KEY
#7: The Key of Teshuvah
By
Brother Rabbi Dani’el
Rendelman
Emet Ministries
ravemet@comcast.net
What
has existed before time
Is
more than just a change
of mind
Allows
man to know the Almighty
And
returns man to how he should
be?
What is something that man
must do
Remorse,
confession, and a plan too
To
turn from sin and change
the path
To
make some changes that really
last?
What
is this thing, what could
it be?
Teshuvah
is the answer you seek.
Teshuvah
is the answer you seek if
you truly desire to draw
near to the Holy One of
Israel. Sadly it seems that
when genuine people decide
to approach a church altar
for repentance that they
never really experience
a lasting change in their
behavior. This is due in
part to a false understanding
of the concept of repentance.
In most English Bibles the
word “repentance” is translated
for the Hebrew term “teshuvah.”
Teshuvah cannot be simply
equated with repentance.
Teshuvah includes repentance
but it means more than just
repenting. Teshuvah means
to “turn from sin and return
to the Creator” and more
yet.
Repentance
is generally a changing
of the mind with a hope
to do right someday. Repentance
is regret and saying you’re
sorry. Repentance is a mental
decision not to do something.
Repentance is a sad event.
Teshuvah
on the other-hand is greater
than repentance. True teshuvah
is a total abandonment of
an evil act and a direct
effort to correct the wrong
and do the right. True teshuvah
includes regret and sorrow
but does not stop there.
Teshuvah is characterized
by joy – joy found in the
renewal to connection with
Yahweh. True teshuvah doesn’t
just promise to do better
next time; it rights the
wrong and really does do
better next time. And true
teshuvah is a direct command
for every follower of the
Bible, “Repent! Turn from
your idols and renounce
all your detestable practices,”
Ezekiel 14:6. Notice this
verse includes repenting
and turning from sin also
notice the use of the word
“repent.” Though teshuvah
is more than just simply
repenting, it is the English
word “repent” found in most
English Bibles.
Because
the scope of its meaning
covers such a wide range
of area it is hard to fully
grasp the power of understanding.
Teshuvah is like restarting
over in the Gan Eden, it’s
like tapping into who you
really are spiritually,
it is making Yahweh’s kingdom
full reign and power in
your life. Teshuvah is rising
above earthly limitations,
correcting the problem,
fixing the broken, and returning
what was stolen. Teshuvah
occurs when something has
gone wrong and teshuvah
restores life to before
the something went wrong.
Teshuvah
is essential for a believer
to have a relationship with
Yahweh, for it encompasses
the broken and contrite
heart the Almighty seeks
in His people. During these
end times, it will be the
restoration of teshuvah
in the lives of Bible believers
that reaches the heart of
Elohim and the hearts of
man. To prove this point,
the word “repent” can be
found more times in the
Book of Revelation than
in any other book in the
Bible. Teshuvah will play
a huge part as the events
of the end times unfold
in the coming future.
“Great
is Teshuvah for it makes
the redemption of the Messiah
come near,” says the Talmud.
Teshuvah will also usher
in the coming full restoration
of the nation of Israel,
“and if they have a change
of heart in the land where
they are held captive, and
repent and plead with you
in the land of their captivity
and say, ‘We have sinned,
we have done wrong and acted
wickedly’; and if they turn
back to you with all their
heart and soul in the land
of their captivity where
they were taken, and pray
toward the land you gave
their fathers, toward the
city you have chosen and
toward the temple I have
built for your Name; then
from heaven, your dwelling
place, hear their prayer
and their pleas, and uphold
their cause. And forgive
your people, who have sinned
against you,” 2 Chronicles
6:37-39. The great teacher
Rambam once said, “Israel
will be redeemed only through
teshuvah. The Torah has
promised that ultimately
Israel will return towards
the end of her exile.”
Teshuvah
is happening everyday as
people believe the words
of the Bible and return
to Yahweh, the Sacred Name,
the Torah and the Biblical
festivals.
Even
the book of Acts speaks
of this when it says to
Israel, “Repent, then, and
turn to Elohim, so that
your sins may be wiped out,
that times of refreshing
may come from Yahweh, and
that he may send the Messiah,
who has been appointed for
you—even Yahshua. He must
remain in heaven until the
time comes for Elohim to
restore everything, as he
promised long ago through
his holy prophets,” Acts
3:19-21. This popular Messianic
verse about the “restoration
of all things” is based
upon Israel doing teshuvah!
Simply put, the motivating
and benefiting factor of
the restoration of all things
is that teshuvah must come.
Teshuvah will bring about,
will usher in the restoration
of all things!
The
Power of Teshuvah
The power of teshuvah can
truly and fully be experienced
once a person understands
what teshuvah is and acts
upon that belief. To have
a better awareness of teshuvah
a person must really see
what teshuvah does in both
the spiritual realm and
the physical realm.
Thousands
of years ago, Yahweh gave
man specific and direct
instructions on how to live
a life that is both spiritually
and physically fulfilling.
This set of loving instructions
and teachings, much like
a blueprint for living,
is what the Hebrew language
calls “torah.” The Torah
is the teachings found in
the first five books of
the Scriptures, often mistranslated
as the word “law.” There
are laws in the Torah but
the Torah is not just law,
it is teaching. It is the
way Yahweh desires His people
to live.
As
man obeys the Torah through
heartfelt love and devotion
the natural result is blessing,
fulfillment, and closeness
with the Creator. But, there
are times when man disobeys
the Torah. There are times
when mankind chooses to
pay no attention to the
Torah and do what feels
right at the moment. There
are times when the doctrines
of man have so confused
people that the Torah is
ignored. There are times
when the torah is forgotten
and disregarded as meaningless
laws for a generation past.
These times of rebellion
are what the Torah calls
“sin.” 1 John 3:4, “Everyone
who sins breaks the Torah;
in fact, sin is torah-lessness.”
Sin
results in separation from
things holy or set-apart,
including Yahweh Himself.
Sin makes a person unclean
and “dead” or void of life
spiritually speaking. “The
wages of sin is death,”
Romans 3:23. Because Yahweh
is holy and full of life,
things that are dead or
unclean cannot approach
Him.
This
issue of sin presents a
perplexing problem without
some type of way to bridge
the gap between holy and
sinless Yahweh and unclean
and sinful man. A bridge
is needed to cross the chasm
to connect man with Yahweh.
Teshuvah
is that bridge. Teshuvah
is the bridge Yahweh has
graciously provided man
for relationship and closeness.
Teshuvah is the bridge,
built by Yahshua Himself.
“Turn
thou us unto thee, O Yahweh,
and we shall be turned;
renew our days as of old,”
Lamentations 5:21. Through
teshuvah sinful and disobedient
man is returned to the state
of obedience and righteousness.
It is teshuvah that stops
man from being overcome
by evil and wickedness and
restores man to the life
before the sin occurred.
“Repent, then, and turn
to Elohim, so that your
sins may be wiped out, that
times of refreshing may
come,” Acts 3:19. Each individual
must do teshuvah, yet it
requires Yahweh’s power
to do so. The book of Ya’akov
hints towards this also
when it says to “Come near
to Yahweh and he will come
near to you.”
Teshuvah
is like restoring the relationship
of man and Yahweh before
sin entered the world in
Gan Eden. Teshuvah returns
man to the state before
the fall, before the curses,
and before the eviction
from the garden of Yahweh.
For teshuvah totally wipes
out all remembrance of sin
and returns the individual
to the actual point and
stage of where the idea
of sin is worthless and
empty. Teshuvah is not only
crossing the bridge to the
past but also erasing any
memory of the past. It is
totally returning and starting
over. Rabbi Nydle has written,
“Teshuvah is changing the
past so that yesterday is
no longer yesterday.” This
is not natural – it is supernatural.
This
supernatural phenomenon
happens because of a total
reversibility of thought,
action, and even character
by the person repenting
and turning. Teshuvah though
does not occur if the individual
who has sinned is not truly
sorry. “He who says, “I
will sin and repent and
sin and repent,” will be
denied the power of teshuvah,”
says the Talmud. When it
comes to teshuvah, Yahweh
is looking at the sincerity
of the heart.
It
is the heart and the intent
of the believer that brings
forgiveness and touches
the heart of Yahweh. From
Psalm 1:17, “the sacrifice
of Elohim is a broken spirit,”
– repentance is like going
to Jerusalem, building the
temple, erecting an altar,
and offering upon it all
the sacrifices written in
the Torah,” says the Talmud.
This
truly sorrowful person is
called in Hebrew a “ba’al
teshuvah.”
You
Must Be Born Again
A ba’al teshuvah, or master
of teshuvah, is compared
in rabbinical writings as
totally being born anew
or “born again.” The Messiah
spoke of this when he said,
“In reply Yahshua declared,
“I tell you the truth, no
one can see the kingdom
of Yahweh unless he is born
again” Yochannan (John)
3:3. And Kefa (Peter) also
wrote of this, “For you
have been born again, not
of perishable seed, but
of imperishable, through
the living and enduring
word of Yahweh.”
Through
trusting belief, the ba’al
teshuvah has died to his
sins and torah breaking
and is born anew into the
kingdom of light through
totally rejecting a life
of rebellion and accepting
Torah obedience in return.
“What is a ba’al teshuvah,”
Rabbi Yehudah said, “a ba’al
teshuvah is one who has
the opportunity to do the
same sin and this time he
does not do it. This is
a true ba’al teshuvah.”
This
born again person is brought
near to Yahweh, under the
wings of the Almighty. “Repentance
brings man under the wings
of Yahweh, the words of
Ezekiel, ‘They had the hands
of Elohim which extended
beneath the wings of the
cherubim to receive the
penitents from the power
of judgment,” says the Talmud.
This rabbinical reference
clearly points to how Teshuvah
brings man near to Yahweh
as found in Psalm 91:1,
“He who dwells in the shelter
of the Most High will rest
in the wings of the Almighty.”
The person doing teshuvah
submits himself to the rule
and reign of Yahweh.
You
see, this closeness is only
possible by a person being
truly sorry for their sin
and changing their behavior.
It’s the sin that prevents
this closeness from occurring.
This born anew, master of
teshuvah, turns from the
sinful act and returns to
a new life with Yahweh,
reminiscent of that in the
Garden of Eden.
“Submit
yourselves, then, to Elohim.
Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you,” Ya’akov
(James 4:7-8). Before a
person can resist the devil,
or resist the yetzer hara
or fleshly inclination,
a person MUST submit to
Yahweh through teshuvah.
Too many people try to ride
the fence between submitting
to Yahweh and resisting
the Adversary, never really
doing teshuvah but thinking
their sins are forgiven.
These are people who continue
their transgression yet,
seemingly and constantly
ask forgiveness for the
problem area. This is because
they are not fully submitting
to Yahweh, or they have
sin strongholds that need
to be dealt with. A friend
once said, “He who rides
the fence gets a sore crotch.”
One
example of a real ba’al
teshuvah is the prostitute
woman Ra’hab who helped
protect the Israelite spies
as they reconnoitered the
land. Because of Ra’hab’s
teshuvah she and her family
were spared from death as
the Israelites conquered
the city. Ra’hab is remembered
in the scriptures a person
who came near to Yahweh
and His people through turning
from sin and returning to
Yahweh through words and
actions. Ra’hab is even
one of the women in the
direct lineage of the Messiah
Yahshua.
A
Four Step Plan
The well known Torah teacher
and physician, Maimoinides,
has developed a Biblical
four-step process for believers
when mistakes are made.
Again, Yahweh is looking
for sincerity in the effort,
yet this short outline and
guide definitely helps.
The result of this teshuvah
is growth, forgiveness,
and atonement.
Step
1: Stop.
Acknowledge
your sin area and stop whatever
destructive or sinful action
you are engaged in. If,
for example, you are stealing,
you must stop. You simply
cannot continue in sin if
you want forgiveness.
Step
2: Regret.
You
should indeed feel regret
for your error. It’s wrong
to steal. Theft is breaking
Yahweh’s Torah and hurting
others. You should be sorry
for the harm you have cause
both man and the Almighty.
There should be absolutely
NO excuses for the sin –
take responsibility and
understand how what you
have done has hurt people
and has hurt Yahweh.
Step
3. Verbalize.
Explain
your regret to Yahweh out
loud. This doesn’t have
to be done at a worship
center; it can be done in
the confines of your home.
Just talk to Yahweh in at
least an audible whisper,
not just in your head. Of
course, Yahweh already knows,
but you need to hear it.
Tell Him that you are sorry
for whatever you have done
wrong. If you need help
overcoming this sin or addiction,
now is the time to tell
someone and seek advice
or help. If your sinful
and wrong actions have harmed
other people it is absolutely
necessary to go the offended
person before coming to
Yahweh. (Yahshua also taught
this in Mattityahu 5:24-26)
There is power in confessing
out loud, as the book of
Ya’akov says, “Confess your
sins to one another that
you may be healed.”
Step
4. Make a Plan.
How
can you be sure the mistake
or sin won’t happen again?
Make a practical plan of
action. This last step is
helping you “make no provision
for the flesh” as the word
says. If you know that certain
subjects are sources of
conflict or areas of temptation
simply avoid these places.
Your plan might include
memorizing scripture verses
to combat the evil desire.
(Yahshua also battled the
enemy with “It is written”
statements.”)
This
four-step process is so
simple and elementary that
it may seem meaningless.
This is just not so. The
heartfelt teshuvah of an
individual erases the sinful
act from Yahweh’s memory
and affects both the earthly
and the heavenly realms.
When a person does teshuvah
about a certain sin and
then brings the sinful act
up again in prayer to Yahweh,
it’s as if Yahweh cannot
remember the event ever
happening. It’s like Yahweh
says, “what sin?” Even the
book of Micah speaks of
this, “You will tread our
sins underfoot and hurl
all our iniquities into
the depths of the sea.”
The
Message of the Messiah
“Therefore,
O house of Israel, I will
judge you, each one according
to his ways, declares the
Sovereign Yahweh. Repent!
Turn away from all your
offenses; then sin will
not be your downfall. Rid
yourselves of all the offenses
you have committed, and
get a new heart and a new
spirit. Why will you die,
O house of Israel? For I
take no pleasure in the
death of anyone, declares
the Sovereign Yahweh. Repent
and live,” Ezekiel 18:30-32.
Notice
that it is only after repenting
and turning from “all your
offenses” that man receives
“a new heart and a new spirit.”
This renewal or rebirth,
a return to the Torah and
to Yahweh, is THE message
of the Messiah. “From that
time on Yahshua began to
preach, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven is near,”
Mattitiyahu 4:17. Teshuvah
is the end times message.
The
early followers of Yahshua’s
teachings continued spreading
this timeless message, “First
to those in Damascus, then
to those in Jerusalem and
in all Judea, and to the
Gentiles also, I preached
that they should repent
and turn to Elohim and prove
their repentance by their
deeds,” said Sha’ul (Paul)
in Acts 26:20. Even in the
book of Revelation Yahshua
echoes these words:
“Remember
the height from which you
have fallen! Repent and
do the things you did at
first. If you do not repent,
I will come to you and remove
your lampstand from its
place,” Revelation 2:5.
“Remember,
therefore, what you have
received and heard; obey
it, and repent. But if you
do not wake up, I will come
like a thief, and you will
not know at what time I
will come to you,” Revelation
3:3.
The
power of Teshuvah is an
amazing thing, for it enables
sinful man to fellowship
with holy Yahweh because
teshuvah actually wipes
out all memory and stain
of the sin. “Come now, let
us reason together,” says
Yahweh. “Though your sins
are like scarlet, they shall
be as white as snow; though
they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool,”
Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 1:18.
A
Personal Action
Teshuvah
is a personal event for
each believer that allows
one to “know thyself.” It
also brings man face-to-face
with the fact that Yahweh
is salvation. Yahweh desires
for your fellowship and
relationship and Yahweh
longs to forgive you of
your sins. Your little sins
or you deepest, darkest
sins – Yahweh wants to forgive
them all and restore you
to your destiny as a ba’al
teshuvah. “It was said concerning
'Rabbi' (the title of 'Rabbi'
to be explained below) Eliezer
ben Duradia that he had
a great appetite for sin,
and there was almost no
sin in the world that he
had not done. One day he
heard of a sin that he had
never done. It was located
far away and was very expensive.
He decided to do it with
a friend, who would help
with the expenses and be
pleasant company on the
way.
When
they arrived at the location,
they immediately made arrangements
to do the sin. While they
were doing it, his friend
said that he thought that
Eliezer, because of all
the sins that he had done,
would never be admitted
into the World-to-Come.
Since
he had never thought so
far into the future, hearing
this forecast of his fate
was very shocking. He went
to the mountains and asked
them to intercede for him.
They said that they had
to be concerned about their
own future, as it says 'For
the mountains and the hills
will be moved.' (Yesha’yahu,
54:10)
He
then went to the heavens
and the earth and asked
them to intercede for him.
They responded that they
also had to be concerned
for their own future, as
it says, 'The heavens will
disappear like smoke, and
the earth will unravel like
a garment."
Until
he realized that he was
the only one responsible
for his fate. He put his
head between his knees and
wept with such force that
his soul left him.
A
Heavenly Voice was heard,
saying, 'Rabbi Eliezer ben
Duradia is prepared for
entry into the World-to-Come.”
*more
teachings are available
from this author at www.emetministries.com
