Tshuva: Become a New Entity

Lubavitcher Rebbe, Shir Hama'alos Mima'amakim 5748

There are two levels of tshuva: the inyan of tshuva and the mehus of tshuva. The inyan of tshuva is on specific things, and even if the tshuva is not for a sin or an aveira, it nevertheless reflects going to a higher level in his divine service, that he proceeds and increases in the completeness of his divine service until this matter is as it should be, and in this way he perfects all the areas of his divine service until all of his divine service corresponds to what is expected of him.

But the mahus of tshuva is that from his present spiritual state and spiritual condition he goes up to a higher level, which is a new spiritual state and spiritual condition which is completley incomparable to his where he was before this. That is to say that he goes up to a state and condition that is not comparable at all, to such a degree that one cannot use the terms "higher" or "lower" with regards to his previous condition because it is completely irrelevant to try to compare them, insofar as he has become a new reality which [did not evolve from his previous condition but rather] came into being truly from nothing.