Page 22 - HaMizrachi # 22 Rosh HahHana - Yom Kippur 2020 USA

GLOBAL RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Rabbi Hershel Schachter

Hakarat

HaCheit

he first step in the teshuva pro- prior to yediat haCheit, just as there The Rav suggested a parallel halacha
cess is hakarat haCheit (recog- is no chiyuv teshuva without hakarat that illustrates this additional require-
Tnition of the sin). The natural haCheit and yedi’at haCheit. ment. In discussing the destruction of
state of the Jewish neshama is that avodah zarah specifically in Eretz Yis-
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it seeks to be close to G-d. It is con- Rabbeinu Yonah writes that there is rael, the Torah commands:
sidered an aberration for a person to a special mitzvah of teshuva on Yom
desire to sin. Thus, hakarat haCheit Kippur, beyond the constant obliga- ם ָ ׁש־ּוד ְ בָֽ ע ר ֶ ׁש ֲ א תֹומֹק ְּ מ ַ ה ל ָּ כ ת ֶֽ א ןּוד ְּ ב ַ א ְּ ת ד ֵּ ב ַ א
stems from the sinner’s feeling that tion to repent every day. He bases ן ִ מ ם ָ מ ְ ׁש ת ֶ א ם ֶּ ת ְ ד ַּ ב ִ א ְ ו ...ם ֶ הי ֵ הֽלֹ ֱ א ת ֶ א ...םִיֹוּג ַ ה
he is distant from G-d. He wants to himself on the passuk, ּור ָ ה ְ ט ִּ ת 'ה יֵנ ְ פ ִ ל – .אּוה ַ ה םֹוק ָּ מ ַ ה
return because of the sense of loneli- “before Hashem shall you be cleansed”
ness he experiences. (Vayikra 16:30), which he understands “You shall utterly destroy all the places
as a directive to cleanse ourselves on where the nations worshipped… their
The pasuk says, ר ׁ ֶ ש ֲ א ֹותא ָּ ט ַ ח וי ָ ל ֵ א ע ַ דֹוה ֹוא this day. The Rav pointed out a simi- gods… and you shall obliterate their
א ָ ט ָ ח – “If his sin that he committed lar statement of the Rambam (Hilchot names from that place” (Devarim
becomes known to him” (Vayikra 4:23, Teshuva 2:7): 12:2-3).
28), to teach that yediat haCheit (defi-
nite knowledge of the sin) is a neces- .ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי ְ ל ה ָ חי ִ ל ְ סּו ה ָ לי ִ ח ְ מ ץ ֵ ק ...אּוה םי ִ רּו ּ פ ִּ כ ַ ה םֹוי Based on this, the Rambam (Hilchot
ְ
sary prerequisite to bringing a Korban תֹו ּ ד ַ ו ְ ת ִ ה ְ לּו ה ָ בּו ׁש ְּ ת תֹוׂש ֲ ע ַ ל ל ּ כ ַ ה םי ִ בָּי ַ ח ך ָ כי ִ פ ְ ל Avodat Kochavim 7:1) rules, ץ ֶ ר ֶ א ְּ ב
Chattat. Tosafot questions why .םי ִ רּו ּ פ ִּ כ ַ ה םֹוי ְּ ב ּ ה ָ תֹוא ד ֵּ ב ַ אְּנ ֶ ׁש ד ַ ע ָ הי ֶ ר ֲ ח ַ א ףֹ ּ ד ְ ר ִ ל ה ָ ו ְ צ ִ מ ל ֵ א ָ ר ְ ׂשִי
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the Torah had to specify that yediat “Yom Kippur is… a specific time of ּונ ֵ צ ְ ר ַ א ל ָּ כ ִ מ, “In Eretz Yisrael, there is
haCheit is necessary prior to offering pardoning and forgiveness; therefore, a mitzvah to chase after [avodah
a Korban Chattat. This should have all people are obligated to do teshuva zarah] until we destroy it from our
been understood from the fact that a and to confess their aveirot on Yom entire Land.” In chutz laAretz, no such
Korban Chattat may not be offered Kippur.” requirement exists; the chiyuv only
voluntarily. This korban may only be applies to avodah zarah we know
offered for a cheit one knows he has Rav Soloveitchik suggested the nature about in an area we occupy. The addi-
committed, and so it should be obvi- of the obligation may be different on tional teshuva obligation on Yom
ous the sinner must know he sinned Yom Kippur than during the rest of Kippur is thus similar to the increased
before bringing the korban. the year, specifically in regard to the obligation to destroy avodah zarah in
requirement of yediat haCheit. In gen- Eretz Yisrael. 3
Tosafot explains the passuk comes to eral, if a person becomes aware of an
exclude a case in which the individual aveirah he committed and thus has Adapted from Rav Schachter on the Moadim.
merely suspects he may have sinned yediat haCheit, he has an obligation
accidentally and therefore is mafrish to do teshuva. The unique obligation
(sets aside) an animal to be used as a on Yom Kippur is for one to search 1 Shavuot 4b, s.v. vene’elam; see Kovetz
He’arot, Yevamot, 63:4.
potential korban once he ascertains he through all of his actions. In review- 2 Sha’arei Teshuva 4:17.
did, in fact, commit an aveirah. The ing all his actions, including those he 3 See MiPninei HaRav, 2001 ed., p. 320.
passuk teaches that even if he subse- believed to be permissible in the past,
quently comes to the realization he he may well come to the realization
did sin, he would not be able to use he had been committing an aveirah
that animal, because it was sanctified all along that he did not recognize.
as a korban prior to definite knowl- He may find a yediat haCheit he was Rabbi Hershel Schachter is Rosh Yeshiva
edge that he sinned. The obligation to unaware of until this point, for which and Rosh Kollel at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan
offer a Korban Chattat does not exist he is now able to do teshuva. Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University.

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