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 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, and Yoshiyahu emerged from him, and with Shimi, 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): 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.

In the place where penitents stand, completely righteous individuals cannot stand. (Kohelet Rabba 7; Eikha Rabba 3; Shir HaShirim Rabba 5; Vayikra Rabba 30; Berakhot 34b)