At first glance, teshuva seems straightforward — recognize your mistakes, feel remorse, and resolve to change. Yet when we examine the Rambam’s Hilchos Teshuva closely, questions start to emerge.

The Rambam identifies only vidui, confession, as a formal obligation. But what about the inner, emotional process of teshuva itself? Is that also a mitzvah?

Some argue that teshuva is not a mitzvah in its own right. Rather, it is the process we undertake when we have failed to fulfill one of Hashem's commandments. On a deeper level, teshuva cannot be classified as a mitzvah because it expresses the essence of the neshama, a dimension that transcends the framework of mitzvos altogether.

This perspective offers profound insight into the true nature of teshuva and helps explain why the Rambam discusses the principle of free choice specifically in the context of Hilchos Teshuva. As we will learn, an authentic return to Hashem from the depths of our soul cannot be commanded, because it is not an external obligation but an expression of who we truly are, the ultimate manifestation of our free choice.

In this episode, Menucha Schochet sets the premise for how to think of teshuva in regard to others and ourselves. We then delve into the sources, discussing whether or not Teshuva is a mitzvah, and begin exploring the connection between Teshuva and free will.

Listen to part 2 for a deeper discussion of the connection between Teshuva and free will in light of the story of Yosef and his brothers, and as exemplified by Elazar ben Durdaya.

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