This coming Shabbat, we will read Parashat Vayikra in the synagogue, in which the Torah commands us to bring sacrifices as atonement for our sins. Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto explained in his weekly lecture that there are sins for which one can repent, and there are transgressions so severe that they cross a boundary—for which no atonement or forgiveness is possible.
Rabbi Pinto cited the Talmud (Berachot 10a), which tells the story of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes and the troublemakers who lived in his neighborhood. These men were wicked and caused Rabbi Meir much grief. Rabbi Meir wanted to pray that they would be punished and die. But his wife Bruriah, a righteous and wise woman, intervened. She pointed out that the verse says, “Let sins be eradicated from the earth” (Psalms 104:35) — sins, not sinners. The verse teaches us to pray that the sins be removed, not the people. The goal is that the sinners should repent and return to a righteous path.
Rabbi Meir accepted her words and prayed instead for their repentance. In response, those men indeed repented and changed their ways.
Rabbi Pinto continued: This idea is echoed in the verse, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight” (Proverbs 15:8). The Torah calls the “sacrifice of the wicked” an abomination — not because it is wrong to oppose evil, but because cursing the wicked and hoping for their demise is not the divine path. Rather, “the prayer of the upright is His delight” — meaning, praying that the wicked repent and change their ways is what truly pleases God. The true greatness of a person lies not in condemning the wicked to death, but in praying for their return to goodness.
Rabbi Pinto then told the story of Shmuel HaNagid, a great Jewish leader who was a close advisor to the King of Spain and held a senior governmental position. One day, while walking through a marketplace with the king, a man stood up and shouted slander at Shmuel HaNagid — accusing him of stealing from the monarchy and living off the state. The king, enraged by the public humiliation of his minister, ordered Shmuel to punish the man in his name and “cut out his tongue.”
A year later, the king and Shmuel again passed through the same place. The same man was there, but this time he was praising and glorifying the king and Shmuel. The king turned to Shmuel and asked, “Why didn’t you cut out his tongue, as I ordered?”
Shmuel replied, “I did cut out his evil tongue. Come closer, Your Majesty, and you will hear how he now speaks.” The king listened and was amazed. Shmuel then said, “It is no great accomplishment to silence someone by force or to destroy him. The true greatness lies in transforming his mindset and behavior.”
“There are people,” concluded Rabbi Pinto, “who behave wickedly, but they haven’t yet crossed the ultimate boundary. For such individuals, there is still a path to repentance. As Bruriah told Rabbi Meir — let the sins be eradicated, not the sinners. However, one must always be aware not to cross that line, for beyond it, there is no forgiveness. As long as that boundary hasn’t been crossed, one should pray for transformation — for sin to disappear, and for the sinner to return to God. Because in the place where even the most righteous cannot stand, the penitent are welcomed. Better to change the tongue to speak goodness, as Shmuel HaNagid did, than to cut it out.”
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel