Then they will confess their sin and the sin of their forefathers…and also for having behaved toward Me haphazardly. I, too, will behave toward them haphazardly, and bring them into the land of their enemies.[1]
Our commentators struggle to understand these verses. If the people have been brought to their knees and recognize their sins – if they have therefore confessed those sins before Hashem – why does He reject their repentance, and subject them to further punishment? Haven’t they done exactly what they are supposed to do?
The simple answer is: No. They haven’t. In the same breath that they own up to their transgressions, they criticize the behavior of their forebears as well! They therefore downplay the severity of their aveiros in their minds. Yes, we indeed sinned. But we were in good company. Our illustrious predecessors couldn’t escape the allure of sinning either. We were simply following in their footsteps. We are all products of our family histories. We repeat the behaviors that have been passed down to us – including the unholy ones. We indeed sinned – but we could hardly be expected to have escaped the influence of those who came before us.
Confession is supposed to lead to full recognition of the horror of transgression. By pointing to their ancestors as sinners, they diminish the severity of their sin. They therefore fail to do genuine teshuvah.
While their confession should result in complete contrition, they try to mitigate their sin. A real aveirah, they argue, is performed deliberately, knowingly, with malice and forethought. But since we are simply victims of our upbringing, our transgressions should not be seen as deliberate. They should be viewed as casual, haphazard.
Hashem therefore responds – measure for measure – that “I, too, will behave toward them haphazardly.” The consequences of their sins will continue. I will not rescue them until they can move towards real teshuvah.
- Vayikra 26:40-41 ↑