Understanding Judaism – Introduction p. xvii - xxii
Exodus 32:31-33 (p. 501 ArtScroll Chumash, Stone Edition)
Moses returned to God and said: "I implore! This people has committed a grievous sin and made themselves a god of gold. And now, if You would but forgive their sin! But if not, erase me now from this book that You have written."
God said to Moses: "Whoever has sinned against Me, I shall erase from My book."
(1) In Christianity, how does one achieve forgiveness and atonement for sins?
(2) What is "vicarious atonement"?
(3) In Judaism, how does a person achieve atonement for their sins?
(4) In Judaism, is it possible for someone to take responsibility for another's sins?
(5) How do we understand the story of the 10 Martyrs who were punished for the sin of the sale of Joseph centuries before?
(6) What does the story of the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac) add to the issue of Vicarious Atonement?
(7) What are 'Yissurim shel ahava'?
(8) How are 'Yissurim shel ahava' different from Vicarious Atonement, and why are they allowed?
(1) Q: In Christianity, how does one achieve forgiveness and atonement for sins?
A: One of Christianity's fundamental beliefs is that Jesus died to atone for the sins of mankind. In order for a person to achieve forgiveness for sins, they need to believe in Jesus and believe that he died to atone for their sins. In Christianity, belief is the necessary ingredient for atonement.
(2) Q: What is "vicarious atonement"?
A: Vicarious atonement is the ability for one person to atone for the sins of another.
(3) Q: In Judaism, how does a person achieve atonement for their sins?
A: For a Jew to achieve forgiveness for sins, he must perform teshuva – the act of repentance, or more accurately return. Teshuva involves the following steps:
- Verbally confessing the transgression (to God)
- Sincerely regretting the action
- Resolve never to repeat the transgression
(4) Q: In Judaism, is it possible for someone to take responsibility for another's sins?
A: No. God Himself denied the validity of vicarious atonement in the Torah. When the Jewish people sinned by making the Golden Calf, God wanted to destroy them. Moses their leader loved his people and was willing to die for them. He pleaded with God saying, "Wipe me out and take me instead of them."
God answered, "Whoever sinned against me I will eradicate from My book." His message was clear – I will not allow you (Moses) to atone for the sins of others. The principle is expressed as ish b'cheito yumas – "each person will die for their own sin."
God wants us to change to become better people. For the Jew the concept of someone else dying to atone for our sins. We must achieve atonement through teshuva, by changing our actions.
(5) Q: How do we understand the story of the 10 Martyrs who were punished for the sin of the sale of Joseph centuries before?
A: We can understand the story of the 10 Martyrs by looking at the events of Tisha B'Av over the centuries. In the Torah, it was on Tisha B'Av that the spies came back with an evil report about the land of Israel, causing the Jewish people to cry. God said to them, "You cry on this night for no reason, so I will make this night a night of crying for generations"
And indeed, this is what happened. On Tisha B'Av, the first and second Temples were destroyed. The Spanish exile and even the First World War started on that day. It seems like the Jewish people are being punished through the generations for the sin of the spies. How can this be so?
Our Sages explain that whenever the Jewish people replicate a sin of the past in their own generation, rather than learning from it, they are condemned for the original sin as well.
The sin of the sale of Joseph (for which the 10 Martyrs were punished) was that of sinat chinam – needless hatred between Jews. In the time of Roman persecution, the Second Temple was destroyed because of needless hatred between Jews. The leaders of each generation have a responsibility to educate the masses. For failing to prevent sinat chinam they were punished. Their crime was the very same crime of 'the sale of Joseph.' They had not learned from the mistakes of previous generations, and so had to be punished for that same crime.
(6) Q: What does the story of the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac) add to the issue of Vicarious Atonement?
A: Christianity believes that God took pleasure over the death of a human being, such that his death would atone for the sins of countless people for centuries.
The Akeidah (Binding of Isaac) teaches us the very idea of one person's death atoning for others is abhorrent to God and forbidden in the Torah.
(7) Q: What are 'Yissurim shel ahava'?
A: 'Yissurim shel ahava' refers to the suffering that is brought upon a person out of their love for the Jewish people and for God. Their suffering can bring atonement for the sins of the generation.
(8) Q: How are 'Yissurim shel ahava' different from Vicarious Atonement, and why are they allowed?
A: Sometimes God takes a righteous person and gives them difficulties to endure, because He loves them (yissurim shel ahava). This is not the same as vicarious atonement. Here, suffering serves a different purpose. Through the suffering, the righteous person becomes ennobled and gains a greater sensitivity to the suffering of others.
Just as a parent will let their child fall many times in order to teach them to walk, so too God gives us difficulties to make us stronger, wiser and more empathetic. Suffering enables us to reach greater heights, and brings our potential into reality, raising the level of the individual and of the generation
In Christianity, forgiveness for sins is based on a belief that Jesus died to atone for everyone's sins. This idea is known as Vicarious Atonement.
In Judaism, to achieve forgiveness for sins, one must perform the act of teshuva – repentance or return. Teshuva involves several practical steps designed to change a person:
a) verbal confession of the sin(s) (to God)
b) sincere regret of the action
c) a resolve never to do the sin(s) again
The process of teshuva changes the person and makes them stronger. Faced with the same situation, the person who has performed complete teshuva would no longer stumble and sin in that area. Atonement in Judaism is a practical process of changing oneself for the good.
The Torah teaches that Vicarious Atonement is untenable. God Himself denied it, as seen in the sin of the Golden Calf, when Moses pleaded with God to 'take Him' as an atonement for the sin of the Jewish people. God answers, "Whoever sinned against Me will be eradicated from My book." The ones who committed the sin must remain accountable for their actions. This principle is stated as 'ish b'cheito yumas' – every person shall die for his own sin.
Rabbi Blech explores the question of the 10 Martyrs, who were punished for the 'sale of Joseph' which happened many centuries earlier. Our sages explain that we have an obligation to learn from the actions of previous generations. Whenever the Jewish people replicate a sin of the past in their own generation, rather than learning from it, they are held responsible for the original sin. This is what happened to the 10 Martyrs.
The sale of Joseph was brought about through the sin of sinat chinam – needless hatred. The Second Temple was destroyed for the very same reason, and the leaders of that generation were held responsible. The leaders of each generation have a responsibility to educate the masses. Their failure to prevent sinat chinam echoed the sale of Joseph, and they were therefore punished.
The Akeidah (Binding of Isaac) teaches us that the idea that a human could be put to death to atone for the sins of others is abhorrent to and forbidden by the Torah.
Rabbi Blech also introduces the concept of 'yissurim shel ahava' – bringing suffering to the righteous out of love. Sometimes a righteous person will suffer in order to bring out his potential. Through his suffering, he becomes, a better person with greater sensitivity to others and ability to help others. His suffering provides a level of atonement that benefits the entire generatio