Chapter 3
However, if the person creates spiritual blemishes through sin, thereby drawing down life-force from holiness into "the Side Opposite of holiness," and he did not refine and transform what he needed to from the body and animal soul, as explained above, how this the purpose of the G-dly soul’s descent into this world, it is for this situation that we were given the idea of Teshuva, as we say in the 5th bracha of the Shemona Esrai, “and bring us back with complete Teshuva before You.”
And even though our Sages said, regarding Teshuva (Yoma 86a) “If someone sinned, but then did Teshuva, before he moves from his place he is already forgiven,” nonetheless, even though he is forgiven, the lack remains with regard to the revelation of Hashem that he was supposed to reveal in the process of refining and transforming the body and the animal soul.
The question is: Even if Teshuva brings forgiveness, how does that help the fact that he didn't fulfill the purpose of why his G-dly soul came into this world to reveal Hashem and transform the body and animal soul to holiness?
However, this is the deeper aspect of Teshuva that we ask Hashem for when we say, “Bring us back with complete Teshuva “לפניך-before You.” The deeper meaning of לפניך (lit. before You) is “לפנים-Your innermost Essence,” which is beyond even the level of how Hashem is “סוֹב ב כ ל ע לְמ ין-encompasses all worlds,” which only encompasses and surrounds limited worlds. But, Hashem’s Essence is totally beyond any relationship with the worlds, even with regard to relating to them only in an encompassing and distant way.
And, through Teshuva the person draws down a new revelation from the Essence of Hashem, which fills in all the blemishes and whatever was lacking in the revelation of Hashem.
However, the question remains: How is it possible for a limited person to call forth from such a high level, from Hashem's Essence, to draw down a new revelation from Him?
The word “לפני-before/in front of” is related to the word “פנים-face” and the word “לפנים-inside of," since the word "פנים-face” is both the front of the person and is also the connection point to the inside of the person, both physically (through the senses and through breathing and eating) and spiritually, through the face is how one communicates to the person and connects to their soul. Thus the word לפניך which could mean "to your face" could also mean "to your inside."
