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עקידת יצחק — ושבת עד ה' אלהיך / ושמעת בקלו

Q (the cluster): What is the nature of the mitzvah of teshuvah promised here? If a person has already sinned, how can the past be undone? Why is return placed at the climax of Moshe's covenant address? A (the unifying chiddush): Teshuvah is always possible because it lies within a person's power to return and repair what he distorted — this is a foundation of bechirah itself. Sin does not seal a p

מצות התשובה אפשרית תמיד, כי בכח האדם לשוב ולתקן את אשר עיוות, וזה מיסודות הבחירה

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עקידת יצחק

Akeidat Yitzchak 100:3

Q — What is the nature of the mitzvah of teshuvah promised here? If a person has already sinned, how can the past be undone? Why is return placed at the climax of Moshe's covenant address?

A — Teshuvah is always possible because it lies within a person's power to return and repair what he distorted — this is a foundation of bechirah itself. Sin does not seal a person's fate; abandoning the wrong, regretting it, confessing, and resolving for the future genuinely restore the relationship with God. Return crowns the covenant because the whole edifice of free choice presupposes that a person can always change course. The promise "ושבת עד ה'" affirms that no failure is final and the path back is never closed.

יבאר ענין התשובה וסודה: והיה כי יבאו עליך וגו' ושבת עד יי' אלהיך ושמעת בקולו. בפרק אין עומדין (ברכות ל"ד:) אמר רבי חייא כל הנביאים לא נתנבאו אלא לבעלי תשובה אבל צדיקים עצמם אין לא ראתה אלהים זולתך ופליגא דרבי אבהו דאמר ר

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