Repentance 

תשובה

God anticipates and waits for His children to repent. When they indeed repent, it is as though they are created anew and merit a status that even the righteous do not attain. 

As long as a person is alive, the Holy One, blessed be He, awaits his repentance. Once he dies, his hope is lost, as it is stated: “With the death of a wicked man, hope is lost” (Proverbs 11:7).  

Rabbi Yoshiya said: It is due to three matters that the Holy One, blessed be He, is patient<footnote data-num="266"/> with the wicked in this world: Perhaps they will repent; or perhaps they will perform mitzvot for which the Holy One, blessed be He, will want to reward them in this world; or perhaps righteous children will emerge from them. As we found in the Bible that God was patient with the wicked Ahaz, and Hizkiyahu emerged from him, with Amon,<footnote data-num="267"/> and Yoshiyahu<footnote data-num="268"/> emerged from him, and with Shimi,<footnote data-num="269"/> and Mordekhai emerged from him.

Prayer is likened to a ritual bath, and repentance is likened to a sea. Just as a ritual bath is sometimes open and sometimes locked, so too, the gates of prayer are sometimes locked and sometimes open. By contrast, the sea is always open; so too, the gates of repentance are always open.  

“Open for me” (Song of Songs 5:2). Rabbi Yisa said that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, open for Me one entrance of repentance even the size of the eye of a needle, and I will open for you entrances through which carriages and wagons can enter. 

“Let this be recorded for the last generation” (Psalms 102:19):<footnote data-num="270"/> It can be derived from here that the Holy One, blessed be He, accepts penitents. “So that those yet to be born may praise the Lord” (Psalms 102:19): This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, will fashion penitents into new creations.<footnote data-num="271"/>

In the place<footnote data-num="272"/> where penitents stand, completely righteous individuals cannot stand. <source>(Kohelet Rabba 7; Eikha Rabba 3; Shir HaShirim Rabba 5; Vayikra Rabba 30; Berakhot 34b) </source>