תְּשׁוּבָה

The primary teshuvah is to do teshuvah — and to ask for atonement and forgiveness from Hashem Yisborach — even for the sins that are not known to him, in the dimension of "that which I did not steal — then I shall restore" [Psalms 69:5]. [No source citation in this edition.]

Through holy melody and joy — through this one becomes aroused to converse with one's heart; to find the good points which are the dimension of the good spirit within; and to clarify them from within the evil spirit, the spirit of despondency, the spirit of folly, the spirit of sadness — and to subdue the imaginative faculty [koach ha'medameh] from which is the root of all lusts and animal loves. And one merits to truly return to Hashem Yisborach. For the primary teshuvah is to subdue the evil spirit and clarify the good spirit, as is known. [No source citation in this edition.]

Those people who are not yet established in the service of Hashem and whose teshuvah is not yet complete — only sometimes stirrings of teshuvah fall upon them and they begin somewhat in His service, blessed be He; and afterward they fall from this; and then they return and are aroused again — and so they alternate each time from bad to good and from good to bad — in the dimension of "sometimes impure, sometimes pure, sometimes invalid, sometimes valid, etc." [pa'am tamei pa'am tahor pa'am pasul pa'am kasher v'chulu]. This teshuvah is the dimension of the six weekdays — for he has no rest. But when one does complete teshuvah — this is the dimension of Shabbos, where there is complete rest from all — and the evil is entirely repelled and he becomes entirely good. And through this he merits to see his own lowliness in truth — and the importance and greatness of Israel — to the point that because of this he gives over his soul and vitality for Israel; which is the dimension of the attribute of Moshe-Mashiach. [No source citation in this edition.]

One who is righteous from his youth and walks in the ways of Hashem from his days — from level to level and from mitzvah to mitzvah, in the dimension of "a mitzvah brings another mitzvah, etc." [Mishnah Avos 4:2] — must sometimes take care to walk with deliberateness in the service of Hashem; so as not to skip and pass and thereby lose, Heaven forbid — through excessive speed — the dimension of holiness that lies between the mitzvos, which connects one mitzvah with the next: through which one mitzvah brings another mitzvah. See the inner text. But one who needs to do teshuvah — he specifically must be in great great great speed [§497] and to hurry and rush very much to save his soul; and it is forbidden for him to delay at all to stand and deliberate. For a master of teshuvah does not go from level to level at all — since he is still entirely far from holiness — but rather he must begin entirely from the beginning: to skip over what he needs to skip and leap toward holiness with great speed. [Translator's note: The cross-reference number תצז [§497] appears mid-sentence in the original — retained here in its correct position. No source citation appears for this teaching in this edition.]

One in whom Hashem Yisborach only glimmers occasionally — if he does, Heaven forbid, even only one thing that has no trace of transgression and no physical lust — only that he performs that thing not in the ultimate completeness of holiness as is proper for him — it is appropriate for his soul to be entirely consumed, Heaven forbid, from the very intensity of the contrition and shame. [No source citation in this edition.]

There is teshuvah that is in potential [b'koach] and has not yet come to actuality — and because of this a person sometimes attains above his level what he is not worthy of: and this is so that the teshuvah should come from potential to actuality. [No source citation in this edition.]

When a person transgresses, Heaven forbid — and one transgression brings another, as our Rabbis of blessed memory said — and through this it is possible, Heaven forbid, that bundles upon bundles of transgressions should be formed — therefore one must take care to perform a mitzvah immediately after stumbling, Heaven forbid, in the first transgression; and then the mitzvah protects him and he is saved from the dimension of one transgression bringing another, Heaven forbid. [No source citation in this edition.]

If the person had merited to complete contrition in truth — then even though it is possible that afterward he might return to his place and things might happen to him as they happen — even so the thoughts of contrition and teshuvah would already have been confusing him each time — until in the end he would have merited to come to his true rectification in completeness. As we saw from the prince who was exchanged — and even the son of the maidservant: through his repenting well at some point — through this, contritions kept coming upon him afterward as well, over the evil deed and the great wrong he did against the prince by expelling him, etc. — until through these contritions of both of them the world returned to its rectification. As is explained in the inner text.

Sometimes there is a person who has been so accustomed to transgressions, Heaven forbid — that it almost seems to him that it is not in his own power to prevent himself from this. Let him know that even so there is the dimension of binding [hitkasherus]: to bind and join oneself together with a strong binding — and through this one can overcome and be saved. And it is impossible to explain this matter well in writing — even so one can understand it from afar; for it is a wondrous counsel. [No source citation in this edition.]