Forgiveness Through Kol Yisrael and Shabbos

1Or one may read “Say to Him: Forgive all iniquity and accept the good” [Hoshea 14:3] according to our holy master, Rebbe Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk, zt"l, in his sefer Noam Elimelech (Parshas Devarim). He teaches that there is a world called “Kol Yisrael,” “All Israel,” in which everyone is included through the holy tzaddikim. (The holy Maggid of Kozhnitz expands on this in his sefer Avodas Yisrael on Avos.) Further, through the holiness of Shabbos each and every person can merit complete teshuvah; see there. This is the meaning of “Say to Him: Kol, forgive iniquity”: in the merit of the world called Kol, forgive iniquity. And in the merit of Shabbos, which is called “good,” as it says, “It is good to give thanks to Hashem” (Tehillim 92:2), and as Rashi explains there (Hoshea 14)¹, through keeping Shabbos I will merit teshuvah. “And accept the good”: accept the Shabbos kept by all Israel. Take it, look upon it, and please have compassion on them. (From the author's handwritten manuscript.)