Parashat
Naso
9
Sivan 5773 / 17-18 May 2013Torah: Numbers 4:21 - 7:89
Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25
Please
feel free to pass this on to a friend, and please cite the source
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Repentance from Within
"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the Children of Israel: A man or woman who commits any of man's sins, to commit sacrilege against the Lord, and that person becomes guilty - they shall confess their sin that they committed - he shall make restitution for his guilt plus an additional one-fifth, and give it to the one to whom he has wronged.'" Numbers 5:5-7
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Repentance from Within
"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the Children of Israel: A man or woman who commits any of man's sins, to commit sacrilege against the Lord, and that person becomes guilty - they shall confess their sin that they committed - he shall make restitution for his guilt plus an additional one-fifth, and give it to the one to whom he has wronged.'" Numbers 5:5-7
In his Mishneh Torah, Rambam (Maimonides) says that the commandment to
confess is the foundation of teshuvah,
repentance. For sins against God, we confess to God. For sins
against our fellows, we confess to them and to God - for sins against others
are also sins against God.
Why confession? Shouldn't restitution, especially with an additional amount, be sufficient? If the guilty party has made the victim whole, what is the point of confession? Compare this with the American legal system. Every day, hundreds of lawsuits are settled with the payment of money (not called "damages"), but no admission of wrongdoing. We accept it as a way to end litigation, but we know intuitively that it is not the solution to the problem. It seems like the guilty party is buying a license - perhaps to sin yet again.
Why confession? In part, one must convince both man and God that one will not commit the sin again. But many of us can be pretty convincing actors. We might even convince ourselves. An answer may be found in the Hebrew grammar for the word "confess" which appears here. The word is "hitvadu", a reflexive form of the verb. The point is to cause introspection, to find the true source of the wrongdoing, to avoid the blame game. Someone who has confessed, both outwardly and inwardly, who has thoroughly examined the self, is much less likely to commit another offense. Some things money can't buy! True repentance comes from within.
Shabbat shalom.
Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00
Burbank, CA
Why confession? Shouldn't restitution, especially with an additional amount, be sufficient? If the guilty party has made the victim whole, what is the point of confession? Compare this with the American legal system. Every day, hundreds of lawsuits are settled with the payment of money (not called "damages"), but no admission of wrongdoing. We accept it as a way to end litigation, but we know intuitively that it is not the solution to the problem. It seems like the guilty party is buying a license - perhaps to sin yet again.
Why confession? In part, one must convince both man and God that one will not commit the sin again. But many of us can be pretty convincing actors. We might even convince ourselves. An answer may be found in the Hebrew grammar for the word "confess" which appears here. The word is "hitvadu", a reflexive form of the verb. The point is to cause introspection, to find the true source of the wrongdoing, to avoid the blame game. Someone who has confessed, both outwardly and inwardly, who has thoroughly examined the self, is much less likely to commit another offense. Some things money can't buy! True repentance comes from within.
Shabbat shalom.
Rabbi Richard A. Flom – ZSRS ‘00
Burbank, CA
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"For the sake of Zion I will not be silent; for the sake of Jerusalem I
will not be still" Isaiah 62:1
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