Judaism is a religion of Original Repentance, not Original Sin.

I do not remember the first time I learned that, or from whom, but certainly our reading of Genesis 2—the story of the Garden of Eden—does not imagine us all at fault, “paying for” the actions (sins?) of Adam and Eve. Rather, as Rabbi Yael Ridberg writes, sin is the result of our negative human tendencies or inclinations, known in Hebrew as the yetzer hara (the inclination toward evil), which must be channeled in ways that affirm life by the influence of the yetzer hatov (the inclination to goodness). Sin exists in Jewish tradition, but it is seen as personal and ongoing—and, it is also seen as an invitation. Rabbi Ridberg continues by saying: The word in Hebrew for sin (ḥet) literally means something that goes astray, like an arrow that misses the mark. When an archer misses the target, it is not a permanent failure. Rather, an archer can keep trying to get arrows closer to the target and ultimately to its center. 

With all of that, however, this week’s Torah portion tells the story of the Golden Calf, which, contrary to the prior paragraph, seems to be a collective sin of the Jewish people, and one to which God returns in moments of anger throughout our tradition. To use the language of psychology, it is a moment of deep rupture; what is perhaps more remarkable is that it is followed, almost immediately, with the moment of repair. We are introduced to the formula, the incantation, to offer before God when we have gone astray.

This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa, introduces the 13 Attributes of God. We chant these words on our festivals and High Holy Days, standing in front of the open Ark. The text says: “Whenever Israel sins, let them recite this [the Thirteen Attributes] in its proper order and I will forgive them.”

I have spent many a High Holy Day service, both in my youth and even now, trying to parse the verses and count the 13. For you today, I’ll give you the accepted count, based on the Medieval scholars Rabbeinu Tam and Abudraham, who teach the following:

  1. Adonai–God is merciful before a person sins, even while that future evil may lie dormant within them.
  2. Adonai–God is merciful after the sinner has gone astray.
  3. God (El)–a name that denotes power as ruler over nature and humankind, indicating that God’s mercy sometimes surpasses even the degree indicated by this name.
  4. Compassionate (rahum)–God is filled with loving sympathy for human frailty, does not put people into situations of extreme temptation, and eases the punishment of the guilty.
  5. Gracious (v’hanun)–God shows mercy even to those who do not deserve it, consoling the afflicted and raising up the oppressed.
  6. Slow to anger (ereh apayim)–God gives the sinner ample time to reflect, improve, and repent.
  7. Abundant in Kindness (v’rav hesed)–God is kind toward those who lack personal merits, providing more gifts and blessings than they deserve; if one’s personal behavior is evenly balanced between virtue and sin, God tips the scales of justice toward the good.
  8. Truth (v’emet)–God never reneges on God’s word to reward those who serve God.
  9. Preserver of kindness for thousands of generations (notzeir hesed la-alafim)–God remembers the deeds of the righteous for the benefit of their less virtuous generations of offspring (thus we constantly invoke the merit of the Ancestors).
  10. Forgiver of iniquity (nosei avon)–God forgives intentional sin resulting from an evil disposition, as long as the sinner repents.
  11. Forgiver of willful sin (pesha)–God allows, even those who commit a sin with the malicious intent of rebelling against and angering God, the opportunity to repent.
  12. Forgiver of error (v’hata’ah)–God forgives a sin committed out of carelessness, thoughtlessness, or apathy.
  13. Who cleanses (v’nakeh)–God is merciful, gracious, and forgiving, wiping away the sins of those who truly repent; however, if one does not repent, God does not cleanse.

The two verses cover a lot of ground and offer many a reflection point for our own behaviors and choices. Where do we find ourselves within these 13 Attributes? And where might we want to grow? Where are we most human? And, where might we strive to be more like the Divine?

— Rabbi Sari Laufer