Beacons on the Talmud's Sea: Yom Kippur: Inspiring Atonement

Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXVII, p. 124ff.

Understanding A Passage From The Rambam

In his Hilchos Teshuvah, the Rambam writes:[1]

The goat sent to Azazel atones for all the transgressions in the Torah, the severe and the lighter [sins]; those violated intentionally and those violated inadvertently.... All are atoned for by the goat sent to Azazel.
[This applies] provided [a person] repents. If he does not repent, the goat atones only for lighter [sins].
Which are light sins and which are severe ones? The severe sins are those for which one is liable for execution by a court or kares[2].... [The violation of] the other negative commandments and [the failure to perform] positive commandments that are not punishable by kares are considered light [sins].
In the present era, when the Beis HaMikdash is not standing, and there is no altar of atonement, there remains nothing else but teshuvah.
Teshuvah atones for all sins.... And the essence of Yom Kippur atones for those who repent, as it is written:[3] "This day will atone for you."

This passage raises several conceptual difficulties. Among them:

There is a difference of opinion[4] between Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi and the Sages whether the atonement brought about by Yom Kippur requires teshuvah or not. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi maintains that the essence of the day brings atonement whether or not a person repents, while the Sages maintain that atonement cannot be accomplished without teshuvah.[5]
Our Sages4 explain that the same difference of opinion also applies with regard to the goat sent to Azazel. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi maintains that its influence generates atonement whether or not a person repents, while the Sages maintain that teshuvah is necessary for the atonement to be granted.
Since the Rambam follows our Sages' opinion and maintains that teshuvah is necessary with regard to the influence of Yom Kippur, his statements regarding the goat sent to Azazel require explanation.[6] "For it appears that, according to the Sages, for some sins, the influence of the goat is effective, even though the person did not repent.[7] Why then does the Rambam deviate from our Sages' opinion with regard to these sins?" And why does the Rambam make a distinction between the influence of the goat and that of Yom Kippur itself?
The Rambam states: "In the present era,... there remains nothing else but teshuvah." He then continues, stating: "And the essence of Yom Kippur atones," implying that even in the present era, there is still one influence - Yom Kippur - aside from teshuvah which brings about atonement.
It is possible to explain that the phrase "There remains nothing else but teshuvah" refers to other activities which man can perform. This is indicated by the phrase "and there is no altar of atonement." In the previous generations, there were sacrifices brought by the individual and the community which brought about atonement,[8] and at present the only action which man can perform to achieve that purpose is teshuvah. Yom Kippur's influence, by contrast, is not dependent on man's efforts, and therefore mention of it does not represent a contradiction to the statement: "There remains nothing else but teshuvah." Nevertheless, the wording "There remains nothing else but teshuvah" is absolute, indicating that there is a dimension of atonement which is solely dependent on teshuvah; it is not brought about by Yom Kippur.
With regard to the goat, the Rambam states: "All are atoned for by the goat sent to Azazel. [This applies] provided [the person] repents." With regard to Yom Kippur, by contrast, he chooses the expression: "And the essence of Yom Kippur atones for those who repent." What is the explanation for this change in wording?

A Man And His Deeds

The second and third points mentioned above can be explained as follows: In the first halachah cited, the Rambam speaks of atonement for sins, i.e., that the sin itself becomes washed away. This is reflected in the Torah's description of the atonement brought about by goat sent to Azazel:[9] "And the goat will bear upon itself all the sins of Israel." In the present era, "when... there is no altar of atonement," that type of atonement can be gained only through teshuvah.

When, by contrast, the Rambam states: "The essence of Yom Kippur atones for those who repent," he is speaking of another form of atonement: that G-d forgives a person for the sins he committed, but the effect is not on the sins themselves. The person is granted atonement, but his deeds are not.

This concept is also reflected in the Torah which says of Yom Kippur:[10] "This day will atone for you, to purify you from all your sins," i.e., the sins remain a negative influence; the person is, however, purified, so that he is no longer affected by them.

To explain the concept using wording frequently used in yeshivos: The goat sent to Azazel and teshuvah bring about a change in the cheftza, the substance involved, in this instance, the sins. The influence of Yom Kippur, by contrast, affects only the person involved, the gavra.

Different Forms Of Teshuvah

Just as the atonement brought about by the goat and Yom Kippur differ,[11] so too, it follows that the teshuvah which must accompany both of these spiritual influences is also different. Since the goat sent to Azazel and teshuvah atone for the sins themselves, therefore the teshuvah must involve regret for the sins one performed; one's attention is focused on the sins themselves.

With regard to the influence of Yom Kippur, the teshuvah is more personally oriented. One is not repenting for any - or many - particular sin[s]. Instead, one is concerned with the establishment of an all-encompassing bond with G-d.

This distinction is also alluded to in the Rambam's wording in Hilchos Shegagos:[12] "Yom Kippur... atones only for those who repent who believe in the atonement [it] brings," i.e., the repentance of Yom Kippur is of a general nature, involving one's faith in the spiritual power of the day.[13] If a person does not summon up this measure of teshuvah, he has closed himself off to the influence of Yom Kippur, and it will not have an effect upon him.

The Difference Between The Goat Sent To Azazel And Yom Kippur

The above explanations lead to a different understanding of the difference of opinion between Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi and our Sages mentioned above. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi maintains that Yom Kippur has the power to atone for the sins themselves (the cheftza). This is indicated by the wording he uses: "For all the sins in the Torah, whether a person repents or not, Yom Kippur brings atonement."

The Sages, by contrast, see Yom Kippur as bringing atonement for the person (the gavra), but not for the sins itself. This is also reflected in the wording used by Rabbi Yehudah (who expresses the Sages' position): "Is it possible that Yom Kippur will atone for those who repent and those who do not repent?... Yom Kippur atones only for those who repent."

Our Sages state[14] that the goat sent to Azazel atones for various sins, implying that the atonement is for the sins themselves (the cheftza). Since the goat's influence affects the sins themselves, there is room for a distinction between lighter sins and those which are more severe. With regard to the lighter sins, the influence of the goat itself is sufficient to bring about atonement. But for the more severe sins, the influence of the goat alone is not sufficient, and its power must be enhanced through teshuvah.

With regard to the potential of Yom Kippur to bring atonement, by contrast, the intent is not that teshuvah contributes to the influence of Yom Kippur and grants it the power to atone for a person's sins themselves. Instead, the intent is that Yom Kippur has the potential to endow a person with atonement. Nevertheless, for that atonement to affect the person, he must open himself up to its influence through teshuvah.

This distinction is reinforced by the mystic conception of the difference between the goat sent to Azazel and Yom Kippur. The goat sent to Azazel destroys the "body and soul of the kelipah," the evil spiritual consequences of the person's sin.

Yom Kippur, by contrast, lifts a person up above the entire context of sin. It awakens the essence of the soul, the point at which a Jew's soul "clings and cleaves to You... the one people to affirm Your Oneness."[15] At this level, there is no existence outside G-dliness, nor any possibility of separation from Him. The revelation of this level of connection removes the blemishes in the soul which sin caused, cleansing the soul and revitalizing every dimension of our bond with G-d.[16]

Notes:

(Back to text) Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah 1:2-3.

(Back to text) Premature death at the hand of G-d (Moed Kattan 28a), and also a spiritual punishment that results from the soul's being "cut off" (Rambam, loc. cit. 8:1).

(Back to text) Vayikra 16:30.

(Back to text) See Shavuos 12b-13a; Yoma 85b.

(Back to text) Even according to the Sages' opinion, the intent is that, as Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi explains, "the essence of the day brings atonement." Nevertheless, the Sages maintain that for the atonement generated by "the essence of the day" to effect a person, he must open himself to its influence through teshuvah. See the essay entitled "At One With G-d," Timeless Patterns in Time, Vol. I, p. 47.

(Back to text) See the glosses of the Kessef Mishneh and the Lechem Mishneh.

(Back to text) The Meiri (Chibur HaTeshuvah, Maishiv Nefesh, maamar 2, sec. 13) explains that the intent is that the offering of the goat inspired the person to a limited arousal toward teshuvah, but not to a complete commitment. Hence, it is sufficient to atone for his lighter sins, but not for his severe sins.
This explanation is consistent with the Meiri's approach that the goat and Yom Kippur itself are merely inspirational influences while teshuvah is the actual force that brings about atonement. It does not, however, correlate entirely with the Rambam's statements which place emphasis on the power of the goat and Yom Kippur themselves to bring atonement.

(Back to text) Similarly, the punishments of lashes and execution imposed by the court brought about atonement (see Makkos 23a). And these punishments are no longer administered in the present era.

(Back to text) Vayikra 16:22.

(Back to text) Ibid.:30.

(Back to text) See the Tosefta (the conclusion of Yoma), Tosafos, and other commentaries to Shavuos 13a who discuss the interrelation of these two influences during the era of the Beis HaMikdash, when, in addition to the purifying influence Yom Kippur itself brings, the goat was sent to Azazel.

(Back to text) Mishneh Torah, Hilchos Shegagos 3:10.

(Back to text) The Rambam continues: "But those who spurn [the influence of the day,] will not receive atonement." Since the person rejects Yom Kippur's influence and does not open himself to its influence, that influence will not be able to bring atonement for him.

(Back to text) Shavuos 2b.

(Back to text) The Hosha'anos prayers, Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 327.

(Back to text) See the essay entitled "At One With G-d" cited above.