During the lowest point of Bill Clinton’s presidency, when the impeachment proceedings were going on, he invited a number of clergy to meet with him in Cincinnati. A reconstructionist Rabbi, named Michael Paley was one of the invitees. He reports that he told himself: “If I’m going to meet with the President, it’s not just going to be a feel-good photo-op; I’m going to deliver a message!” So he prepared himself thoroughly for that moment.
Clinton was going around and shaking hands with each of the individuals present. When it was Paley’s turn, he said to him what he prepared himself to say: “Mr. President, you have to do teshuva! This is the time for teshuvah!”
Clinton response, says Paley, was surprising: “When you say teshuva, do you mean it the way Rabbi Soloveitchik was teaching it, or do you mean it the way Rabbi Kook was teaching it?”
For Clinton to even know the names of these two figures of 20th century Judaism (both already passed by that time) was surprising let alone knowing the differences between how they understood teshuva.
What is the difference between these types of teshuva
For Soloveitchik, the essence of teshuvah was that when you are tempted to repeat a transgression that you were in the habit of performing, you master your strength and resist that temptation. This follows in the path of the Rambam who writes: What is complete repentance? He who once more had in it in his power to repeat a violation, but separated himself therefrom, and did not do it because of repentance, not out of fear or lack of strength [but from a desire to do Hashem’s will.] (Laws of Teshuva 2:1)
There’s a saying: If nothing changes… then nothing changes. Teshuva for this school of thought means making concrete changes in a constant effort to better oneself. It involves accountability, regret and changes.
For Rav Kook, your essence was already pure, already free of blemishes, since it is a spark of the divine and an actual “piece” of the Divine. For Kook, therefore, teshuva meant returning to your essential nature, to who you already are—pure, unblemished, a spark of the divine. Your core self was never tarnished and sin is just an abherration of who you really am. For Rav Kook, for instance, the sin of Adam and Eve was not eating from tree as much as it was not responding to God’s inquiry: Where are you? Ayeka? They lost sight of who they were in essence.
Surprising as it was to hear the President of the United States ask such a question, Paley responded: “Rav Kook’s version of teshuva, of course!”
“That’s interesting”, answered Clinton. “Most people I spoke to recommended the Soloveitchik approach. Let’s talk.”
Rav Kook and Solovetchik speak to the body and soul of Teshuva. During the Ten Days of Repentance, there’s an element of awe and seriousness where we say: “and place your dread on all that you’ve created.” That’s the accountability of this time period and the aspect of “Malkeinu,” Our King. Yet, underneath it all, it’s a story of love, forgiveness and at-ONE-ment (the aspect of “Avinu, Our Father.)
This duality accompanies the Yom Kippur service. We will “work through the debris” of sins in saying vidui (the Ashamnu prayer) yet we sing it, musically in a major note (not minor,) which is uplifting, hopeful and declares that our sins do not define us who we truly our.
As we start off this year on the right foot, let’s take the opportunity to look acutely at ourselves and how we can improve while also reconnecting with our Divine and pure essence.