הכתב והקבלה — ושבת עד ה' אלהיך / כי תשוב אל ה' אלהיך

Q — The teshuvah section of Nitzavim oscillates between two prepositions: 'ושבת *עד* ה' אלהיך' (v.2) and 'כי תשוב *אל* ה' אלהיך' (v.10). The same dual usage appears in Navi: 'שובה ישראל עד ה' אלהיך... ושובו אל ה'' (Hoshea 14:2-3), 'שובו עדי בכל לבבכם ושובו אל ה'' (Yoel 2:12-13). Why two prepositions for one mitzvah?

A — HaKtav VeHaKabbalah maps the prepositions onto Chazal's two-tier theory of teshuvah. 'עד' denotes *partial return* — teshuvah motivated by *fear of punishment*, in which zedonot become like shegagot but are not fully erased. 'אל' denotes *complete return* — teshuvah motivated by *love of Hashem*, in which zedonot become merits (זכויות). The prepositional difference encodes the qualitative gap: 'עד' approaches Hashem but stops short of full unity; 'אל' arrives. The same verbal root — שוב — splits into two grades according to which preposition follows. The prophets' alternations are deliberate: they call us first to the lower level we can manage (יראה), and then push toward the higher one (אהבה).