[Avodah] R Avraham

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Wed, Sep 14, 2016 at 06:03:32PM +0300, Eli Turkel via Avodah wrote:
:> I don't get this. First he says that the same mechanicsm does work
:> the other way, then he says it can't -- that the self-change is
:> only possible through a chessed associated with teshuvah?
: 
: His position is that teshuva on an individual sin(s) is a normal process
...

This may depend on peshat in Hil' Teshuvah 3:3, "kol mi shenicheim al
hemitzvos she'asah" loses them all. The Rambam only discusses wholesale
regret. The Kesef Mishnah cites Rashbi (Qidushin 40b) as a source, who
cite "tzidqas tzadiq lo satzilenu beyom pish'o" (Yechezqeil 33:12).

One might even derive from that gemara that we are talking about
regretting mitzvos in wholesale AND (thus?) personality -- the person's
tzidqus is forfeited, which sounds like personality, not deeds.

: The second teshuva is the change of the entire personality. RMA claim is
: that is only by a special gift from G-d. This works in both directions,
: since one is a new person it can remove both sins and good deeds (then its
: not really a gift). In this case one need not go through the technicalities
: of teshuva.

I am missing something.

So, when it comes to teshuvah on the entire personality, it's a special
gift from G-d and usable as teshuvah -- without which such teshuvah would
be impossible. But, it's also a non-gift when used to remove deeds? There
some logical ability to remove the good middos but we need a gift from
the RBSO to remove the bad ones?

And why "good deeds", doesn't this sort of teshuvah deal in middos,
not actions?


Personally, I would have guessed the reverse -- teshuvah on specific
aveiros is the gift, since an event in the past is past, the action
itself cannot be undone.

Whereas teshuvah on character is more logical; whatever character
one has at the end of the "game" is the character Hashem assesses.
And then, teshuvah mei'ahavah, by turning past sins into things to
regret, motivation to do better, could certainly turn those aveiros into
zekhuyos. After all, those memories are now positive motivators in our
character. No need to invoke beyond-teva gifts.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             The Maharal of Prague created a golem, and
micha at aishdas.org        this was a great wonder. But it is much more
http://www.aishdas.org   wonderful to transform a corporeal person into a
Fax: (270) 514-1507      "mensch"!     -Rav Yisrael Salanter