Teshuva Myths

Teshuva means to return, but it also means to "answer". Perhaps it’s G-d’s answer to the human being torn between the desire to be good and his selfish nature. It's one of 613 mitzvos which can fix any shortcomings in all the other 612. Like anything revolutionary, it has been burdened with its fair share of myths obscuring its true image. Some myths mistake Teshuvah to be only for “real” and “big” sins and sinners, but fail to realize that no sin is small enough to go without fixing, while another group elevates Teshuvah to the level of angels and saints, forgetting that angels don’t need it... Most are not completely baseless; some are exaggerations and misappropriations and others are misunderstandings of true ideas. In this quality publication by Principles Press, a number of these myths will be explored in light of classical Torah sources (which also appear in the book in their original form), ranging from basic codes of Halacha to a variety of works of Chassidus and Mussar. Through them, we will attempt to gain a fresh perspective on a mitzvah, which our Sages teach, is so ancient that it predates sin itself.