The Sifsei Chaim (Arba’ah Chilukei Kaparah – Teshuva al mitzvat asei) points out that even kaparah has a fundamental limitation —

Although the path of teshuva is able to rectify the violation of a mitzvat asei and the denigration involved in it, it is not able to restore the lacking of the mitzvah itself which was never fulfilled. Chazal (Brachot 26a) explain the words of the verse (Kohelet 1:15) — “That which is lacking can never be replaced” as referring to one who nullified the mitzvah of Shema or prayer [which can never be made up afterwards].

Teshuva cannot grant a person mitzvot which he never fulfilled. Rav Yechezkel Levenstein responded to a student who had been unable to learn due to onnes (circumstances beyond his control) — “There is an am ha’aretz (ignorant person) with no excuse, and an am ha’aretz with an excuse; you appear to be in the second group — an am ha’aretz with an excuse. It is possible that your excuses will be accepted and you will not be punished, but in any case, you will still not be a lamdan (one who learned lots of Torah)!” And with a case of real bitul Torah (i.e., actually choosing to waste time and not learn Torah), the teshuva [afterwards] is [certainly] not able to transform an am ha’aretz into a talmid chacham (Torah scholar).

In terms of what Chazal (Yuma 86a) teach, that one who did teshuva from love — “zedonot na’asot lo k’zechuyot — his willful aveirot become merits for him,” that does not mean he will get any new mitzvot which he never did. Rather, the willful aveirah created a denigration which distanced the person from Hashem. When he later returns in teshuva and merits a closeness to Hashem, that zadon (willful aveirah) will have become the cause for this closeness to Hashem, and for doing the teshuva from love. That will, therefore, become a merit for him, since the damage from the denigration became his rectification.

 

Rav Avigdor Miller (In his commentary on Mesillat Yesharim – Chapter 7 – Zerizus (Alacrity)) explains why it is necessary to hurry [to do a mitzvah] —

Because there is a great danger of losing the opportunity. If you delay doing a mitzvah, frequently when you later come around and are ready to do it, the opportunity has passed. Rav Miller then points out that the next words of the Ramchal are very striking:

“Ki ein sakanah k’sakanaso” — There is no peril [in the world] like this peril [of postponing a mitzvah].

The loss of failing to perform a mitzvah is [in some sense] worse than the loss of committing an aveirah. You can do teshuvah for an aveirah, but when the opportunity to perform a mitzvah is not utilized, it is lost forever, and that is the tragedy of life.

The Mishnah in Avot (4:2) states — “Run away from an aveirah.” You have to run from transgression like someone running from a wild animal, because the danger is very severe. There is no disaster greater than an aveirah. However, it also says (Eduyos 2:10, Shabbat 33b) — “The judgment of the wicked in Gehenom lasts twelve months.” The negative consequences for an aveirah can last up to twelve months. And even if, when a person finally leaves this world, he goes to Gehenom, eventually he will come out and go on to the next world, where he will benefit from his mitzvot forever and ever…

The benefit for fulfilling even the smallest mitzvah, however, is infinite. So, losing out on a mitzvah is the biggest loss there could be; an eternal loss of infinite benefit.

We can conclude that man’s primary purpose in this world is not to avoid chet, but rather to acquire shleimut (wholeness and completion), as the Mesillat Yesharim explains beforehand. Shleimut can only be achieved through positive actions, not through sitting idly and refraining from action. This is like someone who is taking a trip to a certain destination. Do we say that the primary purpose of his journey is to avoid accidents? Certainly, it’s extremely important for him to be careful and avoid accidents, but ultimately the purpose of a journey is to reach the destination. Man does not come to this world for the purpose of avoiding chet; his main purpose in this life is to attain shleimut.

This is the meaning of what the Ramchal says, “Ki ein sakanah k’sakanaso — There is no peril like this peril.” The danger of missing out on a mitzvah is even greater, [in some sense,] than the danger of committing an aveirah. This is what Shlomo HaMelech refers to when he says — “That which is lacking can never be replaced” (Kohelet 1:15). It is impossible to replace the loss of a mitzvah, and therefore, there is no peril like that peril.

 

Rav Miller explains further (Kingdom of Kohanim, pg. 52, 4:2) —

The chatas offering, which is an opportunity granted by Hashem to gain kaparah for an aveirah committed through negligence, is limited solely to prohibitions. But for the aveirah of omitting a mitzvah, even severe ones such as the korban Pesach and milah, there is no offering of a chatas which can be brought. We learn from this that when the opportunity to perform a mitzvah is not utilized, it is lost forever. Even though similar mitzvot may later become available, and even the exact same type of mitzvah can be performed afterwards, that earlier mitzvah at that specific time has gone lost forever. It must be made clear that there is actually [a limited type of] kaparah for a lost mitzvah. The Gemara (Yoma 86a) tells us that if one transgressed a mitzvat asei and he did teshuva, he will get an immediate kaparah. Yet this kaparah merely removes the aveirah of not doing, it does not confer the merit which could have been achieved if he had actually done the mitzvah. As the Gemara (Chagigah 9a) says, quoting the verse in Kohelet (1:15), referring to a lost mitzvah — “That which is lacking can never be replaced.”

 

Rav Aryeh Kaplan (The Handbook of Jewish Thought – Vol. 2 – 13:37, 15:63) says similarly —

More severe than a prohibition is the aveirah of failing to perform a mitzvat asei. One must be particularly careful regarding mitzvot asei, since even teshuva cannot make up the loss of merit incurred… One who habitually ignores any mitzvat asei can therefore be counted among the worst of transgressors.

Teshuva only helps to remove evil, but it cannot make up for any good that has been lost. Still, when one does do teshuva out of love for G-d, all of his former wickedness is counted as good, and he can, therefore, achieve in an instant what others may need many years to attain.

 

The Remarkable Need for Kaparah

 

Chazal (Gemara Nazir 23a) tell us that a kaparah is required for one who thought he or she did an aveirah, even if, in the end, we discover that it was not actually an aveirah at all. The example they bring is a woman who “violates” a neder or shavua (vow or oath) which her husband had previously nullified, without her knowledge. Even though it turns out that when she did the “violation,” the neder or shavua had already ceased to exist, this woman still needs a kaparah and selicha. This is because she had willfully done that which she thought was prohibited. Rebbe Akiva would cry when he reached this verse (Bamidbar 30:9,13). He said — “And if one who intended to eat pork but ended up eating kosher meat needs kaparah and selicha, one who intended to eat pork and ended up eating pork, all the more so!

 

Furthermore, Chazal (Sifri – Shofetim 209) tell us that even the dead require kaparah!

 

Emunah in Teshuva and Yom Kippur

 

The Rambam (Hilchot Sh’gagot – 3:10) mentions a striking requirement to be able to receive kaparah —

“Yom Kippur, a chatas, and an asham are only m’chapeir on those who have done teshuva and believe in their kaparah. They are not m’chapeir, however, for one who rejects them… even if he brings the [offerings exactly] according to the mitzvah. Furthermore, [if he will later] return in teshuva from this rebellion, he will need to bring his chatas and asham [again]. And similarly, Yom Kippur will not be m’chapeir for one who is rebelling on Yom Kippur.”

 

Rav Shimshon Pinkus (Sichot Rav Shimshon Pinkus – Tov v’Yashar Hashem) discusses this requirement —

Yom Kippur is also relevant to emunah. The Rambam rules that Yom Kippur will not be m’chapeir for one who doesn’t believe in its kaparah. Even if our eyes don’t see it, we need to believe that a serious change occurred within us on Yom Kippur.

The Shulchan Aruch (624:5) quotes a Medrash (Bamidbar Rabba 17:2), which tells us that motzai Yom Kippur (the night after Yom Kippur), a voice comes out from Heaven and declares — “Go and eat your bread with joy, since Hashem already views your actions favorably.” One who believes that Yom Kippur has accomplished a change within him, will see himself after Yom Kippur as an entirely different person. While issues may still exist, like difficulty with davening (prayer) and learning, he still believes that Yom Kippur has made a change, and in the course of time, he will see a wondrous siyata d’Shimaya (Heavenly assistance) within him.

We need to believe, even if it appears in our eyes that the world is the same world as before Yom Kippur, that motzai Yom Kippur, the world is a different world, and the person is a different person. Just like we believe that “Bereshit bara Elokim — In the beginning G-d created the world,” we need to believe that “bayom ha’zeh yechapeir aleichem l’taheir eschem — on this day there will be a kaparah on you to purify yourselves.” Hashem purifies us, He makes us brand new, a new creation. And if we believe it, we will be careful to protect it.

 

 

This should be l’zechut ul’iluy nishmat Ruchama Rivka, a”h, bat Asher Zevulun 

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