שפת אמת

Teshuvah uncovers the Torah within every Jew

Shabbat Shuva · תרמ"ז (1886) · Essay 2Share

teshuvah · divrei Torah · inner good · Shabbos Shuva · concealment

קחו עמכם דברים כו' כי בכל איש ישראל נמצא דברי תורה כמ"ש חז"ל בפסוק הבן יקיר כו' מדי דברי די דבורי שנתתי בו.

"Take with you words" etc. — for within every Jew there are found words of Torah, as Chazal said on the verse "Is Efraim a precious son" etc.: "as often as I speak of him (midei dabri)" — "the speech (dibbur) that I have placed within him."

The pasuk "take with you words" hints that every Jew already contains divrei Torah — the divine "speech" that Hashem implanted within him.

וע"י החטא נסתר הארת הדיבורים הנ"ל.

And through sin, the illumination of the aforementioned words becomes hidden.

Sin conceals and dims the light of those inner divrei Torah.

וע"י התשובה מתבררים.

And through teshuvah they are clarified.

Teshuvah uncovers and refines these hidden words once again.

וז"ש אמרו אליו כו' תשא עון כו' ועי"ז וקח טוב.

And this is the meaning of "say to Him… 'Forgive iniquity'" etc., and through this, "and accept good (kach tov)."

When we ask Hashem to forgive our sin, the concealment is lifted, and we can then "take the good" — the inner Torah-light hidden within us.

הטוב שנמצא בלבות בנ"י.

The good that is found in the hearts of Bnei Yisrael.

This "good" is the divine point of Torah dwelling in every Jewish heart.

ופירוש עמכם דברים הדברים אשר עמכם:

And the meaning of "with you words" is: the words that are already with you.

"Take with you words" means: draw out the divrei Torah that are already inside you — they are yours to reclaim through teshuvah.

Summary: Every Jew contains divrei Torah — the divine speech Hashem placed within him — but sin conceals that light. Teshuvah clarifies and restores it: "take with you words" means to reclaim the words already within you, and "accept good" is the inner good hidden in every Jewish heart, uncovered once Hashem forgives the sin.

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