Shabbat Shuva | Teshuva Mei'Yir'a: The Runaway Son

From KMTT - the Torah Podcast by KMTT.

• Published: Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:16:00 +0000
• Duration: 19:47
• Audio: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/kmtt/Haftara_ShabbatShuva_Haazinu5787_REWeber.mp3?dest-id=12657
• Page: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/kmtt/Haftara_ShabbatShuvaHaazinu5787_REWeber.mp3
• TorahApp: https://torahapp.org/share/p/3P_kmtt/e/c94f2ca2-b37b-4307-a82b-8c9b5858bc1c

Shabbat Shuva | Teshuva Mei'Yir'a: The Runaway Son, by Rav Eli Weber

Why would Chazal choose the "cynical," self-interested model of teshuva for the Shabbat before Yom Kippur? 

Hoshea 14:2-10, Mikha 7: 18-20, Yoel 2: 15-27

The Haftara of Shabbat Shuva models a modest, even self-interested form of teshuva — returning to God not out of love but out of disappointment that other paths failed — and insists that this lesser teshuva is still fully accepted, the way parents unconditionally welcome home a child who returns only because he has nowhere else to go. Since teshuva mei'ahava (the transformative ideal) is a standard most people can't consistently meet, teshuva mei'yir'a remains a vital, always-available option — one that all of us need, and should choose.