Different Kinds of Teshuvah
讜讬拽专讗 专讘讛 讝:讘
讝讘讞讬 讗诇讛讬诐 专讜讞 谞砖讘专讛 讜讙讜壮 (转讛诇讬诐 谞讗) 讝讘讚讬 讘谉 诇讜讬 讜专壮 讬讜住讬 讘谉 讟专讟住 讜专讘谞谉 讞讚 讗诪专 讗诪专 讚讜讚 诇驻谞讬 讛拽讘状讛 讗谞讬 讻讘砖转讬 讗转 讬爪专讬 讜注砖讬转讬 转砖讜讘讛 诇驻谞讬讱 讗诐 讗转讛 诪拽讘诇谞讬 讘转砖讜讘讛 讛专讬 讬讜讚注 讗谞讬 砖砖诇诪讛 讘谞讬 注讜诪讚 讜讘讜谞讛 讗转 讘讛诪状拽 讜讘讜谞讛 讗转 讛诪讝讘讞 讜诪拽讟讬专 注诇讬讜 讗转 讛拽专讘谞讜转 砖讘转讜专讛 诪谉 讛讚讬谉 拽专讬壮 讝讘讞讬 讗诇讛讬诐 专讜讞 谞砖讘专讛 讜讞专谞讗 讗诪专 诪谞讬谉 诇诪讬 砖讛讜讗 注讜砖讛 转砖讜讘讛 砖诪注诇讬谉 注诇讬讜 讻讗诇讜 注诇讛 诇讬专讜砖诇讬诐 讜讘谞讛 讗转 讘讛诪状拽 讜讘谞讛 讗转 讛诪讝讘讞 讜诪拽专讬讘 注诇讬讜 讻诇 讛拽专讘谞讜转 砖讘转讜专讛 诪谉 讛讚讬谉 拽专讬讗 讝讘讞讬 讗诇讛讬诐 专讜讞 谞砖讘专讛
Leviticus Rabbah 7:2
‘True sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; [God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart.]’ (Ps. 51:19) Zabdi b. Levi, and R. Jose b. Petros and the Rabbis gave interpretations [of this passage]. One of them said: David said before the Blessed Holy One: I subdued/sacrificed my Evil Inclination and repented before You; if You accept my repentance, I shall know that my son Solomon will arise and build the Sanctuary and the altar and offer thereon the sacrifices commanded in the Torah.’We conclude this from the passage: ‘True sacrifice to God is a broken spirit . . . ‘. The other said: How do we know that, if a person repents, it is accounted unto him as if he had gone up to Jerusalem and built the Temple and the altars and offered thereon all the sacrifices ordained in the Torah? [We deduce this] from these verses: ‘True sacrifice to God is a broken spirit . . . ‘
What does “a broken spirit,” let alone the return of animal sacrifice, have to do with preparing for Purim, the wildest holiday in our tradition?
As Esther 9:1 teaches us, “Ve-Nahafoch Hu,” the opposite happened. In most years, we read this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Tzav, on Shabbat HaGadol, which precedes Passover. Because this is a leap year, this Torah portion about sacrifices and priestly worship coincides with Shabbat Zahor, which precedes Purim. Our ancient Sages crafted our calendar with both contingencies in mind, and each generation since has sought to glean new meaning from this convergence of our holiday and liturgical cycles.
One playful yet serious interpretation notes the overlap in sound and in spirit between Purim and Yom Kippur, which is often called in classic sources Yom Ha-Kippurim. Rather than translating the longer title as “the Day of Atonement Sacrifices,” a play on words results in calling Yom Kippur “the day that is like Purim.” This upends our solemn notion of Yom Kippur as the holiest day of the year, instead pointing to the jubilant carnival atmosphere of Purim as potentially an even deeper religious experience.
In order to grasp the cognitive leap in this reading, we must expand our understanding of teshuvah from repentance for particular transgressions to a general turn inwards for spiritual repair and renewal. While we focus during the High Holy Days on our shortcomings in great detail, on Purim we transform the somber end of winter into joyous anticipation of rebirth in spring. Likewise, we commemorate the painful historical and psychological experience of our people’s exile and celebrate with absurdity our Diaspora community. In fact, this is the only biblical Jewish holiday based on a narrative set entirely outside the Land of Israel and without connection to Temple worship.
This Purim, let us turn inward to embrace our broken spirits and to make our crushed hearts whole again. Through spiritual and material contributions in response to this winter’s political and geological upheavals, may we bring ourselves nearer to God and to righteousness.
