Teshuvah renews the Ten Dibros within us

שובה ישראל עד ה"א כי כשלת בעונך קרי לי' מכשול וקרי לי' עון כמו שדקדקו בגמ' מזה.

"Return, Yisrael, unto Hashem your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity" (Hoshea 14:2) — Scripture calls it "a stumbling" (michshol) and calls it "iniquity" (avon), as the Gemara deduces from this.

The passuk uses two words for sin — "stumbling" and "iniquity" — and the Sefas Emes will explain that these point to two different dimensions of the person affected by sin.

אך יש ב' שמות לכלל ישראל יעקב וישראל.

Now, the collective of Bnei Yisrael has two names: Yaakov and Yisrael.

The nation bears two names corresponding to two levels — a lower aspect ("Yaakov") and an elevated aspect ("Yisrael").

ובאמת שם ישראל לעולם אינו מתבטל לגמרי ומזה אמרו אעפ"י שחטא ישראל הוא כי יש חלק לכל איש ישראל בזה השם.

And in truth the name "Yisrael" is never entirely nullified — and from this Chazal said: "even though he has sinned, he is still a Yisrael" — for every Jew has a portion in this name.

The higher name "Yisrael" reflects an inner point that can never be erased; that is why a Jew who sins remains essentially a Yisrael.

והיא חלק הנשמה שמסתלקת כשאדם חוטא אעפ"כ יש בה כשלון ע"י עונות האדם ובגוף הוא עון ובנשמה חטא ומכשול.

This is the portion of the neshamah, which withdraws when a person sins — yet even so there is a "stumbling" within it through a person's iniquities; in the body it is "iniquity" (avon), and in the neshamah it is "sin" and "stumbling" (cheit and michshol).

Sin affects two dimensions: in the body it leaves a stain ("iniquity"), while in the neshamah it causes a "stumbling" — the holy soul does not become corrupted but is pushed aside and made to falter.

כן הוא בפרט כל איש ובכלל ישראל.

So it is for each individual person in particular, and for the collective of Bnei Yisrael as a whole.

This two-dimensional picture of sin applies both to every single Jew and to the nation as one.

והנה לכלל ישראל אמר הקב"ה אנכי ה' אלקיך וזה כולל כל התורה ומצות שכולם הם עצות איך להתקרב שיחול אלקותו ית"ש עלינו.

Now, to the collective of Bnei Yisrael Hashem said, "I am Hashem your God" — and this includes the entire Torah and mitzvos, for all of them are counsel for how to draw close so that His Godliness, may He be blessed, should rest upon us.

The opening of the Aseres Hadibros, "Anochi Hashem Elokecha," is the root of the whole Torah; every mitzvah is really a piece of advice for how to bring Hashem's presence to rest upon us.

ובעונות כתיב היו מבדילין ביניכם לבין אלקיכם.

And regarding iniquities it is written: "Your iniquities have been separating between you and your God" (Yeshayahu 59:2).

Sin's damage is precisely that it creates a barrier, blocking the resting of Hashem's presence that the mitzvos are meant to draw down.

ולכן כלל התשובה שיחזור ויחול עלינו שם אלקותו ית"ש לכן יש עשרת ימי תשובה מול עשרת הדברות.

Therefore the essence of teshuvah is that His Name of Godliness, may He be blessed, should once again rest upon us; and for this reason there are Ten Days of Teshuvah corresponding to the Aseres Hadibros (Ten Commandments).

Teshuvah means removing the barrier so that Hashem's presence returns to rest on us; the ten days of the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah parallel the ten Dibros, since teshuvah restores what those Dibros are meant to accomplish.

קחו עמכם דברים הם עשרת הדברות שהם מתחדשים בכל יום כמ"ש אנכי מצוה אתכם היום.

"Take with you words" (Hoshea 14:3) — these are the Aseres Hadibros, which are renewed each day, as it is written, "which I command you this day" (Devarim 6:6).

The "words" we are told to take with us in teshuvah are the Ten Dibros, which are not a one-time event but are renewed daily, as if given afresh "today."

אבל כפי קיום התורה ומצות כך זוכין לשמוע.

But according to one's fulfillment of the Torah and mitzvos, so does one merit to "hear" them.

The degree to which a person can receive this daily renewal of the Dibros depends on how he keeps the Torah and mitzvos.

וז"ש תשא עון שלא יעכבו העונות.

And this is the meaning of "bear away iniquity" (Hoshea 14:3) — that the iniquities should not hold us back.

We ask Hashem to lift away the avon so that sin no longer forms a barrier preventing us from receiving the Dibros anew.

וקח טוב כמ"ש רש"י למדנו דרך הטוב.

"And accept the good" (Hoshea 14:3) — as Rashi explains: teach us the good path.

Beyond removing sin, we ask Hashem to instruct us in the good path of avodah.

ויחדש לנו עשרת הדברות ואנכי ה' אלקיך.

And that He renew for us the Aseres Hadibros and "I am Hashem your God."

The goal of teshuvah is that Hashem renew the Dibros within us — above all the "Anochi," the resting of His Godliness upon us.

ולכן שבת שבו ניתנה עשרת הדברות מסייע אל התשובה כמו שכתוב אנכי כו' מוחה פשעיך פי' אנכי דעשרת הדיברות למעני כדי שתוכל לקבל הדברות:

Therefore Shabbos — on which the Aseres Hadibros were given — assists the teshuvah, as it is written, "I, I am He who wipes away your transgressions for My own sake" (Yeshayahu 43:25). The explanation is: the "Anochi" of the Aseres Hadibros is "for My own sake," in order that you should be able to receive the Dibros.

Shabbos Shuvah, the day on which the Aseres Hadibros were given, lends strength to teshuvah. Hashem wipes away our sins "for His own sake" — that is, so that the barrier is removed and we can once again receive the "Anochi" of the Dibros and have His presence rest upon us.

Summary: Sin damages a person in two dimensions — the body (avon) and the neshamah (a "stumbling") — yet the name "Yisrael," the inner point of every Jew, can never be erased. The whole Torah, rooted in "Anochi Hashem Elokecha," is counsel for drawing Hashem's presence to rest upon us, and sin only erects a barrier to that closeness. Teshuvah, aided by Shabbos Shuvah and the Ten Days corresponding to the Ten Dibros, removes the barrier so that Hashem — who wipes away our sins "for His own sake" — can renew the Dibros within us and once again rest His Godliness upon us.