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Rabbi YY Jacobson - Attribute #3: G-d Will Get His Hands “Dirty” with My Filth | Tomer Devorah #5

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Author: Rabbi YY Jacobson
Categories: Religion
Tags: religion
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 10:03 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Emulate God's third attribute of compassion, "Over al Pesha" (passing over transgression), by personally getting involved to help people who have sinned rather than delegating their repair to others. The speaker frames this as a model for kindness: do not stay in your "ivory tower" or assume the filth is beneath you, and also remember that wrongdoing is a betrayal of the Creator, so refrain from sin out of respect for the Divine who would have to "do the laundry."

Key Points

  • The third attribute, "Over al Pesha," means God passes over or forgoes transgression, drawn from Micah 7, and the speaker presents it as a "stupendous" attribute.
  • God does not forgive through a messenger; He personally washes away blemishes and toxicity, citing Psalms 130, Isaiah 4, and Ezekiel 36.
  • According to Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (the Ramak), as taught through the Lubavitcher Rebbe, God rejects the idea of sending intermediaries, even though one might expect a holy King to avoid filth.
  • The Rebbe's humorous illustration describes a chain of messengers (the shamash, assistant rabbi, rabbi, angels, Seraphim) before God Himself steps in, and the Ramak rejects this chain.
  • Sin is an offense against the Creator, who encompasses everything, which is why God personally intervenes.

Details Worth Noting

Concrete instructions:

  • Do not assume that a person's sin or filth makes them beneath your involvement; become willing to step down from your "ivory tower" and help.

  • Show courage, resilience, love, and sensitivity toward others; do not run away or hide from people who are struggling.

  • Avoid a "holier than thou" attitude; open your heart and offer people the dignity they deserve.

  • Help people return to their "true, untarnished essence" by encouraging, inspiring, and giving them hope.

  • Before sinning, remember that God Himself will be the one cleaning up, and therefore think twice about lying, cheating, speaking, or looking at things that betray your Divine essence.

  • Have compassion even toward someone who is content in their filth, and extend that compassion to God as well.

  • The speaker's illustration is explicitly described as humorous, using the shamash and assistant rabbi as examples of a delegation chain.

  • The teaching is drawn from the Ramak's Tomer Devorah, as explained through a talk given by the Lubavitcher Rebbe on the 20th of Iyar, 5724 (1964), expounding his father's teachings.

  • The class is part of a series on Sefer Tomer Devorah, the Palm Tree of Devorah.

  • The speaker frames the forgiveness as God personally cleansing "toxicity" and "negativity," however extreme the transgression.

Bottom Line

Divine forgiveness is portrayed as hands-on and personal, and the speaker asks listeners to mirror that by engaging with people's failings directly while taking sin seriously because it offends the Creator.