A certain man stood before an important and decisive judgment in his life, and in order to know how to prepare, he went to consult with a jurist who understood the system of the royal court. The jurist said to him: there is a great difference if you are an ordinary man or if you serve in the legion of the king. If you are an ordinary man from the people – they judge you in a civil court and with the full severity of the law. But if you belong to the legion of the king, then they judge you in a special court, and there the chief judge is the king himself, and he makes special allowances for the men of his legion. The man accepted the advice.
When the day of judgment arrived, after the prosecutor spoke his claim and demanded to issue against the defendant a severe verdict, the judges asked him what he had to say in his defense. The man said: “Indeed, until now I was a simple man, but now I accept upon myself to join the legion of the king!” When the judges heard his words, they said: “If so, only the king in his honor and glory can judge you”, and they transferred his case to the hall of the king. And when the king sat in judgment over him – he forgave him for his sin, for thus is his way to do for all who belong to the legion of the king.
In the Shira of Ha’azinu it is written (32:2): ‘לקחי כמטר יערוף אמרתי כטל תזל’ - “May my teaching drip like rain, may my utterance flow like dew.” On this posuk Chazal said (Sifri): “May my teaching drip like rain – Rebbe Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosi HaGelili says: ‘There is no word ya’arof except a term of killing, as it is said (Devorim 21:4): ‘בנחל העגלה את שם וערפו’ - ‘and they shall break the neck of the calf in the valley.’ For what does the calf atone? For the spilling of blood. So too, words of Torah atone for all transgressions.”
At first glance, it is not understood how words of Torah atone for such severe sins as bloodshed. But in light of the mashal above, the matter is very well understood. And the matter is true the entire year, and especially as we stand on Erev Yom Kippur when we all stand in judgment, we must remember that “Torah protects and saves,” in this world and in the World to Come. And even one who in the past was not engaged in Torah, or engaged in it too little, but at the moment he accepts upon himself to engage in Torah and only begins – he is already considered as belonging to the legion of the King, and all his transgressions are atoned for.
