What is written, "Fortunate is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is concealed", he asks: what [does] "sin is concealed" [mean]? And he answers: the Colleagues have already explained that sin that is concealed from people which he transgressed against G‑d, for he confessed it before G‑d [and repented]. (Yoma 86b)

But come see: when one sins, once, twice, and thrice and didn't repent, then his sins are revealed to others, he is publicized Above and below, and Announcers [angels in charge of announcements] walk before him and announce [and although men cannot hear this announcement, their mazal hears, causing them to hate the sinner without knowing why]. Keep away from around so–and-so [for he has been sentenced as one ostracized]. He is castigated by his Master [and banished from the world of Atzilut], castigated Above [and banished from the worlds of Beriya and Yetzira] and castigated below [in the world of Asiya; he is castigated in all places because he has blemished all the worlds]. Woe to him for blemishing his [soul which is in his] Master's image. Woe to him for not being concerned for his Master's honor [for he sinned 2 or 3 times and didn't repent]. The Holy One, blessed be He, reveals his iniquity Above. This is the meaning of, "The heaven [the Holy One blessed be He, Zeir Anpin] shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth [malchut] shall rise up against him [to punish him]". (Job 20:27)

And when a man walks the path of his Master and strives in His service, and happens to sin once, all cover it, the higher and lower beings [so the accusers not harm him]. This is called, "whose sin is covered" [and meanwhile he repents].

Rabbi Aba said to him [to R. Hiyya], You have not yet reached the crux of the [meaning of the] verse but you spoke well, and whatever the Colleagues said is also nice. But if this is [the correct explanation of the verse], it should have said, 'covered/mechuse sin'. Why does it say, "Who is covered/ksui [by] his sin (as this covering/kisui)"?

There are two matters of wisdom here as follows. The one, as we learned that from the good deeds man performs in this world a costly and distinguished garment is made in the supernal world for him to wear. (Zohar Vayechi 224a)

When man does good deeds yet evil deeds [later] overpower him, and the Holy One, blessed be He, pays him attention [and sees] that his evil deeds are more numerous [than his merits] and indeed he is evil, for he is found to be a sinner and guilty before his Master. He wonders about [and regrets] the good deeds he already performed. Then he is entirely lost from all [goodness], from this world [for he will not be resuscitated with the dead] and the World to Come [for his soul is cut off and he has no portion of holiness]., What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do from the good deeds the sinner accomplished before [his disgrace]?

Even though the wicked sinner is [completely] lost, those good deeds and merits he produced are not lost but if there is a righteous man who walks the ways of the supernal King and has made garments from his deeds, but before completing his garment he departed [from this world at a young age]. The Holy One, blessed be He, completes and perfects his garment from the deeds the evil sinner produced for him to be proper[ly attired] in that world. [The sinner lost his garment through his regretful thoughts and the righteous one acquired it through his thoughts and intentions to do more good deeds, if not that he ran out of time in this world.] This is the meaning of "[a sinner] may prepare it [a garment from his good deeds] but the righteous shall wear it". (Job 27:17) The sinner prepared it and the righteous man covers himself with what he prepared. This is the meaning of, "whose sin is a covering" [for the wise one's covering is from the sinner's good deeds]. Hence it is not written that it is covered, but that is it a covering.

The second [teaching] is that the sin that a worthy one has committed is covered within [those powers] called the depths of the sea. For one who falls into the depths of the sea is never found again since the water covers him. This is the meaning of, "And You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea". (Micah 7:19) What are the depths of the sea? This is a precious mystery, which Rabbi Shimon explained.

BeRahamim LeHayyim: In just 2 weeks' time we will be doing Tashlich! It is our solemn hope that G‑d will dismiss our sins on the Day of Judgment. We go to a body of water, ideally one that contains live fish. (Those in Jerusalem go to cisterns. Even a bucket of water or perhaps a fish tank can do the trick.) Water is a parable for our unconscious depths. Perhaps we are trying to take our sins, admit them, regret them, vow not to repeat, and then pushing them out of our mind's eye, with the knowledge that if we are sincere they will descend deep. But they never really disappear. For if we return to them, it can be high tide, and they will surface to be dealt with again. Better to do the work first, and to put them all in cement shoes to never grace our frontal lobes in the future.

What does the above mean for your Teshuvah, and why is it being revealed to you right now?

Bracketed annotations from Metok Midevash and Sulam commentaries
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