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And let us now explain the verses of the Haftarah: "Comfort, comfort My people..." etc. For according to the conclusion of the Talmud in Tractate Yoma, regarding the contradiction in the words of Reish Lakish — who said: "Great is repentance, for intentional sins become for him like merits," as it is said: "And when the wicked returns..." — by them he shall live. And a contradiction is raised from another statement of Reish Lakish: "Intentional sins become like unintentional sins," as it is said: "Return, O Israel... for you have stumbled in your iniquity." - that "iniquity" (avon) means an intentional sin, yet it calls it a "stumbling," which implies accident. And the Gemara answers: There is no contradiction — here [it speaks of one who repents] out of love, and here out of fear. And according to the conclusion of the Talmud, one who wishes to repent must ascend gradually — first, he should repent out of fear, so that the intentional sins become like mistakes; and afterward, he should ascend further, to the higher level — repentance out of love, and then those same intentional sins are transformed into merits. For it is not possible to rise to a higher level all at once, but only gradually.