Effect of Sin

Notable Sources

All Sources

The Ever-Present Sin

TANAKH

Personal recognition and constant awareness of one's own sins is a profound theme in the Psalms. The Psalms, an anthology of 150 poems, include expressions of personal and communal lament, praise, and introspection.

for I recognize my transgressions,
and am ever conscious of my sin.

Psalms 51:5

The Sin of Jeroboam

TALMUD

Jeroboam's actions to lead the masses into sin were so elaborate that they included making the golden calf hover and speak. The Talmudic tractate Sanhedrin, in its final chapter, discusses the actions of Jeroboam and their impact on the people.

What did he do that caused the masses to sin? There are those who say that he hung a magnetic rock on Jeroboam’s sin, i.e., on the golden calf that Jeroboam established as an idol, so that he suspended it between heaven and earth, i.e., he caused it to hover above the ground. This seemingly miraculous occurrence caused the people to worship it even more devoutly than before. And there are those who say: He engraved the sacred name of God on its mouth, and it would declare and say: “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2)…

Sanhedrin 107b:6

Torment in Sheol

COMMENTARY

The vivid and continuous torment of the wicked in Sheol, where they are subjected to alternating extremes of fire and ice, and are constantly prodded by an angel, draws a parallel to shepherding as described in Psalms 49:15. Rabbeinu Bachya, a medieval Jewish commentator, offers a detailed and graphic depiction of the afterlife and divine justice.

I have seen a comment in Midrash Sidduro shel Olam that Sheol is the seventh layer, consisting partly of fire and partly of hail (ice). The wicked jump from the fire into the ice to cool off and from the ice into the fire to warm themselves, a continuous process. The angel supervising what goes on in purgatory keeps hounding them and prodding them just as a shepherd prods his flock from hill to hill to mountain. The Midrash bases itself on Psalms 49,15: “Sheeplike they head for Sheol, with death as their shepherd.”

Rabbeinu Bahya, Bamidbar 16:33:2

The Disruption of Divine Providence

KABBALAH

David's sin with Bathsheba was not just a personal failing but an attempt to force a divine plan, leading to his punishment. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, offers a complex interpretation of biblical events, emphasizing divine providence and the consequences of altering it.

For it has been taught that Bathsheba was destined for David from the Creation, and what kept her from him was his marrying the daughter of King Saul. On that day Uriah obtained her by a special grace, though she was not really his. Afterwards David came and took his own; and it was because David anticipated matters by killing Uriah that God was displeased with him, and He punished him that he might be established in the supernal holy kingdom.

Zohar, Achrei Mot 67:395

The Preemptive Creation of Gehenna

MIDRASH

God created Gehenna even before the world to ensure that His creatures would be aware of the consequences of their actions. The Midrash Tanchuma, an early medieval collection of midrash, provides moral and ethical lessons through stories and interpretations.

After He fashioned the firmament, He created the angels, and the fire of Gehenna on the second day, for about that day it is not written: And God saw that it was good (Gen. 1:1). However, the pits of Gehenna were created two thousand years before, as it is said: For a hearth is ordered of old (lit. “yesterday”) (Isa. 30:33). Just as a man who is about to purchase some slaves tells his servants: “Prepare the executioner’s sword so that they will hear the call to judgment if they should rebel,” likewise, the Holy One, blessed be he, may His Name be blessed…

Midrash Tanchuma, Chayei Sara 3:6

The Gravity of Idolatry

COMMENTARY

The sin of creating the Golden Calf was not merely a misunderstanding or a lesser offense, but rather a significant transgression equated with the most heinous crimes. Everett Fox’s analysis of this incident highlights its gravity by comparing it to the sin of Jeroboam in I Kings 16:26.

Some scholars have sought to soften the sin of the calf by claiming that the Israelites did not view it as an idol but rather merely as a representation of the divine. This does not seem to be borne out by the text, either in the Decalogue or later in the Jeroboam incident, which is often equated with the most heinous crimes (see I Kings 16:26).

The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox, Exodus, Part V; The Covenant Broken and Restored, The Sin of the Molten Calf 3

The Dual Punishment of Korah

MIDRASH

The dual punishment of Korah, who was both burned and swallowed up, ensures that no group could claim he escaped divine retribution. The Midrash Tanchuma Buber, an early medieval collection of midrash, discusses the thoroughness and fairness of divine justice in the punishment of Korah and his followers.

(Numb. 16:35:) AND A FIRE WENT FORTH FROM THE LORD AND CONSUMED THE TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY MEN OFFERING THE INCENSE. The other ones had been swallowed up, but these were burned; and Korah stood among those who were burned, as Moses had said (in Numb. 16:17): YOU ALSO AND AARON, EACH HIS CENSER. Moreover, Korah received more <punishment> than all of them, in that he was <both> burned and swallowed up. And why were both sentences carried out against him? Because if he had been burned but not swallowed up…

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Korach 23:5

Walking in Darkness

JEWISH THOUGHT

Sin and distractions can obscure the intrinsic truth and virtue within the human soul, leading to spiritual deprivation and darkness. Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook’s work, Musar Avikha, delves into the importance of truth and reverence in one's spiritual life, emphasizing personal development and ethical conduct.

According to this, the truth is that the matters of truth are etched into our nature, and our soul will give it no rest (unless we actively confound it through distractions of luxuries or indecencies, which dim its light) until it attains its true nature, which is for all the virtues to serve the Lord. According to this, a person who shuts his eyes to contemplation of reverence [yirah] is severely robbing his soul by depriving it of its nature. It is just like one who shuts his eyes so he can’t see or constantly plugs his ears so that he can’t hear…

Musar Avikha 1:1:11

The Earth’s Response to Sin

TARGUM

The sin of Cain had immediate and tangible consequences on the natural world, transforming the earth's bounty into thorns and thistles. The Targum Jerusalem, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible, expands on the biblical narrative to emphasize the consequences of Cain's actions.

And Kain went out from before the Lord, and dwelt in the land of exile and wandering, eastward of the garden of Eden. And it had been before Kain slew Habel his brother that the earth multiplied fruits, as the fruits of the garden of Eden; (but) from (the time that) he sinned and killed his brother, it changed, to produce thorns and thistles.

Targum Jerusalem, Genesis 4:16

A Father's Hidden Face

COMMENTARY

God’s act of hiding His face is likened to a father who, despite needing to discipline his son, cannot bear to watch the pain he causes. The medieval Torah commentary Chizkuni explores the concept of 'Hester Panim' (divine concealment) during times of suffering.

והסתרתי פני מהם, “I will hide My face from them.” This is evidence of G-d’s fondness of the Jewish people, His acting like a father who while forced to discipline his son cannot bring himself to watch the pain he is inflicting upon him.

Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 31:17:1

The Perils of Honor and Jealousy

MUSAR

Korach's rebellion against Moses was driven by jealousy and the pursuit of honor, leading to his ultimate destruction. In the 18th-century ethical work Mesillat Yesharim, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto explores the moral and spiritual dangers of seeking power and honor.

What caused the destruction of Korach and his assembly? Only honor as scripture states explicitly: "do you also seek the priesthood?" (Bamidbar 16:10). Our sages told us that all this grew out of Korach's seeing Elitzafan ben Uziel promoted to head of the tribe, and he wanted to be head in his place (Bamidbar Rabbah 18:2).

Mesillat Yesharim 11:158

The Necessity of Repentance for Atonement

TOSEFTA

Repentance is essential for atonement, even on Yom Kippur. The Tosefta, an ancient collection of rabbinic laws and teachings from the land of Israel, emphasizes that sin offerings, guilt offerings, death, and Yom Kippur do not effect atonement unless accompanied by repentance.

A sin offering, a guilt offering, and death, and Yom Kippur -- none of them effect atonement except [when accompanied] with repentance, as it is said (Lev. 23:27), "But on the tenth day, etc." If he repents, he atones himself, and if not, he does not effect atonement on himself. Rabbi Eliezer says (Ex. 34:7), "and He cleanses [and does not cleanse]" -- He cleanses those who repent, and He does not cleanse those who do not repent. Rabbi Yehuda says, death and Yom Kippur atone with repentance, repentance atones with death, and the day of death -- behold, it is like repentance.

Tosefta Yoma 4:10

Comprehensive Atonement on Yom Kippur

MISHNAH

Yom Kippur offers a comprehensive atonement for a wide range of transgressions, including those that are intentional, unintentional, minor, major, known, or unknown. The Mishnah, the first codification of Jewish law from the early third-century land of Israel, details the rituals of Yom Kippur, emphasizing the significance of the scapegoat and sacrificial offerings in achieving atonement.

And for the intentional defiling of the Temple or its sacrificial foods, both the goat whose blood presentation is performed inside the Sanctuary on Yom Kippur, and Yom Kippur itself, atone. The mishna delineates how atonement is effected for other transgressions: For all other transgressions that are stated in the Torah, whether they are the minor ones or the major ones, whether they were intentional or unwitting…

Mishnah Shevuot 1:6

Fasting for Reflection and Repentance

HALAKHAH

The prophets instituted fast days to inspire repentance and reflection after the destruction of the First Temple. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, in his contemporary presentation of Jewish law, Peninei Halakhah, explains the spiritual and practical aspects of these fast days.

After the destruction of the First Temple, the prophets instituted fast days in commemoration of the terrible events surrounding its destruction and the exile of the Jews from their land. They wished to inspire the people to feel pain and mourn the destruction and the exile, and lead them to repent and rectify the evil deeds that caused all the misfortune that has been visited upon the Jewish people from then until this very day.

Peninei Halakhah, Zemanim 6:1:2

The High Priest's Sacred Journey

GUIDES

The intricate Yom Kippur service, especially the High Priest's entrance into the Holy of Holies, symbolizes the profound process of atonement and purification. Adin Steinsaltz provides a detailed exploration of the Yom Kippur rituals, including the High Priest's purification, special garments, and sacrificial offerings.

The Yom Kippur service is performed in all of these areas. However, its essence and its primary element is the entrance of the High Priest into the Holy of Holies to burn the incense and sprinkle the sacrificial blood, to atone for and purify the Jewish people once each year. The preparations for the entrance of the High Priest into the inner sanctum, his purification, his special garments, and the offerings he sacrifices on his behalf and on behalf of the congregation of Israel, all these are the components of the Yom Kippur service…

Introductions to the Babylonian Talmud, Yoma, Introduction to Yoma 7

A Corrective Measure, Not Destruction

SECOND TEMPLE

The Israelites' punishment for their sin was not total destruction but a corrective measure, much like parental discipline. Josephus, the 1st-century Jewish historian, recounts the Israelites' forty-year wandering in the wilderness and the promise that their children would inherit the land of Canaan.

How Moses Was Displeased At This, And Foretold That God Was Angry And That They Should Continue In The Wilderness For Forty Years And Not, During That Time, Either Return Into Egypt Or Take Possession Of Canaan.
1. Moses came now boldly to the multitude, and informed them that God was moved at their abuse of him, and would inflict punishment upon them, not indeed such as they deserved for their sins, but such as parents inflict on their children, in order to their correction. For, he said, that when he was in the tabernacle…

The Antiquities of the Jews 3:15:1

Communal Responsibility in Sin and Atonement

LITURGY

Sin and atonement are communal as well as personal. The Avodah service in the Yom Kippur Musaf prayer highlights this by describing the High Priest's confession and plea for forgiveness for himself and his household, illustrating the collective nature of seeking atonement.

And this was his confession: I beg of You Hashem; I have sinned, acted wickedly and rebelled against You, I and my household. I beg of You, with Your Name, atone the sins, iniquities, and rebellions that I have sinned, acted wickedly, and rebelled against You, I and my household; as is written in the Torah of Moshe, Your servant, from the mouth of Your glory: “For on this day He will make atonement for you, to cleanse you from all your sins, before Adonoy.”

Machzor Yom Kippur Ashkenaz, Musaf for Yom Kippur, The Avodah Service 3

Relatedראו גם

Middah Kenegged Middah

Punishment

Sins

Sheetsדפי מקורות

Related Sheets