„Faith (is revealed)* in its purity through the possibility of heresy”

Faith is revealed precisely when a person has the free choice of heresy—precisely when a person is familiar with the other options and does not jump onto the wagon of faith out of habit. This is perhaps one of the clearest explanations for the statement brought in the Gemara in Berachot: 'In the place where penitents stand, the completely righteous cannot stand'—because of the fact that penitents are familiar with sin and with the enormous renunciation they made, and nevertheless choose faith and the good.

As Rav Kook explains in Orot HaTeshuvah, the intention is not specifically to people who underwent a reversal between worlds, but to each and every one of us. The fact that we know that it is possible to sin, and nevertheless choose the good, places us in a higher place.

*What is written in parentheses we added to ease the understanding.

For the recovery of David ben Malka.