Sanhedrin 43B

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: כל הזובח את יצרו ומתודה עליו, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו כיבדו להקדוש ברוך הוא בשני עולמים ⁠– העולם הזה והעולם הבא, דכתיב: ״זבח תודה יכבדנני״.

§ Apropos the last verse cited in this baraita, R' Yehoshua ben Levi says: With regard to anyone who slaughters his evil inclination after it has tempted him to sin, if he repents and confesses his sin, the verse ascribes him credit as though he had honored God in two worlds, this world and the World-to-Come, as it is written: “Whoever slaughters a thanks-offering [toda] honors Me [yekhabdaneni]” (Psalms 50:23), which can also be read as: Whoever slaughters his evil inclination and confesses [mitvadeh] honors Me, and the two instances of the letter nun in the word yekhabdaneni allude to the two worlds.

ואמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: בזמן שבית המקדש קיים, אדם מקריב עולה ⁠– שכר עולה בידו, מנחה ⁠– שכר מנחה בידו. אבל מי שדעתו שפלה, מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו הקריב כל הקרבנות כולן, שנאמר: ״זבחי אלהים רוח נשברה״. ולא עוד, אלא שאין תפלתו נמאסת, שנאמר: ״לב נשבר ונדכה אלהים לא תבזה״.

And R' Yehoshua ben Levi also says: When the Temple is standing, if a person sacrifices a burnt-offering, he has the reward given for bringing a burnt-offering, and if he sacrifices a meal-offering, he has the reward given for bringing a meal-offering. But as for one whose spirit is humble, the verse ascribes him credit for his prayer as though he has sacrificed all the offerings, as it is stated: “The offerings of God are a broken spirit” (Psalms 51:19), which teaches that a broken spirit is equivalent to the offerings to God, in the plural. And moreover, his prayer is not rejected, as it is stated in the continuation of that verse: “A broken and contrite heart, God, You will not despise.”

מתני׳ היה רחוק מבית הסקילה כעשר אמות, אומרים לו: ״התודה״, שכן דרך כל המומתין מתודין. שכל המתודה יש לו חלק לעולם הבא, שכן מצינו בעכן שאמר לו יהושע: ״בני שים נא כבוד לה׳ אלהי ישראל ותן לו תודה״. ״ויען עכן את יהושע ויאמר אמנה אנכי חטאתי וכזאת וכזאת וגו׳״. ומנין שכיפר לו וידויו? שנאמר: ״ויאמר יהושע מה עכרתנו יעכרך ה׳ ביום הזה״. ביום הזה אתה עכור, ואי אתה עכור לעולם הבא.

Mishnah: When the condemned man is at a distance of about 10 cubits from the place of stoning, they say to him: Confess your transgressions, as the way of all who are being executed is to confess. As whoever confesses and regrets his transgressions has a portion in the World-to-Come. For so we find with regard to Achan, that Joshua said to him: “My son, please give glory to YHWH, God of Israel, and make confession to Him” (Joshua 7:19). And the next verse states: “And Achan answered Joshua, and said: Indeed I have sinned against YHWH, God of Israel, and like this and like that have I done.” And from where is it derived that Achan’s confession achieved atonement for him? It is derived from here, as it is stated: “And Joshua said: Why have you brought trouble on us? YHWH should trouble you this day” (Joshua 7:25). Joshua said to Achan as follows: On this day of your judgment you are troubled, but you will not be troubled in the World-to-Come.