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What type of yagon (remorse) leads to effective teshuvah - sorrow over personal spiritual losses or over damaging the relationship with Hashem (ה׳)? The Tomer Devorah's teaching that neshama-pain awakens Divine mercy more than physical suffering reveals that authentic teshuvah requires focusing outward on relational damage, not inward on personal deficits.
This shiur explores the concept of yagon (remorse/sorrow) in teshuvah from Rav Moshe Cordovero's Tomer Devorah. The primary question addressed is what constitutes proper yagon: should one feel bad about what they did to Hashem (ה׳), or about their own spiritual losses? The speaker analyzes a passage that compares the pain of sin to losing money - just as losing money causes distress, so too should one feel distress over spiritual damage. However, the critical distinction is made that true yagon must focus outward on the relationship with Hashem, not inward on personal losses. The shiur examines three possible interpretations of proper yagon: 1) A combination of regret for harming Hashem plus regret for personal spiritual loss, 2) Pure focus on what was done to Hashem, or 3) Sorrow specifically about the damaged relationship and loss of connection with Hashem. The speaker strongly argues against the first interpretation, noting that depression and self-focused sorrow are counterproductive to teshuvah.
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Tomer Devorah on the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy
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