After the [7] "wind [of forgiveness] passes over [the souls of sinners] and purifies them," then their souls are enabled to return literally unto G-d Himself, to ascend the greatest heights, to their very Source, and cleave to Him with a remarkable unity, in ultimate union with Him, just as before the soul was blown forth by the breath of His mouth to descend and be incorporated within the body of man.

[8] (To illustrate this unity: Before one exhales, the breath is one with the person, inseparably.)

[Likewise, just as the soul was utterly united with G-d before it was "blown" or "breathed" into the body, so too, does it now unite with Him after repentance].

This is perfect return - Teshuvah.

This state of unity and this return are called teshuvah ila'ah, the higher level of repentance, that follows teshuvah tata'ah, the lower level of repentence.

The Zohar, in Ra'aya Mehemna (Parshat Nasso), [9] explains that Teshuvah ila'ah means engaging in the study of the Torah, in awe and love of the Holy One, Blessed be He....

[The Zohar goes on to say that doing so makes one worthy of the revelation of the letter vav of the Tetragrammaton], for this [letter vav] is the child of yud-hei, or Binah...

[Binah is the level of Teshuvah ila'ah, the return of the higher letter hei of the Tetragrammaton.

The word itself is a composite of the words "ben yud-hei." This alludes to the spiritual emotions of love and fear (represented by the letter vav) that are born of the intellective levels of the Tetragrammaton, the yud of Chochmah and the hei of Binah].

[10] (Herein lies the superiority of pentinence over the perfectly saintly.

[Seemingly, the study of Torah permeated with love and fear of G-d, is not the unique prerogative of pentinence; the perfectly saintly do this as well. Wherein lies the superiority of baalei teshuvah?]

As the Zohar states in Parshat Chayei Sarah, [11] "They draw upon themselves with a more intense longing of the heart, and with great forcefullnes, to approach the King....")

   

Notes:

7. (Back to text) Note of the Rebbe Shlita: "Iyov 37:21. The meaning of the verse is that the wind clears the heavens of clouds. So too in analogue, the breath of repentance spirits away the dense cloud of sin."

8. (Back to text) Parenthesis are in the original text.

9. (Back to text) Zohar III, 123a.

10. (Back to text) Parenthesis are in the original text.

11. (Back to text) Zohar I , 129b.