5842 —הסליחה תיכף ומיד והגאולה כסדרה – ביאור דברי אגרת התשובה פרק יא

B"H, 13 Marcheshvan, 5718

Brooklyn.

Mr. Avraham Moshe, may he live

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In reply to your letter of the 5th of Cheshvan, in which you raise a point on what is said in chapter 11 of Igeres HaTeshuvah of our master, the Alter Rebbe: how is it possible that we return and sin between the blessing סלח לנו "forgive us" and the blessing גואל ישראל "Who redeems Israel"?

But you do not explain what compels you to interpret the Alter Rebbe's words, "we return and sin," as referring to that interval. For although, with regard to the request for pardon and forgiveness, He Who is רב לסלוח "abundant in forgiveness" forgives immediately as we ask סלח לנו "forgive us," for what could delay it?*, with regard to the redemption, although the wording is נגאלין מיד "we would be redeemed immediately," it does not mean "immediately" in the above sense. For there is an order in the redemption: the coming of Eliyahu the Prophet (see Malachi 3:23), and a number of matters before it and after it, as explained in several sayings of our Sages, of blessed memory.

Incidentally, the idea of the redemption coming immediately after teshuvah is also the wording of the Rambam, Laws of Teshuvah, chapter 7, halachah 5.

You surely know of the three well-known daily study portions in Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya; at least from now on you should keep to them.

With blessing.

*) See also Kiddushin 49b.

Publisher's notes

Mr. Avraham Moshe (מר אברהם משה שי'): Greenberg, Bnei Brak.

Summary

This letter distinguishes two "immediately"s in Igeres HaTeshuvah: forgiveness is granted the moment it is asked, while "we would be redeemed immediately" still allows for the ordered stages of the redemption. It closes by urging the recipient to keep the three daily study portions of Chumash, Tehillim and Tanya.