’s ledge, here is a modified repetition of the bold quotations from Seth Godin’s blog post cited above, with “teshuvah” replacing “the ledge”:
“Teshuvah can be a useful way to talk ourselves out of the spiral.”
“But once you realize that you’re only a few steps away from teshuvah, and you can return whenever you like, it’s possible to reset, to find your bearings.”
“It’s not that hard to imagine teshuvah.”
“Teshuvah is a foundation, a place we can find our footing as we think about the next steps.”
“And the daily emotional work is reminding ourselves that teshuvah is right there. So we can refocus and go back to being our best.”
I’d like to conclude by suggesting an experiment. This year, instead of stressing out over how difficult teshuvah is, let us attempt to lean into Moshe’s message. If we believe teshuvah is easy, perhaps it will be.
[1] For the record, I don’t believe that Rambam views teshuvah as a mitzvah. Rav Chaim Soloveitchik’s theory notwithstanding, it is clear upon considering all four of the Rambam’s formulations that the mitzvah is vidui (confession), not teshuvah itself. See Sefer ha’Mitzvos: Aseh #73; Mishneh Torah: Hakdamah, Minyan ha’Mitzvos Aseh #73; Hilchos Teshuvah: Hakdamah and 1:1. However, our goal here is to understand the position of the commentators on Devarim 30:14, who clearly regard teshuvah as a mitzvah, and Rambam’s explanation in the Moreh helps elucidate their view.
What do you think of this approach? Have you ever successfully employed this way of thinking in your life? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
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I believe you need to take what Moshe said about Yirah and apply it here. It's one and the same.
To Moshe Yirah is a simple thing, Aleph Beis. and he's saying the same here for Teshuva.
Because to do a simple proper Teshuva you need Yirah (discipline).