Musar על יומא 171:15

The summary of the matter: one who is hired out to his fellow for any kind of work, behold, all of his hours are sold to his employer for the workday as the Sages stated: "to hire oneself out is to sell oneself for the day" (Bava Metzia 56b). Whatever time he takes for his own pleasure, whatever it may be, is completely guilty of stealing. And if his employer does not forgive him, he is not forgiven. For the Sages already stated: "sins between man and his fellow are not atoned for on Yom Kippur until he has pacified his fellow"(Yoma 85b).

Our sages, of blessed memory, taught: "What constitutes profanation of the Name? Rav said: If, for example, I were to take meat from the butcher and not pay him at once... Rabbi Yochanan said: In my case [it is a profanation if] I walk four cubits without Torah and Tefillin." (Yoma 86a).

In one's speaking: our sages, of blessed memory, said: "one should always speak with other people in a gentle manner" (Yomah 86a). This is stated explicitly in scripture: "the words of the wise are heeded [when spoken] gently" (Kohelet 9:17). One's words should be of honoring [others] not of belittling them. Likewise scripture says: "he who belittles his fellow lacks sense" (Mishlei 11:12), and "when the wicked comes, there also comes contempt" (Mishlei 18:3).

Said Rabbi Levi, "Great is repentance for it reaches to the very Throne of Glory," as it is said (Hos. 14:2) "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Yoma 86a). And our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "When Moses went up to the first firmament he found groups of angels. They opened before him the Book of the Torah and read of God's work on the first day of Creation. And then they paused and began to tell the praises of the Torah. Then Moses ascended to the second firmament and he found bands of angels who were reading of the work of the second day of creation and then they paused and began to tell the praises of the Torah and of Israel. He then ascended to the third firmament and he found troops of angels reading of the work of the third day of Creation, and they paused and began to speak in praise of Jerusalem. He ascended to the fourth firmament where he found angels reading of the work of the fourth day of Creation and they paused and they began to tell the praises of the Messiah. Then he went up to the fifth firmament and he found companies and companies of angels reading of the work of the fifth day of Creation. And they paused and began to tell of the sadness and sorrow of Gehenna. Then he ascended to the sixth firmament and found there angels, and they were reading of the work of the sixth day of Creation and they paused and began to tell about Paradise, and they beseeched the Holy One, Blessed be He, to make Paradise the portion of Israel. Then he went up to the seventh firmament and found there heavenly creatures called Ofanim, Seraphim, and Galgalim, and angels of mercy, and angels of kindness and justice, and angels of fear and trembling. At once Moses took hold of the Throne of Glory. They began to read of the work of the seventh day, the portion beginning, "And the heaven and the earth were finished" (Gen. 2:1). And they paused and they began to tell the praise of repentance, to teach you that repentance reaches to the very Throne of Glory, as it is said, "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. 14:2).

The fifth principle of repentance is worry. One should worry about the punishment of his sins, for there are sins where repentance holds the atonement in suspense and only afflictions cleanse away the wrong (Yoma 86a), as it is said, "For I do declare mine iniquity; I am full of care because of my sin" (Ps. 38:19). And what is the difference between sorrow and worry? Sorrow is for what has already taken place, while worry concerns the future. And a person who has sinned should always worry whether he has fallen short in the matter of repentance and has not completed the full measure of repentance. And he should worry lest his evil inclination overpower him. As our Sages, of blessed memory, said, "Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death" (Aboth 2:4).

One who profanes the Name of God — profanation of the name of God is an exceedingly great sin. And what is profanation of the name of God? Rav said, "For example, if I go to a butcher and buy meat and I haven't the money to pay for it at once." The meaning of this is that if one makes light of dishonesty or robbery, then people will learn very quickly from him and will make even lighter of such a wrong (Yoma 86a). Rabbi Johanan said, "As far as I am concerned, if I walk four cubits without speaking words of the Torah or wearing Tefillin, I am guilty of profaning God's name." And the meaning of this statement is that from his example people may learn to regard these sacred things very lightly. Isaac, of the school of Rabbi Yannai said, "Profanation of God's Name is anything which causes shame to a person's companions when they hear of it, that is to say, when it is said of him that he has done unworthy deeds, people will learn from his deeds and will think, "If he can do these things, then we certainly can" — and permit themselves to commit transgressions which otherwise they would not. Rabbi Abahu said in the name of Rabbi Haninah (Kiddushin 40a), "It is better that a man should commit a transgression secretly, so that he should not profane the Name of God publicly." And the meaning of this is that other people should not learn of his bad deeds.

If a man has committed transgressions for which he is liable to be cut off from among his people or to be condemned to death by the court, then repentance and the Day of Atonement atone for half of his sin, while afflictions that come upon him atone for half. "But if he has been guilty of the profanation of the Name, then penitence has no power to suspend punishment, nor the day of Atonement to procure atonement, nor suffering to finish it, but all of them together suspend the punishment and only death finishes it" (Yoma 86a, and see T.P. Yoma 8:8). Therefore, a man should guard himself exceedingly from profaning the Name of God, and he should keep away from ugly conduct and from that which resembles it. And the principal requirement in repenting for profaning the Name of God is that he should make known his sins in the presence of many, and he should say, "Do not learn from me, for in my folly I have sinned, I have perverted, I have trespassed, I have profaned the Name of God, Blessed be He." And he should keep many fasts and he should confess every day until the day of his death.

Great is repentance, for it brings man near to the Divine Presence, as it is said, "Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. 14:2; and see Yoma 86a). And it is said, "Yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the Lord God" (Amos 4:6). And it is said, "If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, Yea, return unto Me" (Jer. 4:1), that is to say, "If you will return with repentance, you will cleave to me." Repentance brings near those who are far off. Last night this man was hated before God, Blessed be He, — defiled, far removed, an abomination — but today he is loved and precious and near and dear. And so you find this clearly shown in the language with which the Holy One, Blessed be He, thrusts away the sinners and the language with which He receives those who are repentant, whether it be one person or whether it be many, as it is said, "And it shall come to pass that instead of that which was said, unto them 'Ye are not my people', it shall be said unto them 'Ye are the children of the living God' " (Hos. 2:1).