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The differences in atonement In the same way as the body has sicknesses and ailments, so too does the soul. And the ailments of the soul and its diseases are its evil traits and its sins. But when an evildoer repents from his evil path, God, may He be blessed, heals the soul of the sinner - as it is stated (Psalms 41:5), “O Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” And it is [also] stated (Isaiah 6:10), “and repent and save itself.” And in the way that it is sometimes found with the sicknesses of the body that the sickness lightens itself from upon one, as does the length of most of the ailments, but the body is not cleansed of it without drinking a bitter drink and suffering further by afflicting his soul from [eating] all desirable food; so too is it with the soul sick from great iniquity: And even though most of the sickness is healed, and most parts of the punishment are removed after the repentance - and God, may He be blessed, has gone away from His anger - the soul will not yet be cleansed from the sickness and its sin will not be atoned until the sinner is made to suffer with afflictions, purified with pain and with bad and difficult things that happen to him. [This is] like the matter that is stated (Genesis 4:13-14), “My punishment is too great to bear! Since You have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your presence; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whoever finds me will kill me.” However through repentance, most of his iniquity was forgiven, the main part of his punishment was removed and he was rescued from death - as it is stated (Genesis 4:15), “and the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who met him should kill him.” But the punishment of exile remained for him, as it is stated (Genesis 4:12), “and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth.” Yet he had mentioned [his] migration with a double expression (fugitive and wanderer); whereas after the repentance, it is [only] stated (Genesis 4:16), “and he dwelt in the land of wandering.”

And this matter is further clarified from that which is written in the Torah (Leviticus 4:27-28), “If any person from among the populace unwittingly incurs guilt by doing any of the things which by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and he realizes his guilt. Or the sin of which he is guilty is brought to his knowledge, etc.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said that a sin offering comes for being inadvertent about something for which volition [would bring] excision. And on account of a sin that [brings] excision - due to its significance - the atonement of the sinner will not be complete until he brings a sin-offering, even though he confessed his sin. For without the confession and repentance, his iniquity will not be atoned by the sin-offering, as it is stated (Proverbs 21:27), “The sacrifice of the wicked man is an abomination.” But after the confession and the sacrifice, his iniquity is atoned, as it is stated (Leviticus 4:20), “the priest shall make expiation for them, and they shall be forgiven.” And you [should] understand from this how strong the punishment of the volitional one [must be], if the inadvertent one is not pure after repentance until he brings a sacrifice. Indeed, his iniquity is atoned with afflictions, as it is stated (Job 33:19-26), “He is reproved by pains on his bed, etc. He prays to God and is accepted by Him.” And it is stated (Proverbs 3:12), “For whom the Lord loves, He rebukes, as a father the son whom he favors.” But there is [also] advice and rectification for the sinner to protect himself from [such] pains - with good deeds, as will be explained.

And this matter is yet further clarified in the Torah, as it is stated (Leviticus 16:30), “For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to purify you, etc.” Behold that Yom Kippur is required after the repentance - for the essence of Yom Kippur is [that it be] with repentance.

And there is an iniquity for which the soul cannot be cleansed; and it will not be accepted until death separates it from the body with which it sinned - just as there is a sickness from which the body will not be cleansed all of [its] days: And that is the sin of profaning [God’s] name, as it is stated (Isaiah 22:13), “And behold, there was rejoicing and merriment, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, etc.” For they were not heeding the words of the prophets, nor trembling about them. Rather they were gathering with their friends with all types of mirth. And it is stated about this (Isaiah 22:14), “this iniquity shall not be atoned for until you die.” And it is stated (II Chronicles 36:16), “But they mocked the messengers of God and disdained His words and taunted His prophets until the wrath of the Lord against His people grew beyond remedy.”

But even for this sickness - even though it does not have a remedy in the way of other iniquities - there is a remedy if God, may He be blessed, assists one to sanctify His Torah in front of people and to inform people of God’s power and the glory of His majestic Kingship. And his iniquity is removed according to the greatness of the action’s effect, which is the opposite of [the effect of] the action with which he was foolish and with which he sinned. [This is] like the statement of the physicians about the sickness of the body - that it is cured with its opposite, and its resuscitation comes about with its replacement. And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 16:6), “Iniquity is atoned by kindness and truth.” And we have explained this in the first Gate (1:47) about repentance. And the explanation of the matter of truth that he mentioned is that the sinner should prepare his heart to strengthen the truth, help those seeking faith and remove falsehood and error. For making the truth known and turning it back into a fortress is [an aspect of] the glorification of God - like the matter that is stated (Jeremiah 22:16), “He upheld the rights of the poor and needy; then all was well - was not this to know Me?” And it is stated (Jeremiah 9:5), “through deceit they refuse to know Me.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said about the matter of Herod - who killed the sages - asking (Bava Batra 4a) Bava ben Buta advice if he could heal him or cure him of his wound. And he said to him, “You have extinguished the light of the world. Go and involve yourself in the light of the world and make efforts for the building of the Temple.”

Our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86a), “Rabbi Matya ben Charash asked Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah in Rome, ‘Have you heard the four distinctions of atonement that Rabbi Yishmael would expound?’ He said to him, ‘They are three, and repentance is [necessary] with each and every one: [If] one violates a positive commandment and repents, he is forgiven even before he moves, as it is stated (Jeremiah 3:22), “Return, you backsliding children [I will heal your backsliding].” [If] one violates a negative commandment and repents, repentance suspends [his punishment] and Yom Kippur atones, as it is stated (Leviticus 16:30), “For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to purify you of all your sins; [you shall be pure before the Lord].” [If] one transgresses [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court and then repents, repentance and Yom Kippur suspend [his punishment], and afflictions absolve, as it is stated (Psalms 89:33), “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with plagues.” But [regarding] one who has [the iniquity of the] profanation of [God’s] name in his hands - his repentance has no power to suspend, nor does Yom Kippur have power to atone, nor do afflictions have the power to absolve. Rather, all these [together] suspend [punishment], and death absolves - as it is stated (Isaiah 22:14), “this iniquity shall not be atoned for until you die.”’” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 36a; Sifra, Vayikra) [that] a burnt-offering atones - after the repentance - for one who transgressed a positive commandment. For while his iniquity was atoned by the repentance [alone], the burnt-offering adds to his atonement and adds to his being accepted by God, may He be blessed.

They also said (Yerushalmi Yoma 5:7), “A burnt-offering atones for the meditations of the heart that come up in peoples’ souls and the thought of sins.” And likewise is it written (Job 1:5), “When a round of feast days was over, Job would send word to them to sanctify themselves, and, rising early in the morning, he would make burnt-offerings, one for each of them; for Job thought, ‘Perhaps my children have sinned and blasphemed God in their thoughts.’”

And now [that] - due to our sins and due to the sins of our ancestors - we do not have sacrifices: If one sinned with the meditations of the heart or transgressed a positive commandment, he should read the section of the burnt-offering at the beginning of Parshat Vayikra and at the beginning of Parshat Tsav et Aharon. For the reading of the section of the sacrifice is in place of the bringing of a sacrifice for us - whether we read it from the written text or whether we read it by heart. [It is] like our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Menachot 110a), “Anyone involved with the section of the burnt-offering is as if he brought a burnt-offering; with the section of the sin-offering is as if he brought a sin-offering; with the section of the guilt-offering is as if he brought a guilt-offering.” And if a person transgressed a negative commandment and repented, he should worry about his iniquity and long for and anticipate getting to Yom Kippur in order that he will be accepted by God, may He be blessed. For His desire is for the life of the soul and the body, and the life of all that has been created - as it is stated (Psalms 30:6), “life is in His will.” And therefore, our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Rosh Hashanah 9a), “Anyone who fixes his meal on the eve of Yom Kippur is as if he had been commanded to fast on the ninth and the tenth [of Tishrei], and fasted on them.” For he has shown joy at the arrival of the time of his atonement; and it will be testimony for him, about his worry about his guilt and about his despondence about his iniquities.

Secondly - because on other holidays, we establish a meal for the joy of the commandment. For the reward for joy over the commandment increases and grows, as it is stated (I Chronicles 29:17), “now Your people, who are present here - I saw them joyously making freewill offerings.” And it is stated (Deuteronomy 28:47), “Because you would not serve the Lord your God in joy and gladness.” But since the fast is on Yom Kippur, they were obligated to fix the meal over the joy of the commandment, on the eve of Yom Kippur.

Thirdly - in order that we be strengthened to increase our prayer and supplications on Yom Kippur and think of strategies for ourselves regarding repentance and its main principles.

And if a person transgressed [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court and he repents: Since his iniquity is not absolved without afflictions - given that repentance suspends [the punishment], but afflictions absolve - he should prepare his heart to do the commandments that protect [him] from the afflictions, such as the commandment of charity. For it also saves from death, as it is stated (Proverbs 10:2), "but righteousness (tsedekah , which can also mean, charity) saves from death." And one who does not have money to give charity, should speak well about the poor person, so that he will be a [spokesman] for him, such that others do well by him. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 9a), “Greater is the one who causes [a commandment] to be done than one who does it.” And likewise should he involve himself with deeds of loving-kindness, to help his fellow with his counsel and his efforts. And [it is] like our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sukkah 49b), “Acts of kindness are superior to charity [...]: Charity can be performed only with one’s money, while acts of kindness can be performed both with his person and with his money. Charity is given to the poor, while acts of kindness are performed both for the poor and for the rich.” And likewise should he speak to the heart of the poor person and honor him and console him from his distress, like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 58:10), “And you offer your compassion to the hungry.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 9b) that one who appeases his fellow with words is greater than one who gives [him] charity. And likewise should he be involved in the commandments of visiting the sick, burying the dead, consoling the mourners and rejoicing the groom and bride. For all of these are from the ways of kindness. And corresponding to all of them is the commandment of Torah study for the sake of the Heavens. And all of the counsel that we have mentioned is included in that which King Solomon, peace be upon him, said (Proverbs 16:6), “Iniquity is atoned by kindness and truth.” For the acquisition of Torah [knowledge] is called the acquisition of truth, as it is stated (Proverbs 23:23), “Acquire the truth and do not sell it.” And it is stated (Psalms 119:142), “and Your Torah is truth.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Vayikra Rabbah 25:1), “‘It is a tree of life to those who grasp it’ (Proverbs 3:18) - [if] a person transgressed [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court: If he was accustomed to reading one chapter [of Mishnah] a day, he should read two chapters; if he was accustomed to reading one section [of Torah], he should read two sections.” And Torah [study] protects him from afflictions from two angles: The first is because our Sages, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 127b), “Torah study corresponds to all of [the other commandments combined].” And the second is that when he toils in Torah, exerts himself upon it and pushes away the sleep from his eyes - it is counted in place of afflictions. [It is] as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 99b), “All bodies are born for toil. Happy is one whose exertion is for Torah.” And they said (Sanhedrin 26b), “Why is the Torah called wisdom (tushiyya)? Because it weakens (mateshet) the strength of a person.”

And likewise should he put fasts, tears and abstaining himself from delights in the place of afflictions - as it is stated (Psalms 109:24), “My knees give way from fasting; my flesh is lean, has lost its fat.” And it is stated (Joel 2:12), “Turn back to Me with all your hearts, and with fasting, weeping, and lamenting.” And he should always sigh from the bitterness of his heart, as we mentioned in the first Gate about repentance. And he will place the abundance of bitterness in the place of afflictions, as it is stated (Proverbs 18:14), “A man’s spirit can sustain (yekhalkel) him through illness; but low spirits - who can bear them?” The explanation is that when the body becomes sick, the soul will sustain it [during ] its sickness - from the usage (in Malachi 3:2),“But who can bear (mekhalkel) the day of his coming?” [Here] it means to say - help the body and sustain it by speaking to its heart and comforting it to accept [difficulties] and to carry [them]. But when the soul is sick and low from grief and worry, who will console the soul, and who will hold it up and sustain it? Behold, worry and bitterness of the heart are heavier than sickness of the body - for the soul sustains the body in its sickness; whereas when the soul is sick and low from its grief, the body will not sustain it. So if you find the sinner suffering, [with] troubles happening to him, justifying his judgement and accepting the rebuke with love - this will be a shield for him from the many afflictions that would be fit to come upon him. [It is] as it is stated (Psalms 76:11), “The rage of men shall acknowledge You, when You gird on the remnant of fury.” Its explanation is, when the pain of a man acknowledges You - meaning that a man acknowledges You at the time of his pain. It is from the usage (Job 6:2), “If my anger were surely weighed” - the meaning [of anger, like rage in Psalms 76:11,] is pain. “The remnant of fury” that had been opened to come upon the man - like the content of (I Kings 20:11), “Let not him who girds on his sword boast like him who opens it!” - gird and hold them back and do not bring them upon him. And this is by way of a comparison to one who opens his sword, but [then] returns it to its sheath. And it is stated (Isaiah 12:1), “Although You were wroth with me, Your wrath has turned back and You comfort me.” And likewise about the matter of acknowledgement for the good, it is stated (Psalms 52:11), “I praise You forever, for You have acted; I will hope in Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your faithful ones.” Its explanation is - I will praise You for the good that You have done with me; and because of this, I will hope for the constancy of Your goodness. And it is stated (Psalms 116:13), “I will raise the cup of slavations and call out in the name of the Lord”; (Psalms 116:3-4) “I came upon trouble and sorrow. And I invoked the name of the Lord.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Tehillim 79) about the matter of that which is written (Psalms 3:1), “A song of David, when he fled,” “‘Justice done is a joy to the righteous’ (Proverbs 21:15) - the trait of the righteous is to pay their debts and to sing to the Holy One, blessed be He. [There is a relevant] parable about a housholder that had a sharecropper, and that sharecropper was in debt to him. That sharecropper [then] made a threshing floor [from his produce], gathered it together and made a pile. The householder came and took the pile, and the sharecropper entered his house empty-handed. But he was happy that he entered empty-handed. They said to him, ‘You left your threshing floor with your hands on your head (empty), and you are happy?’ He said to them, ‘Even so, the bill is [now] cancelled; I have paid my debt.’”

And a person is obligated to reflect and know that the troubles that find him and the afflictions that come upon him are not according to the greatness of his iniquity and the multitude of his sins. Rather God, may He be blessed - in His pity upon him - afflicts him in the way of the rebuke of a father upon his son, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 8:5), “And you shall know in your heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so the Lord, your God, chastens you.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, explained (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 350), “Your heart knows the deeds you have done and the afflictions I have brought upon you; that it is not according to your deeds that I have afflicted you.” And it is stated (Job 11:6), “and know that God has overlooked for you some of your iniquity.” And it is stated (Ezra 9:13), “though You, our God, have been forbearing, [punishing us] less than our iniquity.” But when reproof comes upon the enemies of the Lord, may He be blessed, they are finished with one iniquity - for the punishment comes all at once, as it is stated (Psalms 34:22), “One misfortune is the deathblow of the wicked.“ So the rest of their iniquities remain upon their souls, as it is stated (Ezekiel 32:27), “and their iniquities shall be upon their bones.” However when reproof comes to the righteous, it comes little by little, until the termination of their iniquities, as it is stated (Amos 3:2), “You alone have I known from all the families of the earth; that is why I will call you to account for all your iniquities.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, explained (Avodah Zarah 4a), “It is comparable to a person who lends money to two people, one of whom is his friend, and the other one is his enemy. [In the case of] his friend, he collects from him little by little; [whereas in the case of] his enemy, he collects from him all at once.” And it is stated (Proverbs 24:16), “Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up, while the wicked are tripped by one misfortune.” Its explanation is that they stumble upon one misfortune and are finished. And it is stated (Jeremiah 10:24), “Chastise me, O Lord, but only in judgement; not in Your wrath, lest You reduce me to naught.” Its explanation is, “but only in judgement”- with the trait of mercy and and the property of Your kindness. [This is] from the usage (in Numbers 29:18), “in their count according to [their] judgement,” [which means] according to [their] property; [and in] (Psalms 112:5), “who conducts his affairs in justice,” [means] with measure. And they compared it to another parable regarding this matter and said (Midrash Tehillim 18), “One who does not know [how] to hit will hit his son in his eyes and in his face; whereas one who knows [how] to hit will hit his son in such a way that it will not cause him damage.” And likewise is it written (Psalms 118:18), “The Lord surely chastised me, but He did not give me over to death.” And it is stated (Job 2:6), “but only spare his life.” And He only brings vengeful afflictions upon the evildoers. But probing afflictions only come upon the righteous; for they accept them with love and they increase the refinement of their actions. So [these] afflictions are for their good and their benefit, and the increase of their reward - as it is stated (Psalms 11:5), “The Lord probes the righteous one.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, compared it to a parable regarding this and said (Bereishit Rabbah 58:32), “When the owner of the flax knows that the flax is strong, he hits it much in order to make it soft and good.”

And behold we are going back to the matter about which we were talking regarding the order of atonements; and we shall say that if a person unitentionally transgressed [a sin that warrants] excision or a death penalty from the court, he is obligated to confess, to seek supplications for his forgiveness, to sigh bitter-heartedly, to worry and be afraid. For these are the main [catalysts] of the [various] atoments. And he should constantly be involved with the [Torah] section about the sin-offering - and it will be considered as if he brought a sin-offering. I mean to say, it will be very effective in the matter and atone for him, similar to the sin-offering.

And know that the inadvertent sinner will certainly be punished, as we have already explained; and all the more so, the transgressor - meaning one who is inadvertent about something that most people are careful about - so he should worry and be afraid because of his sin. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Tehillim 48) in explanation of that which is written (Psalms 48:3), “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth: Mount Zion, the sides of the north, the city of the great King” - that at a time when a person was an inadvertent sinner, his heart would be worried and he would tremble with fear about his sin until he would go up to Jerusalem and offer his sin-offering. And [then] he was completely happy. About this was it stated, “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth.” And that which it states, “the sides of the north,” is speaking about the altar. As “the sides of the north” were “the joy of the whole world,” since the sin-offering was slaughtered on the northern side. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Tehillim 51), “When a person commits a transgression and constantly goes back and forth in his heart concerning the matter of his sin that he sinned, and trembles and fears about it - the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives him. But when he removes the transgression from in front of his eyes and it is little and light in his eyes, his case is similar to one who is bitten by a scorpion, but makes light of the bite. So he presses his foot on the ground to remove the poison. But those who see him say to him, ‘Do you not know that it will go up from the sole of your foot, [even] up to your skull?’“

Now let us speak about one who has the sin of the profaning of [God’s] name in his hands, the iniquity of which is not atoned by afflictions. And behold we have mentioned above that he has a healing cure if he constantly sanctifies [God’s] name, may He be blessed. You can find another atonement in his constantly meditating upon the Torah and his efforts in [its study]. [This is] as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Rosh Hashanah 18a), “‘It will not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever’ (I Samuel 3:14): With sacrifice or offering it is not atoned, but it can be atoned through Torah study”; and even though the sin of Eli’s house was with the profanation of the commandment of sanctified foods - as it is stated (I Samuel 3:13), “in that he knew that his sons brought a curse upon themselves.” And see [that it is] because Torah [study] is a cure for every very painful wound. Therefore is it written (Proverbs 15:4), “A healing tongue is a tree of life.”

And about that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86a) about [sins that warrant] excision or a death penalty from the court, “repenatance and Yom Kippur suspend [the punishment], and afflictions absolve” - there is a question: And is it not written (Leviticus 16:30), “of all your sins; you shall be pure before the Lord?” And the answer to this is that, that which is stated, “you shall be pure before the Lord,” is a positive commandment to repent - that we search our ways and investigate [them] and return to the Lord on Yom Kippur. And even though we have been obligated about this at all times, this obligation is added on Yom Kippur. And the purification that is in our hands is repentance and refinement of [our] deeds. But that which is written (earlier in Leviticus 16:30), “For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to purify you” - which is written about the purification that God, may He be blessed, is to purify us from iniquity and atone for us [with] a complete atonement on Yom Kippur without afflictions - is stated about [simple] negative commandments. But regarding [sins that warrant] excision or a death penalty from the court, repenatance and Yom Kippur [only] suspend [the punishment], and afflictions absolve.

And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 85b), “‘Of all your sins; you shall be pure before the Lord’ - Yom Kippur atones for transgressions between a person and the Omnipresent. Yom Kippur does not atone for transgressions between a person and his fellow until he appeases his fellow.” Hence one who has robbed his fellow must return the theft and confess afterwards. But if he confesses first, his confession is ineffective. [This is] as our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Kamma 110a) concerning a robber or one who swears falsely [about his debt] who is obligated to pay the principal and a fifth, and to bring a guilt-offering - that one who brings his theft before he has brought his guilt-offering has fulfilled [his obligation]; his guilt-offering before he has brought his theft has not fulfilled [his obligation]. For it is stated concerning the robber of a convert that has no heirs, such that [the robber] must give the repayments to a priest, (Numbers 5:8) “then the guilt shall be to the Lord for the priest; besides the ram of atonement with which atonement is made on his behalf.” Its explanation: The guilt that is mentioned in this verse is referring to the repayment - from the usage (Numbers 5:7), “and he shall give it to whom he is guilty.” And he brings the repayment [first], “besides the ram of atonement with which atonement is made on his behalf” afterwards.

And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 87a), “One who angers his friend, verbally must appease him.” And it is not [even] necessary to say [this] if he spoke evil speech about him, for that is from the [more] severe transgressions. And if his fellow does not forgive him, he is obligated to come to him with a group of three people. And if he does not forgive him [again], he comes in front of him a second time with a different group. And so must he do a third time. And Elihu said (Job 33:27), “He should then assemble (yashor) a row of men, and say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right (yashar), and it was not fitting (shavah) for me.’” The explanation is, I have perverted a just man - from the usage (Job 1:1), “blameless and just man (yashar)” - for I did not see the merit of the just man, but rather made him into one crooked and twisted. But it was not level (shavah) and just for me, from the usage (in Isaiah 28:25), “Is it not if he leveled (shivah) its surface”; [and in] (Genesis 14:17), “to the level (shavah) valley” - [meaning] straight and level. And since he disparaged just ones in front of people, he must humble himself and confess in front of the many. Hence Elihu spoke about this sin in particular, for it is one of the weighty sins that destroys the soul. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 119b), “Anyone who disparages Torah scholars cannot be healed from his wound” - for they profaned the Torah - as it is stated (II Chronicles 36:16), “And they mocked the messengers of God, etc., it could not be healed.”

And that which our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86b) [regarding] one who has [the iniquity of the] profanation of [God’s] name in his hands, “Repentance, Yom Kippur and afflictions suspend [the punishment], but death absolves” - it is because death absolves any sin for which repentance is effective. And if he is killed - but confessed before his death when the fear of death fell upon him - he receives atonement; and [his] killer is considered like someone who spills the blood of someone pure and pious - as it is stated (Psalms 79:2), “the flesh of Your faithful for the wild beasts.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Midrash Tehillim 32; Shemot Rabbah 53:2) that this is also stated about the evildoers among them; as it is stated about them (Jeremiah 5:8), “They were well-fed, lusty stallions.” For they were considered like pious ones, because the judgement was meted out upon them. As it is written (Deuteronomy 25:3), “and your brother be degraded before your eyes” - once he was lashed, he is certainly like your brother.

And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Yoma 86b, though our version of the Talmud has the opinions inverted), “Transgressions that one confessed on this Yom Kippur, he should repeat and confess on another Yom Kippur, as it is stated (Psalms 51:5), ‘and my sin is ever before me.’ Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says, ‘He should not confess them on another Yom Kippur.’” But in the Midrash (Midrash Tehillim 32; Shemot Rabbah 53:2), they warned a great deal not to repeat and confess them on another Yom Kippur. And they warned about this from (two) [three] angles: The first is that he shows himself to be from those with little trust and as if he does not trust the greatness of God’s forgiveness, may He be blessed - that He lifts off the iniquity and passes over the transgression. And they mentioned about this, “Let lying lips be stilled” (Psalms 31:19). And the second is because if he only mentions the earlier iniquities, he will appear like one whose only worry is about the earlier ones. And has he not sinned afterwards? And if so, he appears as one who does not search and examine his ways; and this is a very bad sickness. For those that supervise their souls always see matters of iniquity in it or its ailments; or that it is falling short in attaining levels of fear [of God]; or that it is falling short in [divine] service and involvement in Torah [study] - as there are great punishments for these. And also since transgressions of the tongue are common. And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 164b), “[There are] three things from which a person is not spared each day: Sinful thoughts, the dust of evil speech and [that they are not focusing their hearts] in prayer [many times].” And the third is because it appears as if he is boasting through his confession [that is] only upon the earlier ones, as he did not sin afterwards. And in the Midrash, they said, “Is it because you do not have from the new, that you are confessing about the earlier ones?” And they explained in the Midrash that, that which it is written “and my sin is ever before me,” is [to mean] that they should be in front of his eyes and remembered in his heart, but not that he should mention them with his mouth. They also explained in the Talmud Yerushalmi Yoma 8:7 that they should not be in your eyes as if you did not do them; but rather as if you did them and they were forgiven. And we have already mentioned this in the Gates of the Fundamentals of Repentance (1:48). Nevertheless, he should seek mercy all the days of his life for forgiveness of his iniquities, both old and new; and be afraid and scared [that] maybe he has not completed the measure of the fundamentals of repentance. Secondly - because the sins that [warrant] excision are absolved by afflictions, as we mentioned. King David, peace be upon him, also said (Psalms 25:7), “Do not remember my youthful sins and transgressions.” However he did not mention the earlier ones individually, since he already repented for them and confessed them on Yom Kippur. So he already fulfilled the commandment of confession and can trust that his confession was already accepted for that which confession is fitting to atone. However he should pray for the forgiveness of his iniquities all of his days, as we mentioned. Yet it is not from the obligation of prayer to specify his sins; only from the obligation of confession. And there is yet another reason to pray about the iniquities of earlier days - because maybe he has iniquities and sins that he did not contemplate; and did not remember and confess, like the matter that is stated (Psalms 19:13), “Clear me of unperceived guilt.”

And the order of the confession is - “We have sinned, we have been iniquitous, we have transgressed (chatanu, avinu, pashanu).” And sin includes inadvertent sin and peshiyah. And the meaning of peshiyah, according to the Sages of Israel, is when one is not careful about a matter about which it is the way of most people to be careful, as we have already mentioned. And iniquities (avonot) are volitional sins. And transgressions (peshayim) are acts of rebellion, from the usage (in II Kings 3:7), “The king of Moab has rebelled (pasha) against me. And - according to His great Kindness, God, may He be blessed, forgives even those who rebel against Him, when they repent to Him with all of their hearts. And it is stated (Daniel 9:9), “To the Lord, our God, belong mercy and forgiveness; for we rebelled (pashanu) against Him.” And it is stated (Psalms 25:11), “For the sake of Your name, O Lord, pardon my iniquity (avoni) though it be great.” And it is stated (Psalms 65:4), “All manner of iniquities overwhelm me, it is You who forgives our transgressions (peshaeinu).”