The great love that Hashem has for us even after we have sinned is no contradiction to the pesukim detailing judgment and punishment for sin. It is part of the design of creation that the moment a Yid becomes distanced from the Source of life, his shefa will become restricted. In some instances, we may see it immediately, and in others it may happen over time.
We say in Krias Shema that if a person does what he should not, he will incur Divine wrath, and this will cause the shefa to cease. The Ribbono shel Olam explains to us how the world works. But this doesn’t mean that His love has weakened. To the contrary, His love only becomes stronger, because the Ribbono shel Olam always has the greatest love and yearning for His only child—especially when the child has distanced himself. But the fact that he’s distant automatically causes the shefa to be restricted.
Hashem Is Never Distant
Just as we know that there’s blessing wherever Hashem is present, so too, in a place that is devoid of Hashem, there will be a restriction of shefa.
We see this in interpersonal relationships. When a person wrongs his friend, he has distanced himself from that person. The truth remains that all neshamos derive from the same source, but distance has been created due to what he has done. He must rectify what he has done and ask forgiveness.
When it comes to distance from the Ribbono shel Olam, it surely doesn’t mean that He is angry with us in the sense that He no longer loves us. He always remains in the same place of love, and He never changes... nothing changes with the Ribbono shel Olam. But the person has placed himself in a place that is very distant, and as long as he is distant, the shefa cannot reach him. The love is here, but he may not feel it in his distant place.
Sin Brings False Feelings of Hatred
When the pasuk says vecharah af Hashem, Hashem’s anger will burn, it’s the same as all the other instances where we learn about the “hand” of Hashem or the “eyes” of Hashem; it’s not meant literally. It refers to the restriction in shefa resulting from the distance that a person has distanced himself—which makes it seem as though there’s Divine anger.
The sefarim hakedoshim tell us this clearly: After he has sinned, a person erroneously feels as if Hashem is angry at him. This is the result of the timtum halev that is a result of the aveirah, which prevents us from feeling Hashem’s love. The truth is that even though he is distant, and even though he sees his shefa restricted, the strong love from Hashem remains in place in the strongest way. The punishment for the aveirah is that he doesn’t properly feel it. Conversely, the rectification for this aveirah is to exert himself to remember Hashem’s love, which brings the return of this feeling to him.
Distorting Love
Of course, this can be misconstrued by some people who will say, “Hashem loves me in any case; I can continue to do as I wish.” This is a terrible concept, which the Gemara refers to as echeta ve'ashuv, I will sin, and later repent. This person uses the unconditional love of Hashem to help him sin. This brings a terrible timtum halev, and such a person isn’t given the opportunity to do teshuvah, because he distorts the truth of Hashem’s love in exchange for a path of falsehood.
But when do utilize this approach properly, and we contemplate how much the Ribbono shel Olam loves us, this arouses and awakens us to want to be better and never again transgress Hashem’s wishes, this repairs and rectifies our blemishes, and the mutual love between Hashem and His children becomes stronger and stronger.
Point to Ponder
The Ribbono shel Olam Is Never Angry
