Teshuvah - What's it all about?

(6) Seek the Eternal while God can be found, Call out while God is near. (7) Let the wicked give up their ways, The sinful one their plans; Let them turn back to the Eternal, And God will pardon; To our God, Who freely forgives.

(12) Go, make this proclamation toward the north, and say: Turn back, O Rebel Israel—declares the Eternal. I will not look on you in anger, for I am compassionate—declares the Eternal; I do not bear a grudge for all time. (13) Only recognise your sin; for you have transgressed against the Eternal your God, and scattered your favours among strangers under every leafy tree, and you have not heeded Me—declares the Eternal. (14) Turn back, rebellious children—declares the Eternal. Since I have espoused you, I will take you, one from a town and two from a clan, and bring you to Zion.

(21) Moreover, if the wicked one repents of all the sins that they committed and keeps all My laws and does what is just and right, they shall live; they shall not die. (22) None of the transgressions committed shall be remembered against them; because of the righteousness they have practiced, they shall live. (23) Is it my desire that a wicked person shall die?—says the Eternal God. It is rather that they should turn back from their ways and live.

(21) Take us back, O Eternal, to Yourself, And let us come back; Renew our days as of old!

Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: Great is repentance, as it brings healing to the world, as it is stated: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely” (Hosea 14:5).

Rabbi Chama bar Chanina raised a contradiction. It is written in one verse: “Return, you backsliding children” (Jeremiah 3:14), implying that initially when you sinned, it was only because you were backsliding, i.e., rebelling. But it is written: “I will heal your backsliding” (Jeremiah 3:22), implying that God will heal the sin from this point onward, and that they are still sinners. This is not difficult: Here, where everything is forgiven it is out of love; there, it is out of fear.

Rabbi Yehuda raised a contradiction between two verses. It is written: “Return, you backsliding children I will heal your backsliding” (Jeremiah 3:22), implying that anyone can achieve healing. But it also states: “Return, O backsliding children, says the Eternal, for I have espoused you, and I will take you one from a city, and two from a family” (Jeremiah 3:14), implying that repentance is available only to certain individuals. This is not difficult: Here, it is referring to repentance out of love or fear, ; there, it referring is repentance through suffering.

Rabbi Levi said: Great is repentance, as it reaches the heavenly throne, as it is stated: “Return, Israel, to the Eternal your God” (Hosea 14:2)...

Reish Lakish said: Great is repentance, as the penitent’s intentional sins are counted for him as unwitting transgressions, as it is stated: “Return, Israel, to the Eternal your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity” (Hosea 14:2). Doesn’t “iniquity” mean an intentional sin? Yet the prophet calls it stumbling. Is that so? Didn’t Reish Lakish himself say: Great is repentance, as one’s intentional sins are counted as merits, as it is stated: “And when the wicked turns from their wickedness, and does that which is lawful and right, they shall live thereby” (Ezekiel 33:19). This is not difficult: Here, when one repents out of love; there, when one repents out of fear...

It was taught that Rabbi Meir would say: Great is repentance because the entire world is forgiven on account of one individual who repents, as it is stated: “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for My anger has turned away from him” (Hosea 14:5). It does not say: From them, i.e., from the sinners, but “from him,” i.e., from that individual.

(2) What is teshuvah? It is when a person abandons the sin that they sinned and removes it from their thoughts and commits in their heart not to do it again, as it says, The wicked should abandon their path etc. (Isaiah 55:7). And also that they regret sinning, as it says, After I returned I regretted (Jeremiah 31:18). And the One Who Knows Hidden Things testifies about them that they will never return to this sin, as it says, And we will no longer call the work of our hands “god” etc. (Hosea 14:4). And one must confess verbally and say these things that they have committed to in their heart.

(4) Among the ways of teshuvah are for the penitent to constantly shout before God with crying and pleading; and to give charity according to their ability; and to distance themselves very far from the thing in which they sinned; and to change their name, meaning to say “I am someone else and I am not the same person who did those things;” and to change all of their actions for good and onto the straight path; and to go into exile, because exile atones for sins since it forces one to bow and to be humble and of low spirit.

(6) Even though teshuva and crying out are desirable all year, on the ten days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, they are more desirable, and are immediately received, as it says: "Seek the Eternal when God can be found." This is talking about someone who is doing teshuva alone. But if someone if doing teshuva as part of a community, anytime that they do teshuva with a full heart, they are answered, as it says, [For what great nation is there, that has God so near to them,] as the Eternal our God whenever we call (Deuteronomy 4:7).