Similarly, Rav Adda bar Ahava said: A person who has a transgression in their hand, and they confess but do not repent for the sin, to what is it comparable? To a person who holds in their hand a dead lizard, which renders one ritually impure by contact. As in this situation, even if one immerses in all the waters of the world, one's immersion is ineffective for them, as long as the source of ritual impurity remains in their hand. However, if they have thrown the lizard from their hand, once they have immersed in a ritual bath of forty se'a, the immersion is immediately effective for them.
What is the comparison between confession without repentance to ritual immersion with a dead lizard? What does it say about confession without repentance?
How do you draw the distinction between "confession" and "repentance"?
What is your lizard?
What are some of our communal and societal lizards?
(*Forty se'a is the standard size of a ritual bath, or mikveh, and is about 150 gallons.)
Anyone who verbalizes their confession without resolving in their heart to abandon sin can be compared to a person who immerses themself in a mikvah (ritual bath) while holding the carcass of a lizard in his hand. Their immersion will not be of avail until they cast away the carcass. This principle is implied by the statement, [Proverbs 28:13], "One who confesses and forsakes sin will be treated with mercy." It is necessary to mention particularly one's sins as evidenced by Moses' confession, [Exodus 32:31]: "I appeal to You. The people have committed a terrible sin by making a golden idol."
What are the meanings of the two verses from the Bible?
Why might Maimonides reference the biblical story of the Golden Calf here?