Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses Rabbi Shimon’s position that an invalidated sacrifice, such as one that was slaughtered at night, since it only became disqualified once it was already in a sanctified place — that is, once its service and worship function had already begun — it too is not taken off the altar if it was erroneously put on. This would be in contradistinction to a disqualification that occurred prior, such as an animal that was set aside for idolatry before it was pledged for a sacrifice. In that case, even after it was put on the altar, it still would be taken down. Rabbi Shimon’s rule, succinctly stated, is: “Any unfit offering whose disqualification occurred in sanctity — if it ascended onto the altar, it shall not descend.”
Beis Yisrael (Tzav 5711) interprets this metaphorically: If a person becomes disqualified because of his sins, so long as some part of him still remains attached to holiness, he will not be totally lost and he can return.
I will suggest a small adjustment. To be more faithful to the text of the rabbinic statement, it is not “so long as he still remains attached to holiness”, but rather so long as he was initially attached to holiness, even if he later became disqualified. Interpreting it this way introduces a nuance: He does not even need to be attached to holiness right now — so long as he once authentically was attached to holiness, before he strayed from the path, that will serve as an anchor and allow for his eventual return.
Aside from being more correct in terms of the text, intuitively this also rings true. We have seen people whose foundations in religion were authentic and deep — sometimes granted through strong and healthy family attachment to religion — and they are more likely to return. However, if the original foundation was not pure, if it was built on unhealthy assumptions or practices, they may never return.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
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Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com