The stubbornness to maintain one opinion and to be caught up in the ropes of sin which have become habitual, whether in actions or in opinions, is a sickness which is the result of sinking into hard slavery which does not allow the light of the freedom of teshuva to shine to its greatest degree, for teshuva yearns for original freedom, which is a divine freedom, which is devoid of any servitude.
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This passage "turns the tables" on a common perspective on teshuva. The common view sees the essential aspect of repentance as leaving sin. This process is often difficult because of the habituating characteristic of sin. "If a person sins repeatedly" say the Rabbis, "it becomes to him as if it were permitted".
Rav Kook, however, inverts the order. Being "caught up in the ropes of sin" (see Mishle 5:22) is bad not only because of the sin but because the very condition of being "caught up" in routine is an impairment of one's freedom. Habituation is a dangerous thing, even though thinkers such as Rambam and the author of Sefer ha-Chinuch have lauded the effects of religious routine.
Tshuva , therefore, calls on us to question our conventions and to challenge our habits. For Rav Kook, even good actions and opinions should be periodically reassessed as part of the process of teshuva. Servitude to routine is inimical to teshuva which challenges us to unending renewal.
The text mentions the phenomenon of maintaining "one opinion" and hints at the fact that reality is often too complex to be limited into one formula. It is interesting that Rav Kook speaks of a sin which has become a minhag, a word which in traditional sources usually refers to a custom that has become revered over time. In his halachic writings, Rav Kook himself took a nuanced approach to the question of minhagim. While affirming the status of minhag in Jewish law, he was willing to take other factors (such as Jewish unity) into account when dealing with contemporary questions (see Rabbi Professor Daniel Sperber, Minhagei Yisrael, part 3 pp. 20ff).
In noting that tshuva requires freeing the shackles of the habitual, Rav Kook opens us up to a deeper questioning of self and to a more complex perception of reality.
Rav Dr. Kalman Neuman
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Rav Kalman Neuman teaches at Yeshivat Bat Ayin. He studied at Yeshivat Merkaz Harav and Yeshivat Har Etzion, and holds a Ph.D. in European History from the Hebrew University. |