Repairing And Reformation

The Gemarah Rosh Hashana (16b) says א"ר יצחק ד' דברים מקרעין גזר דינו של אדם אלו הן צדקה צעקה שינוי השם ושינוי מעשה.  Rashi explains שינוי מעשה is שב מרעתו.  The Ritva asks ולא נהירא דהא פשיטא שאם אינו שב מדרכיו כטובל ושרץ בידו הוא שאין מועיל לו שום תשובה? 

The Mishna Yoma says לִפְנֵי מִי אַתֶּם מִטַּהֲרִין וּמִי מְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם, אֲבִיכֶם שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל לו, כה) וְזָרַקְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם מַיִם טְהוֹרִים, וּטְהַרְתֶּם, וְאוֹמֵר (ירמיה יז, יג): מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל ה.  Why the need for two pessukim? 

The Shem Mishmuel (Rosh Hashana 5571) explains the Rashi that there are two types of teshuva.  One is a person who sees they are on the wrong path and stops going further and for that one also needs the צדקה צעקה שינוי השם to rip up the decree for one has corrected themselves going forward but the past was never corrected. Then there is a greater form of teshuva where one is able to turn around and go backward and fix the past. This is a deeper form of teshuva and that is the teshuva Rashi is referring to when he is saying this form of a שינוי מעשה, where the person becomes totally reformed, doesn't require anything else to rip up the decree. 

In light of this we can understand the Mishna. The Mishna is referring to these two types of teshuva. There is the teshuva of mikva, where one goes in one plunge and takes removes the tumah, that is the teshuva of stopping to go on the wrong path. It is a quick change for the better.  The taharah of mikveh represents instantaneous disengagement from sin.

The second possuk compares teshuva to the sprinkling of water.  Sprinkling goes on a person drop by drop. This represents gradual internal reformation, a slow, deliberate reconstruction of the soul. This is the  greater form of teshuva which takes time for one to reconstruct their inner essence, their entire approach to life and to transform the person into a שינוי מעשה, a new individual.