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At first glance, teshuva seems straightforward — recognize your mistakes, feel remorse, and resolve to change. Yet when we examine the Rambam’s Hilchos Teshuva closely, questions start to emerge.

The Rambam identifies only vidui, confession, as a formal obligation. But what about the inner, emotional process of teshuva itself? Is that also a mitzvah? 

Some argue that teshuva is not a mitzvah in its own right. Rather, it is the process we undertake when we have failed to fulfill one of Hashem's commandments. On a deeper level, teshuva cannot be classified as a mitzvah because it expresses the essence of the neshama, a dimension that transcends the framework of mitzvos altogether.

This perspective offers profound insight into the true nature of teshuva and helps explain why the Rambam discusses the principle of free choice specifically in the context of Hilchos Teshuva. As we will learn, an authentic return to Hashem from the depths of our soul cannot be commanded, because it is not an external obligation but an expression of who we truly are, the ultimate manifestation of our free choice.

In this episode, Menucha Schochet engages in a deep discussion about the connection between Teshuva and free will in light of the story of Yosef and his brothers, and as exemplified by Elazar ben Durdaya.

Listen to part 1, where we set the premise for how to think of teshuva in regard to others and ourselves, before delving into the sources - discussing whether or not Teshuva is a mitzvah, and beginning to explore the connection between Teshuva and free will.

Visit: https://www.batshevalearningcenter.com/product-page/can-teshuva-be-commanded to download our digital source booklet.

Visit: https://www.batshevalearningcenter.com/booklets to find out more about bringing this content to the women of your community with our annual event packages.

At first glance, teshuva seems straightforward — recognize your mistakes, feel remorse, and resolve to change. Yet when we examine the Rambam’s Hilchos Teshuva closely, questions start to emerge.

The Rambam identifies only vidui, confession, as a formal obligation. But what about the inner, emotional process of teshuva itself? Is that also a mitzvah? 

Some argue that teshuva is not a mitzvah in its own right. Rather, it is the process we undertake when we have failed to fulfill one of Hashem's commandments. On a deeper level, teshuva cannot be classified as a mitzvah because it expresses the essence of the neshama, a dimension that transcends the framework of mitzvos altogether.

This perspective offers profound insight into the true nature of teshuva and helps explain why the Rambam discusses the principle of free choice specifically in the context of Hilchos Teshuva. As we will learn, an authentic return to Hashem from the depths of our soul cannot be commanded, because it is not an external obligation but an expression of who we truly are, the ultimate manifestation of our free choice.

In this episode, Menucha Schochet sets the premise for how to think of teshuva in regard to others and ourselves. We then delve into the sources, discussing whether or not Teshuva is a mitzvah, and begin exploring the connection between Teshuva and free will.

Listen to part 2 for a deeper discussion of the connection between Teshuva and free will in light of the story of Yosef and his brothers, and as exemplified by Elazar ben Durdaya.

Visit: https://www.batshevalearningcenter.com/product-page/can-teshuva-be-commanded to download our digital source booklet.

Visit: https://www.batshevalearningcenter.com/booklets to find out more about bringing this content to the women of your community with our annual event packages.

The first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed for sins no one could miss: idol worship, forbidden relations, bloodshed. A society that falls that far at least knows what it has done.

The second is harder to account for. The generation that lost it was learned and observant. The Gemara points to Sinas Chinam, but it also names something stranger: a failure of leadership it calls too humble.

That is a hard accusation to sit with. Humility is among the qualities we prize most in our service of Hashem, the trait the Torah gives to Moshe Rabbeinu himself. How could it be the thing that burned the Sanctuary and sent us from our land?

This episode follows that question through the story of Kamtza and bar Kamtza and the commentators who take it apart, asking where humility ends and inaction begins, whether staying silent can be its own kind of choice, and what real leadership asks of us in our own everyday decisions. As we mourn through the Three Weeks, it is also a way to think about the mindset that brings us closer to rebuilding.

Follow along in the Learning Booklet, available for download here: https://www.batshevalearningcenter.com/booklets

Megilas Rus is one of the shortest books in Tanach — a simple story of loss and loyalty set against the backdrop of the barley harvest. And yet it was canonized, read publicly every Shavuos, and studied across generations.

Rus herself is one of the quietest figures in all of Tanach. She doesn't perform miracles or deliver speeches. She follows, gleans, and waits — and every act she performs is for someone else, without fanfare, without anyone asking.

In this episode, Hadassah and Chana explore that chesed: what it looks like, where it comes from, and why it's bound up with the greatest moment in Jewish history.

Daf 49 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 48 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 47 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 46 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 45 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 44 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 43 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 42 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 41 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 40 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 39 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 38 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 37 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 36 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 35 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 34 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 33 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 32 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 31 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 30 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 29 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 28 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 27 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 26 of Maseches Sotah.

Thank you to Gavi Groberman for sponsoring this episode.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 25 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 24 of Maseches Sotah.

Thank you to Devorah Leah Paltiel for sponsoring this episode in honor of her grandfather's yartzeit: Moshe ben Nissan.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 23 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 22 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 21 of Maseches Sotah.

Thank you to Chaya Nourafshan for sponsoring this episode.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 20 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 19 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 18 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 17 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 16 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 15 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 14 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 13 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 12 of Maseches Sotah.

Thank you to Adina Weisner for sponsoring this episode.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 11 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 10 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 9 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 8 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 7 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 6 of Maseches Sotah.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 5 of Maseches Sotah.

Thank you to an anonymous sponsor from Australia who sponsored today's daf in honor of her birthday.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.

Daf 4 of Maseches Sotah.

Thank you to Raizy Leitner for sponsoring this episode.

This series is hosted by Hadassah Shemtov and Devorah Silberstein.