{"id":68392,"date":"2020-01-11T22:50:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-11T20:50:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=68392"},"modified":"2023-08-04T16:31:41","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T13:31:41","slug":"the-lowly-in-spirit-and-the-contrite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-lowly-in-spirit-and-the-contrite\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cLowly In Spirit\u201d And \u201cThe Contrite\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[459,571,699],"acf":{"old_id":"68392","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"391","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A view from above","content":"

In verse 15 of this chapter, we read that God declares that although He dwells \u201con high\u201d and \u201cin holiness,\u201d He is nevertheless concerned with even \u201cthe lowly in spirit\u201d and \u201cthe contrite.\u201d Malbim* elaborated on this polarity in an extended analysis of a prevalent contemporary phenomenon: the <\/span>ba`al teshuva<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201ccontrite and lowly in spirit\u201d is the penitent (ba`al teshuva). Three arguments have been advanced against the possibility of repentance: [A] Since God is \u201chigh aloft,\u201d and since the importance of a sin is measured by the value of the one against whom it is committed, because God is infinitely \u201chigh aloft\u201d it stands to follow that the punishment of one who sins against him would be infinite and could not be atoned for by repentance. [B] Since He \u201cdwells forever\u201d and is unchangeable, how could His will be altered by an act of repentance? [C] Since His \u201cname is Holy,\u201d how could His holiness be reconciled with one who defiled himself and spurned His holiness? How could such a flaw ever be corrected? To these, God replies that although He is sublime, He abides the downtrodden\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Malbim maintained that not only were these arguments unpersuasive but, <\/span>au contraire<\/span><\/em>, they promote the possibility of repentance. If the first argument was that there can be no atonement for a sin committed against an infinite God, His very infinity expands the prospects for penitence, for otherwise no one could survive because no one is sinless.\u00a0 If the other arguments were that repentance is inimical to His unchanging and sacred nature, that only goes to prove how incapable we are of truly comprehending Him, so we cannot blithely assume that He is constrained by our assumptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

*For the significance of Malbim\u2019s commentary to the Book of Isaiah,<\/span> see our introduction to chapter 1.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":68393,"id":68393,"title":"is57-view from above","filename":"is57-view-from-above.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-lowly-in-spirit-and-the-contrite\/is57-view-from-above\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is57-view-from-above","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":68392,"date":"2020-01-11 20:50:31","modified":"2020-01-11 20:50:45","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1455,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above-300x227.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":227,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above-768x582.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":582,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above-1024x776.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":776,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1164,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above.jpg","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1455,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above-1200x909.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":909,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is57-view-from-above-554x420.jpg","home_baner-width":554,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"The 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