Tefillah, Tzedakah and Teshuvah
Pray, Donate to Charity, and Repent:
אָמַר רִבִּי לָֽעְזָר. שְׁלֹשָׁה דְבָרִים מְבַטְּלִין אֶת הַגְּזֵירָה קָשָׁה. וְאֵילּוּ הֵן. תְּפִילָּה וּצְדָקָה וּתְשׁוּבָה
“Rebbi Elazar said, three things nullify harsh decrees. They are: Prayer, Charity and Repentance.”
(Talmud Yerushalmi – Ta’anit – 2:1)
Recite the 13 Middos of Rachamim with a Minyan During Selichos:
מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנִּתְעַטֵּף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כִּשְׁלִיחַ צִבּוּר, וְהֶרְאָה לוֹ לְמֹשֶׁה סֵדֶר תְּפִלָּה. אָמַר לוֹ: כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל חוֹטְאִין — יַעֲשׂוּ לְפָנַי כַּסֵּדֶר הַזֶּה וַאֲנִי מוֹחֵל לָהֶם
“This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wrapped Himself like a prayer leader (shaliach tzibur) and showed Moshe the order of prayer. He said to him: “Whenever Israel sins, let them recite this order before Me, and I will forgive them.”
(Rosh Hashanah 17b)
The above Gemara highlights the importance of the 13 Middos of Rachamim, which are said during Selichos, and must be recited with a Minyan and with Kavanah. Some say that merely reciting the 13 Middos of Rachamim is not enough, but we must also perform the 13 Middos of Rachamim by being compassionate, merciful, gracious, slow to anger, kind, forgiving, etc.
Donate to Charity:
.וּ֝צְדָקָ֗ה תַּצִּ֥יל מִמָּֽוֶת
And charity delivers from death.
(Mishlei 10:2)
״וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת״, וְלֹא מִמִּיתָה מְשׁוּנָּה, אֶלָּא מִמִּיתָה עַצְמָהּ
“And charity delivers from death. And not only from an unusual death, but even from death itself.”
(Shabbat 156b)
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים מְקָרְעִין גְּזַר דִּינוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם, אֵלּוּ הֵן: צְדָקָה, צְעָקָה, שִׁינּוּי הַשֵּׁם, וְשִׁינּוּי מַעֲשֶׂה. צְדָקָה, דִּכְתִיב: ״וּצְדָקָה תַּצִּיל מִמָּוֶת״
And Rabbi Yitzchak said: Four things tear up the decree of judgment (that was written) about a person (for the worse and change it for the better). These are: giving charity, crying out in prayer, changing one’s name, and changing one’s deeds (by altering his actions for the better). Charity as it is written “And charity delivers from death”.
(Rosh Hashanah 16b)
Do Teshuva by Regretting, Confessing, and Forsaking Your Sins:
In “Shaarei Teshuva,” Rabbeinu Yonah describes twenty principles of teshuva. Yet, he underscores in Shaar 1, paragraph 19, that teshuvah requires, at the very least, three essential principles. Without each of these three principles, there is no valid teshuvah. These three principles are:
Feeling regret
Verbally confessing the sin (Viduy)
Forsaking the sin (i.e., resolving to not repeat the sin)
Additionally, for many interpersonal sins, we must first ask for and obtain forgiveness from those we have wronged.
The sixth principle outlined in “Shaarei Teshuva” is “Shame” (for having sinned). This principle is especially important, as noted in the Gemara:
וְאָמַר רַבָּה בַּר חִינָּנָא סָבָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב: כָּל הָעוֹשֶׂה דְּבַר עֲבֵירָה וּמִתְבַּיֵּישׁ בּוֹ — מוֹחֲלִין לוֹ עַל כָּל עֲוֹנוֹתָי
And Rabba bar Chinana Sava said in the name of Rav: Anyone who commits a transgression and is ashamed of it, all his sins are forgiven.
(Berachos 12b. Also see Megillah 25b)
Do Teshuva Out of Love:
אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: גְּדוֹלָה תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁזְּדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ כִּשְׁגָגוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שׁוּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַד ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ כִּי כָשַׁלְתָּ בַּעֲוֹנֶךָ״, הָא ״עָוֹן״ — מֵזִיד הוּא, וְקָא קָרֵי לֵיהּ מִכְשׁוֹל. אִינִי?! וְהָאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: גְּדוֹלָה תְּשׁוּבָה שֶׁזְּדוֹנוֹת נַעֲשׂוֹת לוֹ כִּזְכִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּבְשׁוּב רָשָׁע מֵרִשְׁעָתוֹ וְעָשָׂה מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה עֲלֵיהֶם (חָיֹה) יִחְיֶה״! לָא קַשְׁיָא: כָּאן מֵאַהֲבָה, כָּאן
. מִיִּרְאָה
Resh Lakish said: Great is repentance, for because of it, intentional sins are considered like unintentional ones, as it says: “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity.” Here, “iniquity” implies an intentional sin, and yet it is referred to as a “stumble.” Is that so? But didn’t Resh Lakish also say: Great is repentance, for because of it intentional sins are turned into merits, as it is stated: “And when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does justice and righteousness, he shall surely live!”? This is not difficult: the first statement refers to repentance out of love (for Hashem), and the second statement refers to repentance out of fear (of punishment).
(Yoma 86b)
Note: This Gemara teaches that if someone repents out of love for Hashem, their intentional sins are not only erased, but they are even turned into merits. On the other hand, if someone repents out of fear of punishment, their intentional sins are considered as if they were unintentional sins.
In “The Mystery and the Majesty,” Rabbi Daniel Glatstein references sources asserting that Teshuva, when performed out of love, doesn’t require suffering or death. However, these may be necessary for full atonement of certain sins if the repentance is motivated by fear.
My Personal Strategy for Doing Teshuva from Love for Hashem:
I have some difficulty forcing emotions on myself and initially found it challenging to genuinely do Teshuva from Love, as it felt overshadowed by fear of punishment. But I discovered a little trick that works for me: I wait for those spontaneous moments in life when my heart swells with genuine love for Hashem. Right then, I seize the opportunity to do Teshuva from love. I’m not sure if this resonates with anyone else, but if it does, I truly hope it helps you as much as, if not more than, it helped me.
Update: My friend Yonatan mentioned that Rabbi Avigdor Miller zt”l explored a similar concept in “Lev Avigdor,” specifically in a discussion on Koheles Rabbah. Rabbi Miller explained that good times and periods of prosperity present opportunities to express our thanks to Hashem, as the gratitude expressed during these periods is inherently greater (more sincere and heartfelt) than that of an ordinary day; therefore, we should seize these opportunities.
Rabbi Miller also discussed Birkas Hamazon (Grace After Meals) as another example. He observed that when we are satisfied and happy after a meal, we seize the opportunity to extend our thanks to Hashem for additional kindnesses beyond our sustenance, such as the Exodus from Egypt and for giving us the Torah.
Forgiveness and Mitzvos 