Judaism regards the violation of any of the 613 commandments as a sin. Judaism teaches that to sin is a part of life, since there is no perfect human and everyone has an inclination to do evil "from youth", though people are born sinless.[1] Sin has many classifications and degrees. During the time of the Temple, Jewish courts punished certain sins with varying forms of punishment depending on the exact sin, as depicted in the Torah. These punishments vary from one of four forms of execution, to lashes, to fines, and everything in between. After the destruction of the second Temple and the Sanhedrin, physical punishments were no longer given due to the necessity of the Sanhedrin for their execution.

Unintentional sins are considered less severe sins. Sins committed out of lack of knowledge are not considered sins.[2][3]

Sins between people are considered much more severe in Judaism than sins between man and God. Yom Kippur, the holiest day of repentance in Judaism, can atone for sins between man and God, but not for sins between man and his fellow; that is, until he has received forgiveness from his friend.[4]

When the Temple yet stood in Jerusalem, people would offer korbanot (sacrifices) for their misdeeds. The atoning aspect of korbanot is carefully circumscribed. For the most part, korbanot only expiate unintentional sins committed as a result of human forgetfulness or error. No atonement is needed for violations committed under duress or through lack of knowledge, and for the most part, korbanot cannot atone for malicious, deliberate sin. In addition, korbanot have no expiating effect unless the person making the offering sincerely repents of his or her actions before making the offering, and makes restitution to any person(s) harmed by the violation.[2][3]

The completely righteous, meaning those who are clear from sin, enjoy this life and the life after. The average person suffers in this world in order to atone for their sins, leaving his complete heavenly reward to be enjoyed; if one's repentance and atonement are not complete in this world, their suffering will continue in one of the lower gehinnom, and once their sins are completely atoned for, they join the righteous in heaven. The completely wicked, who have transformed into pure evil without a chance at repenting, are considered dead wild beasts; when they die, they go to the lowest level of the next world, where they are made nonexistent. They cannot correct their sins in this world or the next, and do not repent, even at the 'gates of hell', as it were. This world can therefore seem unjust where the righteous suffer, while the wicked prosper. Many great thinkers have contemplated this, but God's justice is long, precise and just.[3][5]

Tanakh

The first mention of sin as a noun is a zoomorphism, with sin (hattath) crouching at Cain's door. The first mention as a verb is Abimelech being prevented from sinning (khata) against God in a dream. In fact, the whole Tanakh is full of references to sins committed by leading people, which teaches that no one is perfect, everyone stands in trials/tests, and people should try their best to learn from their own mistakes.

People have the ability to master this inclination (Genesis 4:7) and choose good over evil (conscience) (Psalm 37:27).[6] Judaism uses the term "sin" to include violations of Jewish law that are not necessarily a lapse in morality. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia: "Man is responsible for sin because he is endowed with free will ("behirah"); yet he is by nature frail, and the tendency of the mind is to evil: "For the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. viii. 21; Yoma 20a; Sanh. 105a). Therefore God in His mercy allowed people to repent and be forgiven."[7] Judaism holds that all people sin at various points in their lives and that God tempers justice with mercy.

Terminology

The Hebrew Bible uses several words to describe sin. The standard noun for sin is ḥeṭ (verb: hata), meaning to "miss the mark" or "sin".[8] The word avon is often translated as "iniquity", i.e. a sin done out of moral failing.[9] The word pesha, or "trespass", means a sin done out of rebelliousness.[10] The word resha refers to an act committed with a wicked intention.[11] In several Biblical verses, a person confesses to several such categories of sin one after the other.[12] A term for sin often used in rabbinic Hebrew, but not appearing in the Bible, is aveira (meaning "transgression").

According to the rabbis, these terms refer to sins of different severities: ḥeṭ refers to unintentional sin, avon to intentional sin (not done to defy God), and pesha to rebellion.[13] A person is responsible for each of these sins, though least responsible for unintentional sins and most responsible for sins of defiance and rebellion. Situation in which there is no responsibility include oness (one was forced to commit a sin by factors beyond their control) and tinok shenishba (a person who was raised in an environment that was assimilated or non-Jewish, and is not aware of the proper Jewish laws.

In Rabbinical literature

In Judaism, all human beings are believed to have free will, with the ability to choose the path of life that they want to take. It does not teach that goodness is impossible, only difficult at times. If a person strays from the path of goodness in some aspect, there is always a "way back" if a person wills to try taking it. (Although texts mention some specific categories for whom the way back will be exceedingly hard, such as the slanderer, the habitual gossiper, and the malicious person.)

Sforno suggests that Leviticus 4:22, which discusses a leader who has sinned, begins with the term "when" in order to imply that leaders - being powerful and wealthy people - will almost inevitably sin. This Torah verse concludes with the words "realizes his guilt" because it is essential that powerful people acknowledge and feel remorse for their sin, lest they sin again.[14]

States

Judaism holds that no human being is perfect, and all people have sinned many times. The Talmud says: "Everyone is responsible to be as great as Moses", But then the Torah tells us in Deuteronomy 34:10 that "No one will ever be as great as Moses". This is to clarify that Moses fulfilled his own personal potential, so too we are expected to fulfill ours. Each person is born with a unique set of talents and tools. Some are rich, others are poor. Some are tall and some are short. One person can sing, another can write, etc. But these qualities are not what determine your greatness. Rather, it's how you deal with your particular circumstances. That's why Judaism says: It's not important where you are on the ladder, but how many rungs you've climbed. The crucial concept is the effort.[15]

The story is told of Zusha, the great Chassidic master, who lay crying on his deathbed. His students asked him, "Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the mitzvot and good deeds you have done, you will surely get a great reward in heaven!". "I'm afraid!" said Zusha. "Because when I get to heaven, I know God's not going to ask me 'Why weren't you more like Moses?' or 'Why weren't you more like King David?' But I'm afraid that God will ask 'Zusha, why weren't you more like Zusha?' And then what will I say?!"[15]

Joseph Hertz said that sin is not an evil power whose chains the children of flesh must helplessly drag towards a weary tomb. We can always shake off its yoke; and what is more, we need never assume its yoke. An ancient fable tells us of distant oceans with mountainous magnetic rocks of such terrific power that wreck and ruin would befall any ship venturing near them. Instantly the iron nails would fly out of the ship, bolts and fastenings would be torn away by that magnetic force, the vessel would become nothing more than so many planks of wood, and all on board fall a prey to the hungry waters. Sins there are that, likewise, unhinge all our stays of character, rob us of the restraints of past habits and education, and leave us helpless playthings on the billows of temptation and passion. Yet a man is the pilot of his life's barque, and can at all times steer it so as never to come near those mountains of destruction, darkness, and death.[16]

Based on the views of Rabbeinu Tam in the Babylonian Talmud (tractate Rosh HaShanah 17b), God is said to have Thirteen Attributes of Mercy:

  1. God is merciful before someone sins, even though God knows that a person is capable of sin.
  2. God is merciful to a sinner even after the person has sinned.
  3. God represents the power to be merciful even in areas that a human would not expect or deserve.
  4. God is compassionate, and eases the punishment of the guilty.
  5. God is gracious even to those who are not deserving.
  6. God is slow to anger.
  7. God is abundant in kindness.
  8. God is the God of truth, thus we can count on God's promises to forgive repentant sinners.
  9. God guarantees kindness to future generations, as the deeds of the righteous patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) have benefits to all their descendants.
  10. God forgives intentional sins if the sinner repents.
  11. God forgives a deliberate angering of Him if the sinner repents.
  12. God forgives sins that are committed in error.
  13. God wipes away the sins from those who repent.

As Jews are commanded in imitatio Dei, emulating God, rabbis take these attributes into account in deciding Jewish law and its contemporary application.

Types of sin

Sins between man and his fellow

Jews recognize two kinds of sin, offenses against other people, and offenses against God.

Sins between people are considered much more severe in Judaism than sins between man and God. Yom Kippur, the main day of repent in Judaism can atones for sins between man and God, but not for sins between man and his fellow, that is until he has appeased his friend.(Mishnah, Yoma,8:9).[4] Eleazar ben Azariah derived [this from the verse]: "From all your sins before God you shall be cleansed" (Leviticus 16:30) – for sins between man and God Yom Kippur atones, but for sins between man and his fellow Yom Kippur does not atone until he appeases his fellow.[17][18]

The Gemara (87a) continues: "R. Yitzchak said: Whoever aggravates his fellow even through words is required to placate him… R. Yosi bar Chanina said: Whoever beseeches forgiveness from his friend should not beseech him more than three times. And if he died, [the offender] brings ten people and must stand them by his grave and he says, "I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and so-and-so whom I wounded.""

Many small sins vs. One big sin

A story is told of two Jews who visited their rebbe, seeking advice regarding sins they had committed. One had committed a large sin which seemed unforgivable, while the other was less worried, only being guilty of the usual variety of minor sins. The rebbe told them to go outside and collect stones corresponding to the number and magnitude of their sins, and then to scatter those stones again in the field. Having accomplished this, they returned to the rebbe who told them to gather the scattered stones. He who had committed a single large sin found his large stone easily, while he who had committed many sins had trouble identifying and collecting all of his stones. The rebbe stated that the stones were comparable to sins: "You who committed a great sin was aware of having sinned, and with sincere repentance can repent. But you who committed many minor sins will find it hard to catch up with your sins until you realize that even small deeds matter."[16]

Contract

Offenses against God may be understood as violation of a contract (the covenant between God and the Children of Israel). Ezra, a priest and scribe, headed a large body of exiles. On his return to Jerusalem to teach the laws of God he discovered that Jews have been marrying non-Jews. He tore his garments in despair and confessed the sins of Israel before God, before going on to purify the community.[19] The Book of Jeremiah (Yirmiyahu [ירמיהו]) can be organized into five sub-sections. One part, Jeremiah 2-24, displays scorn for the sins of Israel. The poem in 2:1–3:5 shows the evidence of a broken covenant against Israel.[20]

View of human nature

Judaism teaches that humans are born with free will, and morally neutral, with both a yetzer hatov, (literally, "the good inclination", in some views, a tendency towards goodness, in others, a tendency towards having a productive life and a tendency to be concerned with others) and a yetzer hara, (literally "the evil inclination", in some views, a tendency towards evil, and in others, a tendency towards base or animal behavior and a tendency to be selfish). The yetzer hara in some forms of Judaism means that Satan is merely an idiom or parable, rather than the fallen angel of traditional Christianity.

The rabbis recognize a positive value to the yetzer hara: one tradition identifies it with the observation on the last day of creation that God's accomplishment was "very good" (God's work on the preceding days was just described as "good") and explain that without the yetzer ha'ra there would be no marriage, children, commerce or other fruits of human labor; the implication is that yetzer ha'tov and yetzer ha'ra are best understood not as moral categories of good and evil but as selfless versus selfish orientations, either of which used rightly can serve God's will.

Or as Hillel the Elder famously summarized the Jewish philosophy:

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, [then] when?"

Another explanation is, without the existence of the yetzer ha'ra, there would be no merit earned in following God's commandments; choice is only meaningful if there has indeed been a choice made. So whereas creation was "good" before, it became "very good" when the evil inclination was added, for then it became possible to truly say that man could make a true choice to obey God's "mitzvot" (commandments). This is because Judaism views the following of God's ways as a desirable end in and of itself rather than a means to an end.

Repentance

The Babylonian Talmud teaches that "Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Eleazar both explain that as long as the Temple stood, the altar atoned for Israel, but now, one's table atones [when the poor are invited as guests]." (Tractate Berachot, 55a.)

Repentance in itself is also a means of atonement (See Ezekiel 33:11, 33:19, Jeremiah 36:3, etc.) The Hebrew word for repentance is teshuvah which literally means to "return (to God)." The prophet Hosea (14:3) said, "Take with you words, and return to God."

Judaism teaches that our personal relationship with God allows us to turn directly to Him at any time, as Malachi 3:7 says, "Return to Me and I shall return to you," and Ezekiel 18:27, "When the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive." Additionally, God is extremely compassionate and forgiving as is indicated in Daniel 9:18, "We do not present our supplications before You because of our righteousness, but because of Your abundant mercy."

The traditional liturgy of the Days of Awe (the High Holy Days; i.e. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) states that prayer, repentance and tzedakah (charitable actions) are ways to repent for sin. In Judaism, sins committed against people (rather than against God or in the heart) must first be corrected and put right to the best of a person's ability; a sin which has not also been put right as best as possible cannot truly be said to be repented.

True repentance

To a man who says “I will sin and repent, I will sin and repent,” the Day of Atonement brings no forgiveness. For sins against God the Day of Atonement brings forgiveness; for sins against one's fellowman, the Day of Atonement brings no forgiveness till he has become reconciled with the fellowman he wronged (Mishnah Yoma 8:9).

According to Maimonides in order to achieve true repentance the sinner must abandon his sin and remove it from his thoughts and resolve in his heart never to repeat it, as it is said, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts” (Isaiah 55:7). Likewise must he regret the past, as it is said: “Surely after I turned I repented” (Jer. 31:18). He must also call Him who knows all secrets to witness that he will never return to this sin again.[16]

Atonement

Atonement for sin is discussed in the Tanakh. Rituals for atonement occurred in the Temple in Jerusalem, and were performed by the Kohanim, the Israelite priests. These services included song, prayer, offerings and animal sacrifices known as the korbanot. The rites for Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are prescribed in the book of Leviticus chapter 16. The ritual of the scapegoat, sent into the wilderness to be claimed by Azazel, was one of these observances (Lev. 16:20-22).

Midrash Avot de Rabbi Natan states:

One time, when Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was walking in Jerusalem with Rabbi Yehoshua, they arrived at where the Temple now stood in ruins. "Woe to us" cried Rabbi Yehoshua, "for this house where atonement was made for Israel's sins now lies in ruins!" Answered Rabban Yochanan, "We have another, equally important source of atonement, the practice of gemilut hasadim ("the action of kindnesses"), as it is stated "I desire loving kindness and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6).[21]

The poem Unetanneh Tokef (recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) states that prayer, repentance and tzedakah (giving charity) atone for sin. But prayer cannot atone for wrongs done, without an honest sincere attempt to rectify any wrong done to the best of one's ability, and the sincere intention to avoid repetition. Atonement to Jews means to repent and set aside, and the word "T'shuvah" used for atonement actually means "to return". Judaism is optimistic in that it always sees a way that a determined person may return to what is good, and that God waits for that day too.

A number of animal sacrifices were prescribed in the Torah (five books of Moses) to make atonement: a sin-offering for sins, and a guilt offering for religious trespasses. The significance of animal sacrifice is not expanded on at length in the Torah, though Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17 suggest that blood and vitality were linked. Conservative Jews and Christians argue at the present era that the Jews never believed that the aim of all sacrifice is to pay the debt for sins - only the sin offering and the guilt offering had this purpose; modern scholars of early Jewish history, however, often disagree and argue that this division came later.

Later Biblical prophets made statements to the effect that the hearts of the people were more important than their sacrifices:

  • "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22)
  • "For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt-offerings" (Hosea 6:6)
  • "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart" (Psalm 51:19)
  • "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats" (Isaiah 1:11)
  • "burnt-offering and sin-offering hast Thou not required" (Psalm 40:7)

Although the animal sacrifices were prescribed for atonement, there is no place where the Hebrew Bible says that animal sacrifice is the only means of atonement. The Hebrew Bible teaches that it is possible to return to God through repentance and prayer alone. For example, in the books of Jonah and Esther, both Jews and gentiles repented, prayed to God, and were forgiven for their sins, without having offered any sacrifices.[6] Additionally, in modern times, Jews do not perform animal sacrifices. Some Jews nowadays perform the ritual of kapparot which, while not a sacrifice, are a similarly symbolic means of seeking atonement.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Genesis 8:21
  2. 1 2 "Sacrifices and Offerings (Karbanot)". JewishVirtualLLibrary.org. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Skobac, Rabbi Michael. "Leviticus 17:11". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Mishnah, Yoma 8:9
  5. ↑ "Reward and Punishment". JewishVirtualLibrary.org. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "The Jewish Response to Missionaries (8-Page Booklet) English". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  7. ↑ Jacobs, Joseph; Eisenstein, Judah David. "Sin". Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  8. ↑ Dictionary: חָטָא
  9. ↑ "Greek and Hebrew Words for Sin". www.theopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  10. ↑ Dictionary: פָּשַׁע
  11. ↑ "SIN - JewishEncyclopedia.com". jewishencyclopedia.com.
  12. ↑ Psalms 106:6; 1 Kings 8:47; Daniel 9:5
  13. ↑ Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 36b
  14. ↑ Sforno, Leviticus 4:22; Weisband, Howard. "Humility: An Essential Trait for Leadership". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  15. 1 2 "As Great as Moses". Aish HaTorah. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 Apple, Rabbi Raymond (1970). "Penitence, Prayer & Charity: An anthology for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur". Publications Committee of the United Synagogue. London, UK. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  17. ↑ Prager, Dennis; Telushkin, Joseph (1986). Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism. New York: Touchstone. ISBN 9780671622619.
  18. ↑ Kalimi, Isaac. "The Historical Uniqueness and Centrality of Yom Kippur". TheTorah.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  19. ↑ Ezra 7–10
  20. ↑ O'Connor 2007, p. 491.
  21. ↑ Avot of Rabbi Natan 4:5

Works cited

  • O'Connor, Kathleen M. (2007). "23. Jeremiah". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 487–533. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.