English translation — מקץ ב

Talk at <pg>198</pg>

A.

"And they said, each man to his brother, 'But we are guilty concerning our brother, that we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us and we did not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.'

And Reuben answered them, saying, 'Did I not speak to you, saying, "Do not sin against the lad," and you did not listen? And also his blood, behold, it is required.'"<sup>1</sup>

And the commentators wrote<sup>2</sup>

in explanation of the words "a man to his brother" and Reuben's response to this,

that in the opinion of the brothers Joseph was liable to death according to the Torah

[And as they elaborated<sup>3</sup>

on the reasons for this],

therefore they emphasized in their words that "the main<sup>4</sup>

blame is..

that they did not listen to his pleading with them..

And they did not mention that they sought to kill him because they thought that from the side of the request for killing or the sale and the throwing into the pit there is no blame upon them."

And to this Reuben answered them: "Did I not<sup>4</sup>

say do not sin against the lad,

since he is like a lad and is not yet punishable in the heavenly court therefore he has no death sentence and therefore you have two transgressions because the Holy One, blessed be He, demands from you the trait of cruelty..

And in addition to this also his blood is indeed required."

And it needs to be understood: what is the benefit that Reuben wanted to achieve by saying now,

that they have not only the sin of cruelty but also the sin of "his blood etc."

(that this that they sold him is considered to them as if they spilled his blood)?

For at first glance,

since the tribes stand and confess that they are guilty and justify the judgment upon themselves — what place is there to now come with words that add yet another sin upon their sin

(therefore — also their punishment is more severe)?

— And behold, when someone is in some trouble and distress, may G-d spare us, which brings him to broken-heartedness and to recognition that he himself caused this through his deeds etc. — human conduct obligates one to try to speak to his heart and to comfort him<sup>5</sup>

etc.,

and not the opposite — to add sorrow to his sorrow with words that increase the weight of his guilt etc. — and all the more so and how much more so,

that it is not conduct befitting Reuben, the firstborn of Israel,

and towards his brother!

2.

At first glance, one can explain Reuben's intention in this: When the brothers expressed only recognition of their guilt that it is the cause of their distress and therefore they justified the decree upon themselves<sup>6</sup>,

that "a G-d of faithfulness and without iniquity, righteous and upright is He"<sup>7</sup>

etc.,

and as they said "therefore this distress has come upon us" — Reuben came to add,

that it is not enough only to justify the decree upon their distress,

but they must also do repentance,

namely that the distress that came upon them is in order that they repent<sup>8</sup>.

And in the language of the Rambam<sup>9</sup>

that "from the ways of repentance is that when a distress comes and they cry out over it and sound a blast, all will know that because of their evil deeds it was made bad for them..

And this is what will cause the removal of the distress from upon them."

<pg>199</pg>

[And it can be said,

that this is also the precise language of the verse "And Reuben answered them saying"<sup>10</sup>,

that Reuben's intention in this was to hint that upon them

(upon the brothers)

"saying" — to confess that they sinned regarding the child

(And as if he said: Did I not tell you do not sin etc. and you did not listen etc.,

therefore upon you is "saying" and confessing that you sinned and to repent)

— because this that "came..

this trouble" is in order that they confess their sin and do repentance for this].

And therefore it was necessary to emphasize that "two transgressions" are in their hands — not only "the trait of cruelty",

but also the deed of the selling of Joseph

("Do not sin regarding the child..

And also his blood behold is required")

— so that they repent also for this sin.

However, still the matter does not settle in Reuven's language — for if his intention is only to inform that they sinned in their conduct

(therefore they must confess and return)

he should have said briefly: "Did you not sin regarding the lad and also his blood etc." and the like — and what is the reason for the lengthiness: "Did I not speak to you saying, do not sin regarding the lad, and you did not listen,"

which appears as if he comes to prove to them his righteousness,

that now they see that he was correct in his words and they were the ones who sinned

(that they did not listen to his words)¹¹

!

And most perplexing: how is it possible,

that at the time when his brothers say: "But we are guilty etc." and they justify the judgment upon themselves — Reuven comes with a claim of emphasizing his own virtue in contrast to the sin of his brothers etc.?

3.

And one must say the point of the explanation in this:

Also the intention of the tribes in their saying "But we are guilty etc." was not

(only)

to justify upon themselves the judgment

(that this trouble came upon them by judgment),

but

(mainly)

the saying of repentance¹²

— and Reuben,

in his saying to them "Did I not say etc. and you did not listen",

intended to innovate and explain the manner of the desired repentance required from them¹³.

And this will be understood with an introduction to the words of the Rambam in the Laws of Repentance,

that after he explains in several chapters the details of the matters of repentance

(those obligated in it,

its essence,

its manner,

its time,

things that impede it, etc.)

he continues afterwards

(in chapter 5)

that all of man's actions are in his free choice,

and begins "Permission is granted to every person: if he wishes to incline himself to a good path and be righteous, the permission is in his hand; and if he wishes to incline himself to an evil path and be wicked, the permission is in his hand",

and concludes

(there, halacha 2)

"Since this is so

("that the Creator does not decree upon a person to be good nor to be evil")

it follows that this sinner has harmed himself.

And therefore it is fitting for him to weep and lament over his sins and over what he has done to his soul and has dealt evil to it.

That is what is written¹⁴..

Why should a living man complain etc.

And he said again: since the permission is in our hands and with our knowledge we have done all the evils, it is fitting for us to repent and abandon our wickedness, for the permission is now in our hands; that is what is written after it¹⁵

Let us search and examine our ways and return etc."

<pg>200</pg>

And at first glance, one must be precise — why does the Rambam write about free choice at the end of the Book of Knowledge, in which he writes "all the commandments that are the foundation of the religion of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him"¹⁶

(in the Laws of Repentance)?

And behold, the matter of choice is

(in the language of the Rambam¹⁷)

"a great foundation..

and it is the pillar of the Torah and the commandment" — that is, it is a "foundation" and "pillar" of the entire Torah and commandments

(and among them also of repentance)

!

And it can be said,

that the connection between choice and repentance is in their very essence.

That is: that free choice is a "great principle" in the entire Torah, in that

without the matter of choice, the matter of commandment and the matter of reward and punishment would not be possible

(as the Rambam explained there¹⁸),

but the act of a mitzvah could exist; however, repentance,

free choice pertains to the very performance of repentance,

for if a person does not feel himself guilty for his actions,

then there is no place for regret

(full)

over his not-good deeds.

But it can be said,

that the Rambam alludes here to a deeper matter,

as follows.

4.

True repentance is when a person awakens on his own to return to G-d,

and not because of an external cause that compelled him

(or at least caused)

him to repent

(such as repenting "out of fear" or "out of failure of strength"¹⁹),

for since the matter of repentance is until "the Knower of secrets will testify about him that he will never return to this sin"²⁰,

behold, if there was an external cause for his repentance, there is no complete "assurance" "that he will never return to this sin".

And therefore the Rambam elaborates here about the matter of free choice,

for true repentance comes only from the side of man's free choice and "not out of fear nor out of failure of strength"¹⁹,

not from any extraneous cause²¹.

And this is the precise language of the Rambam,

that after he elaborates in two chapters

(chapters 5-6)

about the free choice of man, etc.

(at the beginning of chapter 7)

"Since permission is given to every person as we have explained, let a person endeavor to do repentance and confess with his mouth from his sins and shake off his hands from his sins, etc." — that what is stated here specifically this language,

is because his intention is regarding the manner of repentance that he began to explain

(in chapter 5),

that comes solely from the free choice of man,

and therefore "let a person endeavor to do repentance",

that is, the matter of repentance must be a result of the endeavor and will of the man from himself,

his completely free choice

(as above),

that the man from himself shakes off his hands from his sins²²,

and it is obvious that it does not come because they compelled him

(from above)

to do repentance²³.

5.

And this is also the explanation regarding our matter — the saying of the tribes "But we are guilty etc. therefore<pg>201</pg>

"This trouble has come upon us" and Reuven's answer "Did I not speak to you, saying: Do not sin, etc., and you did not listen, etc."

The statement of the tribes "But we are guilty, etc." is indeed a matter of repentance and confession of sin,

but this repentance of theirs is a result of the trouble that came upon them²⁴

(as is also implied from the continuation of their words "We are guilty, etc., therefore this trouble has come upon us"),

and in such an awakening of repentance there is no proof that he wants to repent and return from his sins out of his free choice.

And so it is simply,

that words of confession which a person says by and from a state of trouble and distress,

do not reveal

(so much)

the innermost desire of his will to repent,

but rather the sufferings "subdue a person's heart"²⁵.

And in another style: When teshuvah has an external cause

(and it is obvious — when it comes through trouble and suffering),

and it is what arouses in him regret and teshuvah,

then the teshuvah is not attributed

(entirely)

to the person; the true teshuvah is specifically when it comes as a result of the person's free choice,

that he chooses to return and draw near to G-d,

for then it is attributed entirely to the person,

that his teshuvah is with intention to truly return to Him²⁶.

And it can be said that this is what "And Reuven answered them, saying, 'Did I not speak to you, saying: Do not sin against the lad, but you did not listen'":

Reuven who is "the first to open in repentance"&lt;sup&gt;27&lt;/sup&gt;,

therefore he is the one who taught them the way of true repentance&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;.

That is,

that repentance whose cause is the trouble that came upon them,

is not the required repentance,

and certainly it is not the true essence of repentance,

but rather they must remember and recognize what he said to them

(Reuven)

all the time

("saying")

"Do not sin against the lad and you did not listen",

that is,

they must repent because of the very

(greatness)

of the sin that he explained to them then.

[And it can be said that this is what he added "And also his blood, behold, it is required",

to hint,

that this trouble that came upon them now is an additional matter,

"And also

(etc. that adds)

&lt;pg&gt;202&lt;/pg&gt;

"His blood is behold demanded",

not as their saying "But we are guilty etc. therefore this trouble has come upon us",

who seek to explain the cause of the trouble].

6.

And it can be said in a deeper way,

And with a preface of a precision in the language of the aforementioned Rambam "and he said again: Since the authority is in our hands and of our own knowledge we did all the evils, it is fitting for us to repent and abandon our wickedness, for the authority is now in our hands, as it is written after it: Let us search our ways and investigate and return",

It can be said that his intention here is not only to bring the proof and the sources in the verses that Yirmiyahu said

(in Eichah)

for all his words that he wrote previously

(as the simple meaning of his language)

— but

(also)

to add further emphasis,

that not only is true repentance in man's free choice,

but that at the time of repentance he must recognize that also the sin was in his free choice,

and in his language

(of the Rambam)

"and of our own knowledge we did all the evils".

And the explanation:

As long as a person has an excuse and a pretext etc. to hang them on

(the cause)

of his sin

(even in the finest of fine),

And even if he recognizes that he is guilty in this, but thinks that there were also other factors that influenced and brought him

(in part)

to sin

(whether from his environment in general,

or because of a particular situation or cause that happened to him,

and therefore he could not escape the sin,

and the like)

— his repentance is not true repentance,

that he wants to leave his wickedness and return to God in truth and with a whole heart,

since he does not have a clear recognition of his sin²⁹,

that it was of his own knowledge,

and of his own will he abandoned God.

And only when there is with him a clear recognition of his sin,

"from our knowledge we did all the evils",

then he can truly return in repentance and leave his wickedness,

and specifically then this is repentance in his free choice,

"for the authority is now in our hand",

that such repentance is entirely of the person,

that he is the one who leaves his wickedness and returns to G-d in truth and with a whole heart.

And as the Rambam brought the proof "it is that which is written after it let us search our ways and investigate and return etc.,

that "we will return" comes by means of that "let us search our ways and investigate",

and then even if at first it seemed in his eyes that the sin was not entirely his fault,

he will see and recognize that in truth from our knowledge we did all the evils

(for even if there were causes and factors for the sin,

behold since even then the powers were given to him to overcome the causes and obstacles,

behold ultimately the doing of evils is from his knowledge and from his choice)³⁰.

And this is also the explanation of the words of Reuven "Did I not speak to you saying, 'Do not sin against the child,' and you did not listen": In addition to this that they must do teshuvah on their own and not because of this trouble that came upon them,

behold yet this,

that the teshuvah must be from clear recognition,

that

(also)

the sin was with their knowledge and their will,

"I spoke to you saying, 'Do not sin against the child,' and you did not listen."

7.

Explanation of the connection between the two matters —&lt;pg&gt;203&lt;/pg&gt;

Free choice and repentance — in the inwardness of the matters:

Known are the words of the Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah here³¹

that concerning the matter of choice it is said³²

"Behold, the man was as one of us",

and our master the Alter Rebbe explains³³

that it is because choice has its root "from a very high level",

that just as the Holy One, blessed be He, "nothing restrains His hand," so is "the choice given to man, such that there is none who restrains his hand,"

that is: since "the second soul in Israel is literally a part of G-d above"³⁴,

therefore he is "as one of us",

similar to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were,

and just as the Holy One, blessed be He, "nothing restrains His hand,"

so does man have free choice in his actions.

And

(the main point)

The revelation of this power of completely free choice — nothing prevents it — is specifically in the work of repentance.

For when a person is distant from God,

to the point that he has separated himself, heaven forbid, from all matters of holiness,

then seemingly his situation does not allow place and possibility that he could

(according to nature etc.)

draw near to God and to His Torah and His commandments; rather, because he has free choice,

that "there is none who prevents him,"

he has the ability to overcome and to renew in himself a movement of drawing near to God

(contrary to his situation where he cast off from himself the yoke of His kingship, may He be blessed).

And one can connect this with the content of the matter of Chanukah — which always occurs

(part of the days)

of Chanukah in the portion of Mikeitz — according to what is explained on the verse³⁵

"For a commandment is a lamp and Torah is light and the way of life is reproofs of discipline" — for seemingly,

"Which way of life is besides the Torah and the commandments mentioned above in the verse"³⁶?

— Rather, "the way of life" refers to the work of repentance³⁷

(for this is the continuation "and the way of life is reproofs of discipline"),

that through complete repentance from the depths of the heart, life from the innermost aspect of the soul is revealed

(which is connected with the Holy One, blessed be He,

the Life of life).

And this is also the matter of the candles of Chanukah — that they are not only a matter of light alone,

"A mitzvah is a candle and the Torah is light"³⁸,

but there is in them also the superiority of "and the way of life is the reproofs of discipline",

for this is the content of the miracle of Chanukah — the light that comes specifically from within the darkness³⁹,

that after the wicked Greek kingdom prevailed,

and "they defiled all the oils that were in the Sanctuary"⁴⁰,

the intensification of the darkness most greatly,

until "they nullified their religion and did not allow them to engage in Torah and mitzvos"⁴¹

— behold "the sons of the Chashmonaim prevailed"⁴²,

and they stood with self-sacrifice to fight against mighty and numerous ones,

and also influenced the people of their generation to sacrifice themselves for the sanctity of the Name⁴³

not to transgress the religion in any way,

that this strength comes from the innermost aspect of their soul that "there is no one who restrains him",

for this innermost aspect is the "way of life, reproofs of discipline" that is above "a mitzvah is a candle and the Torah is light".

(From the talks of Shabbos Parshas Mikeitz 5741,

Shabbos Parshas Eikev 5728)