Where was Reuven (that he had to “return”)? Rabbi Eliezer (Midrash) says, “Reuven was occupied with fasting; he was dressed in sackcloth as penitence for changing the placement of his father’s bed. Hashem (in accepting Reuven’s repentance) said to him, ‘From the beginning of time, there has not been anyone who had transgressed and repented. You are the first one. As reward, your descendant will stand and declare/exhort the people to return/repent.’” This is a reference to the Navi Hoshea, a descendant of Reuven, who proclaimed, Shuvu Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha, “Return Yisrael to Hashem, your G-d.” This Midrash begs elucidation. Was Reuven the first to repent? What about Kayin, who repented? Furthermore, Chazal teach that Adam HaRishon also repented. Why is Reuven singled out as the first penitent when, in fact, two others preceded him?
The commentators, each in his own inimitable manner, distinguish between the varied approaches to teshuvah manifest by Adam, Kayin and Reuven. The Brisker Rav, zl, offers a novel understanding of Reuven’s teshuvah. Reuven was about to perform the mitzvah of hatzolas nefashos, saving his brother’s life. This was no ordinary mitzvah (not that any mitzvah may be called “ordinary”). Saving a life is saving a world; he was saving all future generations that would descend from Yosef. Reuven wanted to be sure that this mitzvah was executed b’shleimus, complete perfection. People often perform mitzvos assuming that they are doing something special, wonderful and great, when, in fact, the end result of this mitzvah is far from laudatory. Thus, to ensure that there would be no errors, Reuven wanted to purge himself of any vestige of sin.
This form of teshuvah is unlike any teshuvah previously performed. This was not teshuvah to expunge a previous sin; rather, this was teshuvah prior to a mitzvah, for the express purpose of perfecting the upcoming mitzvah. This is the meaning of Hashem’s declaration to Reuven, Atah posachta liteshuvah techilah, “You ‘opened’ with repentance ‘first.’ Prior to you, no one had thought of repenting before carrying out a mitzvah. You taught the world that if one wants to perfect the performance of a mitzvah, he must first be pristine, cleansed of sin. This can only be done through prophylactic teshuvah. This is the meaning of Hoshea’s proclamation Shuvah Yisrael ad Hashem Elokecha, “Before you go approach Hashem, ie; perform a mitzvah, repent, so that your mitzvah will be complete and perfect.” Pouring wine from a filthy pitcher is clearly not the same as pouring from a pitcher that is pristine of all dirt. Should mitzvah performance be any different?
Perhaps we can offer an alternative explanation for Reuven receiving the accolade of “first repenter.” While he was preceded in repentance by Adam and Kayin, Reuven’s teshuvah was unique, so that it earned him the distinction of being the first to repent. Adam and Kayin repented their defined sin. Reuven’s sin was not defined. The Torah writes, Vayeilech Reuven, vayishkav es Leah, “Reuven went and lay with Leah” (Bereishis 35:22). Actually, what had transpired was quite different. Following Rachel Imeinu’s death, Yaakov Avinu established his primary residence in Bilhah’s tent. Reuven considered this an affront to his mother, Leah Imeinu. In order to defend his mother’s honor, he took the initiative to move his father’s bed to Leah’s tent. The Torah implies Reuven’s act was an egregious sin, when, in fact, it was a grave error motivated by impetuosity and righteous indignation over what he perceived to be his mother’s shame. Nonetheless, our great leaders are held to a higher, more exacting standard – one that transforms an error into a grievous sin.
Having said this, we may now view Reuven’s teshuvah in a different light. He did not simply repent his indiscretion, his error in judgment. Reuven repented the grievous sin as described by the Torah. His teshuvah was above and beyond the pale of his sin, because he understood how his error would be viewed in a perspective consistent with his lofty spiritual plateau. His was not the average teshuvah. His repentance set a standard which raised the barometer of teshuvah to a higher bar. Veritably, that is the way it should be, since the effect and repercussion of a sin is not a “one size fits all” phenomenon.
