Teshuvah Without Sadness

When Yosef told his brothers, “And now, do not be sad that you sold me,” the Tiferes Shlomo notes that the word “now” (ve'ata) hints at teshuvah. A baal teshuvah turns over a new leaf, and from this moment his new life begins and the past is forgiven. Yosef was telling his brothers to repent of what they had done, but not to do so in a state of sadness. Teshuvah is a mitzvah, and every mitzvah must be done with joy, as the verse says, “Serve Hashem with gladness.” So a person should not dwell on past failings, but look at the present and be joyful.