Teshuvah: Accepting Personal Responsibility
In the troubles they encountered in Egypt, the sons of Yaakov perceived a form of Divine retribution for heartlessly selling their brother Yosef into slavery many years earlier. Upon hearing his brothers admit to their guilt, Reuven reminded them that they had been well aware of their actions at the time but had proceeded with Yosef’s sale undeterred: “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the lad,’ but you did not listen?”
With his words of rebuke, Reuven was not merely rubbing salt on his brothers’ wounds; he was guiding them towards true and complete teshuvah, repentance.
Complete teshuvah requires that the penitent make a genuine decision to change, to the extent that “[G‑d], who knows the hidden, will testify concerning him that he will never return to this sin again.” The penitent must fully acknowledge the inherent wrongfulness of his actions and wholeheartedly commit to permanently avoid such behavior. Conversely, if one’s teshuvah is motivated by external factors, such as the negative consequences that he is suffering because of his sin, his remorse does not reflect a genuine change of attitude.
In addition, in order to wholeheartedly and unequivocally abandon past behavior, one must take full responsibility for his willful decision to sin. Otherwise, one cannot sincerely commit to refrain from making those decisions again in the future.
Therefore, when the troubles that befell Yosef’s brothers in Egypt led them to regret the cruelty they had shown towards him, Reuven told them that such remorse alone was not enough. “You must recognize the inherent evil in the act of selling of Yosef,” said Reuven, “which I have stressed to you all along, even before our current situation. Moreover, you must acknowledge that at the time you were fully aware of the wrongfulness of your actions, yet you willfully chose to sell him.”
Once the brothers heard and internalized Reuven’s words, their teshuvah could be complete.
—Likkutei Sichos, vol. 30, pp. 198–202
7. Mishneh Torah, Hil. Teshuvah 2:2.
