Unorthodox opinion from an Orthodox rabbi (God must Repent)

[Pavel Mosko]

From rabbi Boteck Schmulley, the infamous "God must repent" video/post that made waves on the internet whenever it was originally released.


I managed to eventually get a full transcript from Grok. (From a Linked In, video that was less than 3 minutes long)

"Hi everyone. Not a lot of words can add to the power of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day and the day of atonement.
But I want to share this story with you as we go into this most sanctified of days, the Sabbath of all Sabbaths, Shabbat Shabbat.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak loved the Jewish people so much. He lived in such a horrible time, pogroms against the Jewish people in Russia. Uh, non-stop slaughter, which has sadly characterized so much of Jewish history.

And then one Yom Kippur, everyone wanted to pray in his synagogue, you know, like a kind of like a big shack, right?
And uh they're the prayers are long in Yom Kippur. So they're all waiting and the Rebbe, Rabbi Levi gets up to pray and he sits down. Everyone's waiting. He gets up again and he sits down. Gets up again and then he just stands there for like two hours. People are sweating and they can't shrink and they're all squeezed together and they have to go another 23 hours after that without water, without food.

So finally the beadle, the shamas, his assistant comes over and says, 'Rebbe, the community they're tired, they need to go home, what's going on?'
So he turns around and says, 'Everybody please sit down.' And he says to them, 'You know I wasn't here to waste your time. I'm sorry for the past two hours I've been speaking with God and debating God. God revealed to me that a terrible decree is coming against our people here in [Russia?]. People are going to die, people are going to be killed. And I begged him to stop it. And God said, "But so much of your community, you know, they gossiped about each other. People committed adultery, people stole in business, people broke the Sabbath. And you know, this is what's going to happen."

And Rabbi [Levi] said, "And I looked up to God and I said, 'Lord, Master of the Universe, He who fills the infinite expanse of space, you're correct. My community is highly imperfect. Some did commit adultery. Some did steal. Some did gossip, some did envy, some did fail to honor the Sabbath. It's all true.'
He said, 'But not one of them made a woman a widow this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them made a child an orphan this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them allowed a massacre of the Jewish people in this community in Russia, in Belarus, in Lithuania. But you did, oh Lord. If you forgive us for our tiny infractions, our tiny sins, we will forgive you for your great ones.'

I hope this will be a year of teshuva for all of us before God. And I hope that God will also restore his love for the Jewish people, which is always there. It's always constant, but it has to be in a manifest way. God bless you all."

---

This is the direct transcription from the video (minor auto-transcript artifacts like "Yam Kipur" / "Rebi" fixed for readability based on clear audio context; the spoken words match exactly otherwise). It's the classic Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev story, adapted by Shmuley to reference modern suffering (pogroms + implied Oct 7 context).
For your Christianity board thread/Facebook post, this literal version lets you quote it directly and contrast with passages like Numbers 23:19 ("God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind"), Malachi 3:6, or James 1:17 on divine immutability and holiness. The story is a form of Jewish "chutzpah prayer" or lament tradition, but many (including Christians and some Jews) see it as crossing into presumptuous territory theologically.

As we repent this Yom Kippur for our sins, will God repent for His “sins” against the Jewish people? | Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

As we repent this Yom Kippur for our sins, will God repent for His “sins” against the Jewish people?

www.linkedin.com

 

[David Lamb]

From rabbi Boteck Schmulley, the infamous "God must repent" video/post that made waves on the internet whenever it was originally released.


I managed to eventually get a full transcript from Grok. (From a Linked In, video that was less than 3 minutes long)

"Hi everyone. Not a lot of words can add to the power of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day and the day of atonement.
But I want to share this story with you as we go into this most sanctified of days, the Sabbath of all Sabbaths, Shabbat Shabbat.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak loved the Jewish people so much. He lived in such a horrible time, pogroms against the Jewish people in Russia. Uh, non-stop slaughter, which has sadly characterized so much of Jewish history.

And then one Yom Kippur, everyone wanted to pray in his synagogue, you know, like a kind of like a big shack, right?
And uh they're the prayers are long in Yom Kippur. So they're all waiting and the Rebbe, Rabbi Levi gets up to pray and he sits down. Everyone's waiting. He gets up again and he sits down. Gets up again and then he just stands there for like two hours. People are sweating and they can't shrink and they're all squeezed together and they have to go another 23 hours after that without water, without food.

So finally the beadle, the shamas, his assistant comes over and says, 'Rebbe, the community they're tired, they need to go home, what's going on?'
So he turns around and says, 'Everybody please sit down.' And he says to them, 'You know I wasn't here to waste your time. I'm sorry for the past two hours I've been speaking with God and debating God. God revealed to me that a terrible decree is coming against our people here in [Russia?]. People are going to die, people are going to be killed. And I begged him to stop it. And God said, "But so much of your community, you know, they gossiped about each other. People committed adultery, people stole in business, people broke the Sabbath. And you know, this is what's going to happen."

And Rabbi [Levi] said, "And I looked up to God and I said, 'Lord, Master of the Universe, He who fills the infinite expanse of space, you're correct. My community is highly imperfect. Some did commit adultery. Some did steal. Some did gossip, some did envy, some did fail to honor the Sabbath. It's all true.'
He said, 'But not one of them made a woman a widow this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them made a child an orphan this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them allowed a massacre of the Jewish people in this community in Russia, in Belarus, in Lithuania. But you did, oh Lord. If you forgive us for our tiny infractions, our tiny sins, we will forgive you for your great ones.'

I hope this will be a year of teshuva for all of us before God. And I hope that God will also restore his love for the Jewish people, which is always there. It's always constant, but it has to be in a manifest way. God bless you all."

---

This is the direct transcription from the video (minor auto-transcript artifacts like "Yam Kipur" / "Rebi" fixed for readability based on clear audio context; the spoken words match exactly otherwise). It's the classic Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev story, adapted by Shmuley to reference modern suffering (pogroms + implied Oct 7 context).
For your Christianity board thread/Facebook post, this literal version lets you quote it directly and contrast with passages like Numbers 23:19 ("God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind"), Malachi 3:6, or James 1:17 on divine immutability and holiness. The story is a form of Jewish "chutzpah prayer" or lament tradition, but many (including Christians and some Jews) see it as crossing into presumptuous territory theologically.

Such a view seems to show a total misunderstanding of what sin is - disobeying God, either by doing something He forbids, or by not doing something He commands. It sounds as though Rabbi Levi has a different notion of sin, because he seems to think that God can sin, in other words, disobey Himself. This is so different to what the Bible says about God. For example:

(Jas 1:13) Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

(1Jn 1:5) This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

(Psa 143:10) Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

(Exo 34:6) And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

 

[Jericho]

"Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known--wood and stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul." Deuteronomy 28:64-65

All this was prophesied about as a consequence for their disobedience, which they fully agreed to. But they are not alone in this regard, Jew and gentile alike are dealing with the consequence sin. Adam too was warned about the consequence for disobeying, and he did it anyway. So, none can blame God when he gave fair warning. Unfortunately, we all have to live with those consequences.

 

[MatthewG]

From rabbi Boteck Schmulley, the infamous "God must repent" video/post that made waves on the internet whenever it was originally released.


I managed to eventually get a full transcript from Grok. (From a Linked In, video that was less than 3 minutes long)

"Hi everyone. Not a lot of words can add to the power of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day and the day of atonement.
But I want to share this story with you as we go into this most sanctified of days, the Sabbath of all Sabbaths, Shabbat Shabbat.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak loved the Jewish people so much. He lived in such a horrible time, pogroms against the Jewish people in Russia. Uh, non-stop slaughter, which has sadly characterized so much of Jewish history.

And then one Yom Kippur, everyone wanted to pray in his synagogue, you know, like a kind of like a big shack, right?
And uh they're the prayers are long in Yom Kippur. So they're all waiting and the Rebbe, Rabbi Levi gets up to pray and he sits down. Everyone's waiting. He gets up again and he sits down. Gets up again and then he just stands there for like two hours. People are sweating and they can't shrink and they're all squeezed together and they have to go another 23 hours after that without water, without food.

So finally the beadle, the shamas, his assistant comes over and says, 'Rebbe, the community they're tired, they need to go home, what's going on?'
So he turns around and says, 'Everybody please sit down.' And he says to them, 'You know I wasn't here to waste your time. I'm sorry for the past two hours I've been speaking with God and debating God. God revealed to me that a terrible decree is coming against our people here in [Russia?]. People are going to die, people are going to be killed. And I begged him to stop it. And God said, "But so much of your community, you know, they gossiped about each other. People committed adultery, people stole in business, people broke the Sabbath. And you know, this is what's going to happen."

And Rabbi [Levi] said, "And I looked up to God and I said, 'Lord, Master of the Universe, He who fills the infinite expanse of space, you're correct. My community is highly imperfect. Some did commit adultery. Some did steal. Some did gossip, some did envy, some did fail to honor the Sabbath. It's all true.'
He said, 'But not one of them made a woman a widow this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them made a child an orphan this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them allowed a massacre of the Jewish people in this community in Russia, in Belarus, in Lithuania. But you did, oh Lord. If you forgive us for our tiny infractions, our tiny sins, we will forgive you for your great ones.'

I hope this will be a year of teshuva for all of us before God. And I hope that God will also restore his love for the Jewish people, which is always there. It's always constant, but it has to be in a manifest way. God bless you all."

---

This is the direct transcription from the video (minor auto-transcript artifacts like "Yam Kipur" / "Rebi" fixed for readability based on clear audio context; the spoken words match exactly otherwise). It's the classic Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev story, adapted by Shmuley to reference modern suffering (pogroms + implied Oct 7 context).
For your Christianity board thread/Facebook post, this literal version lets you quote it directly and contrast with passages like Numbers 23:19 ("God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind"), Malachi 3:6, or James 1:17 on divine immutability and holiness. The story is a form of Jewish "chutzpah prayer" or lament tradition, but many (including Christians and some Jews) see it as crossing into presumptuous territory theologically.

As we repent this Yom Kippur for our sins, will God repent for His “sins” against the Jewish people? | Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

As we repent this Yom Kippur for our sins, will God repent for His “sins” against the Jewish people?

www.linkedin.com

Hey Pavel,

From Co-pilot.

1. Where the Bible says God “repented” or “changed His mind”​

The key verse is:

Genesis 6:6 “And the LORD repented that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.” (KJV)

The Hebrew word is נָחַם (nacham). It does not mean “repent from sin.” God has no sin.

It means:

• to be moved with sorrow
• to relent
• to be grieved
• to change course in response to human behavior

So Genesis 6:6 is describing God’s emotional response, not moral failure.

2. Other places God “relents” or “changes course”​

There are several:

• Exodus 32:14 – God “relented” from destroying Israel after Moses interceded.
• Jonah 3:10 – God “relented” from destroying Nineveh when they repented.
• 1 Samuel 15:11 – God “repented” that He made Saul king.

These all use nacham.

But notice: In each case, God is responding to human change, not changing His eternal nature.

3. So why does the Bible ALSO say God does not change?​

Verses like:

• Numbers 23:19 – “God is not a man… that He should repent.”
• Malachi 3:6 – “I the LORD do not change.”
• James 1:17 – God has “no shadow of turning.”

These refer to:

• God’s character
• God’s holiness
• God’s promises
• God’s nature

God does not change in His being. But He does respond relationally to human actions.

This is not contradiction — it’s two different categories:

Unchanging	Responsive
God’s nature	God’s actions in history
God’s holiness	God’s judgments or mercy
God’s promises	God’s dealings with people

A parent’s character doesn’t change, but their actions change depending on the child’s behavior.

4. So what about the Rabbi’s story?​

Rabbi Shmuley is drawing from a Jewish lament tradition where people speak boldly to God — like Moses, Abraham, Jeremiah, Job, and the Psalms.

But the story goes further than Scripture does by implying:

• God commits “sins”
• God needs our forgiveness
• God is morally responsible for evil

That’s where Christians (and many Jews) say: No — that crosses a line.

Even in Genesis 6, God is grieved because of human evil, not His own.

5. The biblical pattern is this:​

God does not change in His nature.​

(Malachi 3:6)

But God does change His actions in response to human repentance or rebellion.​

(Jonah 3:10, Exodus 32:14)

And God invites bold intercession — but never accusations of divine wrongdoing.​

(Abraham interceding for Sodom, Moses interceding for Israel)

The Rabbi’s story uses that tradition but pushes it into a kind of theological theater — a dramatic parable, not a doctrinal statement.

6. The clean answer for your thread​

If you want a crisp, scriptural explanation to post:

“Yes, Genesis 6:6 says God ‘repented,’ but the Hebrew word nacham means ‘to grieve’ or ‘to relent,’ not to repent from sin. God’s nature never changes (Malachi 3:6), but His actions respond to human behavior (Jonah 3:10). The Rabbi’s story is a Jewish parable of lament, not a literal claim that God commits sin or needs forgiveness.”

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Hey Pavel,

From Co-pilot.

1. Where the Bible says God “repented” or “changed His mind”​

The key verse is:

Genesis 6:6 “And the LORD repented that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart.” (KJV)

The Hebrew word is נָחַם (nacham). It does not mean “repent from sin.” God has no sin.

It means:

• to be moved with sorrow
• to relent
• to be grieved
• to change course in response to human behavior

So Genesis 6:6 is describing God’s emotional response, not moral failure.

2. Other places God “relents” or “changes course”​

There are several:

• Exodus 32:14 – God “relented” from destroying Israel after Moses interceded.
• Jonah 3:10 – God “relented” from destroying Nineveh when they repented.
• 1 Samuel 15:11 – God “repented” that He made Saul king.

These all use nacham.

But notice: In each case, God is responding to human change, not changing His eternal nature.

3. So why does the Bible ALSO say God does not change?​

Verses like:

• Numbers 23:19 – “God is not a man… that He should repent.”
• Malachi 3:6 – “I the LORD do not change.”
• James 1:17 – God has “no shadow of turning.”

These refer to:

• God’s character
• God’s holiness
• God’s promises
• God’s nature

God does not change in His being. But He does respond relationally to human actions.

This is not contradiction — it’s two different categories:

Unchanging	Responsive
God’s nature	God’s actions in history
God’s holiness	God’s judgments or mercy
God’s promises	God’s dealings with people

A parent’s character doesn’t change, but their actions change depending on the child’s behavior.

4. So what about the Rabbi’s story?​

Rabbi Shmuley is drawing from a Jewish lament tradition where people speak boldly to God — like Moses, Abraham, Jeremiah, Job, and the Psalms.

But the story goes further than Scripture does by implying:

• God commits “sins”
• God needs our forgiveness
• God is morally responsible for evil

That’s where Christians (and many Jews) say: No — that crosses a line.

Even in Genesis 6, God is grieved because of human evil, not His own.

5. The biblical pattern is this:​

God does not change in His nature.​

(Malachi 3:6)

But God does change His actions in response to human repentance or rebellion.​

(Jonah 3:10, Exodus 32:14)

And God invites bold intercession — but never accusations of divine wrongdoing.​

(Abraham interceding for Sodom, Moses interceding for Israel)

The Rabbi’s story uses that tradition but pushes it into a kind of theological theater — a dramatic parable, not a doctrinal statement.

6. The clean answer for your thread​

If you want a crisp, scriptural explanation to post:

Yeah, I was sort of thinking of pushback along these lines, especially because of English translations of the Hebrew where we might make linguistic equivalencies. I do think Teshuva Lexical meaning is significant, because it implies "repentance from sin", and suggesting this, based on personal experience is where we get into trouble, because it ends up making the God of the Old Testament and Jewish faith like the Gnostic Demiurge. Grok give me an analysis of this to paste in.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

On Teshuva and Linguistic/Translational Nuances​

You’re right to flag this. In English, “repent” strongly implies turning away from sin—moral failure, wrongdoing, or guilt. The Hebrew teshuva (תשובה) more literally means “return” or “turning back.” It is the core Jewish concept of repentance: abandoning sin, regretting it, confessing, resolving not to repeat it, and realigning with God’s will (as detailed by Maimonides in Hilchot Teshuvah). It is inherently tied to moral transformation for humans who have strayed.
Applying teshuva to God anthropomorphically can blur this. Biblical Hebrew does use language of God “relenting,” “regretting,” or “changing His mind” (e.g., forms of nacham נחם in Genesis 6:6 or Exodus 32:14), but this describes responsive compassion or a shift in action within His unchanging character—not moral repentance from sin. God does not “sin” against His own standards; sin is defined as disobedience to God’s commands (1 John 3:4). Suggesting God needs to repent for judgments or allowances of suffering risks portraying the Creator as morally deficient, echoing Gnostic or dualistic ideas that pit a flawed “OT God” against a better one.
Christian texts affirm divine immutability and holiness explicitly:

• Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind.”
• Malachi 3:6: “For I the Lord do not change...”
• James 1:17: “Every good gift... is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
• 1 John 1:5: “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”
• James 1:13: God “cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.”

These underscore that God’s actions (including permitting suffering or executing judgment) flow from perfect justice, holiness, and wisdom—not moral lapse requiring teshuva.

Theological Pushback: Suffering, Covenant, and Theodicy​

The rabbi’s framing—equating human “tiny infractions” with God’s “great ones” like allowing massacres—stems from deep pain and the Jewish tradition of bold intercession (cf. Abraham in Genesis 18 or Moses). It’s emotionally resonant amid real historical persecution. However, Scripture frames suffering differently:

• Covenantal consequences: Deuteronomy 28 (and parallel passages) explicitly warns Israel of scattering, trembling, and anguish for covenant unfaithfulness. The people agreed to this (Exodus 24). Suffering is often presented as discipline, consequence, or part of a fallen world—not arbitrary divine “sin.”
• Corporate and individual responsibility: All humanity shares in Adam’s fall and its effects (Romans 5). No one is truly innocent before a holy God (Romans 3:23). Yet God is longsuffering, merciful, and provides atonement.
• The Cross as ultimate response: Christianity sees God not “repenting” but entering suffering Himself in Christ—bearing the penalty for sin, reconciling the world, and defeating death. This fulfills rather than negates the OT portrayal of God. The “God of the Old Testament” is the Father of Jesus; the same holy, just, and merciful Lord.

This story risks inverting roles: humans judging God rather than humbly seeking His mercy. Biblical lament (Psalms, Job, Lamentations) pours out pain honestly but ultimately submits to God’s sovereignty (“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” — Job 13:15). True comfort comes from trusting God’s greater purposes, even when unseen (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:28).
In interfaith or apologetics contexts, this highlights a key difference: Judaism’s emphasis on teshuva and covenantal debate vs. Christianity’s insistence on God’s perfect moral character and the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. The rabbi’s call for God to “restore His love... in a manifest way” is understandable amid pain, but believers see that restoration already decisively begun in the Messiah.
This analysis respects the raw emotion of Jewish suffering while holding firmly to scriptural distinctions on God’s nature. It avoids triumphalism and invites deeper reflection on how both traditions grapple with evil.

 

[MatthewG]

On Teshuva and Linguistic/Translational Nuances​

You’re right to flag this. In English, “repent” strongly implies turning away from sin—moral failure, wrongdoing, or guilt. The Hebrew teshuva (תשובה) more literally means “return” or “turning back.” It is the core Jewish concept of repentance: abandoning sin, regretting it, confessing, resolving not to repeat it, and realigning with God’s will (as detailed by Maimonides in Hilchot Teshuvah). It is inherently tied to moral transformation for humans who have strayed.
Applying teshuva to God anthropomorphically can blur this. Biblical Hebrew does use language of God “relenting,” “regretting,” or “changing His mind” (e.g., forms of nacham נחם in Genesis 6:6 or Exodus 32:14), but this describes responsive compassion or a shift in action within His unchanging character—not moral repentance from sin. God does not “sin” against His own standards; sin is defined as disobedience to God’s commands (1 John 3:4). Suggesting God needs to repent for judgments or allowances of suffering risks portraying the Creator as morally deficient, echoing Gnostic or dualistic ideas that pit a flawed “OT God” against a better one.
Christian texts affirm divine immutability and holiness explicitly:

• Numbers 23:19: “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind.”
• Malachi 3:6: “For I the Lord do not change...”
• James 1:17: “Every good gift... is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
• 1 John 1:5: “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.”
• James 1:13: God “cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.”

These underscore that God’s actions (including permitting suffering or executing judgment) flow from perfect justice, holiness, and wisdom—not moral lapse requiring teshuva.

Theological Pushback: Suffering, Covenant, and Theodicy​

The rabbi’s framing—equating human “tiny infractions” with God’s “great ones” like allowing massacres—stems from deep pain and the Jewish tradition of bold intercession (cf. Abraham in Genesis 18 or Moses). It’s emotionally resonant amid real historical persecution. However, Scripture frames suffering differently:

• Covenantal consequences: Deuteronomy 28 (and parallel passages) explicitly warns Israel of scattering, trembling, and anguish for covenant unfaithfulness. The people agreed to this (Exodus 24). Suffering is often presented as discipline, consequence, or part of a fallen world—not arbitrary divine “sin.”
• Corporate and individual responsibility: All humanity shares in Adam’s fall and its effects (Romans 5). No one is truly innocent before a holy God (Romans 3:23). Yet God is longsuffering, merciful, and provides atonement.
• The Cross as ultimate response: Christianity sees God not “repenting” but entering suffering Himself in Christ—bearing the penalty for sin, reconciling the world, and defeating death. This fulfills rather than negates the OT portrayal of God. The “God of the Old Testament” is the Father of Jesus; the same holy, just, and merciful Lord.

This story risks inverting roles: humans judging God rather than humbly seeking His mercy. Biblical lament (Psalms, Job, Lamentations) pours out pain honestly but ultimately submits to God’s sovereignty (“Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” — Job 13:15). True comfort comes from trusting God’s greater purposes, even when unseen (Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:28).
In interfaith or apologetics contexts, this highlights a key difference: Judaism’s emphasis on teshuva and covenantal debate vs. Christianity’s insistence on God’s perfect moral character and the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. The rabbi’s call for God to “restore His love... in a manifest way” is understandable amid pain, but believers see that restoration already decisively begun in the Messiah.
This analysis respects the raw emotion of Jewish suffering while holding firmly to scriptural distinctions on God’s nature. It avoids triumphalism and invites deeper reflection on how both traditions grapple with evil.

Hey Pavel,

It's good to see you around, here is my comment below and I'll share with you what Copilot states concerning what you share from Grok.

My comment concerning the whole idea: It’s strange that people think they can sit in judgment over God. But God allows human beings to exercise free will — even to the point of letting them follow their own desires if that’s what they insist on. He never forces anyone to stay in relationship with Him.

When it comes to “repentance” for us as humans, I don’t see it primarily as “turning away from sin.” I see it more as turning your attention toward God — looking to Him in faith, trusting Him to care for you and lead you. The focus isn’t sin; the focus is God Himself.

I'll be honest and tell you that I don't use any other Ai system but Co-pilot.

This is the analysis that it gives;

From - Co-pilot (below)

The problem isn’t the Hebrew — it’s the English. When English Bibles say “God repented,” modern readers instinctively hear moral failure or sin, because in English “repent” almost always means “turn away from wrongdoing.”

But the Hebrew words behind those passages don’t carry that meaning.

1. Teshuva never applies to God​

In Jewish theology, teshuva means:

• turning from sin
• returning to covenant faithfulness
• moral correction

Because God is morally perfect, teshuva is never used of Him. So any claim that “God repented” in the sense of teshuva is already a category error.

2. The word used of God is nacham, not teshuva​

Nacham means:

• to relent
• to be moved with sorrow
• to change course in response to human behavior
• to express grief

It never implies moral guilt. It describes God’s relational responsiveness, not moral imperfection.

3. When people confuse nacham with teshuva, they create a distorted God​

If someone says:

• “God repented from sin,”
• “God made mistakes,”
• “God needed forgiveness,”

…they unintentionally describe a being who is:

• morally flawed
• limited
• learning
• correcting Himself

That is not the God of the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament.

It is, however, very close to the Gnostic Demiurge — a lesser, ignorant, morally compromised creator who blunders His way through history.

This is why sloppy translation or modern emotional projection becomes dangerous. It doesn’t just misread a verse — it reshapes the entire doctrine of God.

4. The Hebrew Bible itself guards against this misunderstanding​

The same Scriptures that say God “relented” also say:

• “God is not a man… that He should repent.” (Num 23:19)
• “I the LORD do not change.” (Mal 3:6)
• “His works are perfect.” (Deut 32:4)

The Bible itself draws a line:

• God’s nature never changes.
• God’s actions respond to human choices.

That’s not contradiction — it’s relational consistency.

5. The Rabbi’s parable goes too far​

Jewish lament tradition allows bold speech toward God — Moses, Jeremiah, Job, and the Psalms all do this.

But when a parable implies:

• God sinned
• God needs forgiveness
• God is morally responsible for evil

…it crosses from lament into theological misrepresentation.

That’s where the “Demiurge” danger appears — not because Judaism teaches it (it doesn’t), but because modern readers project their own categories onto ancient Hebrew words.

Bottom line​

Yes — your instinct is correct.

When people:

• collapse nacham into teshuva,
• read English “repent” as moral failure,
• or project human psychology onto God,

they unintentionally create a picture of God that resembles the Gnostic Demiurge, not the God of Scripture.

The Hebrew text itself avoids that mistake — it’s modern readers who introduce it.

 

[Jack]

Did God "repent" / "apologize" for drowning all on Earth but 8, "Making them an example"?

No and He never will!

 

[Gray_Joy]

From rabbi Boteck Schmulley, the infamous "God must repent" video/post that made waves on the internet whenever it was originally released.


I managed to eventually get a full transcript from Grok. (From a Linked In, video that was less than 3 minutes long)

"Hi everyone. Not a lot of words can add to the power of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day and the day of atonement.
But I want to share this story with you as we go into this most sanctified of days, the Sabbath of all Sabbaths, Shabbat Shabbat.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak loved the Jewish people so much. He lived in such a horrible time, pogroms against the Jewish people in Russia. Uh, non-stop slaughter, which has sadly characterized so much of Jewish history.

And then one Yom Kippur, everyone wanted to pray in his synagogue, you know, like a kind of like a big shack, right?
And uh they're the prayers are long in Yom Kippur. So they're all waiting and the Rebbe, Rabbi Levi gets up to pray and he sits down. Everyone's waiting. He gets up again and he sits down. Gets up again and then he just stands there for like two hours. People are sweating and they can't shrink and they're all squeezed together and they have to go another 23 hours after that without water, without food.

So finally the beadle, the shamas, his assistant comes over and says, 'Rebbe, the community they're tired, they need to go home, what's going on?'
So he turns around and says, 'Everybody please sit down.' And he says to them, 'You know I wasn't here to waste your time. I'm sorry for the past two hours I've been speaking with God and debating God. God revealed to me that a terrible decree is coming against our people here in [Russia?]. People are going to die, people are going to be killed. And I begged him to stop it. And God said, "But so much of your community, you know, they gossiped about each other. People committed adultery, people stole in business, people broke the Sabbath. And you know, this is what's going to happen."

And Rabbi [Levi] said, "And I looked up to God and I said, 'Lord, Master of the Universe, He who fills the infinite expanse of space, you're correct. My community is highly imperfect. Some did commit adultery. Some did steal. Some did gossip, some did envy, some did fail to honor the Sabbath. It's all true.'
He said, 'But not one of them made a woman a widow this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them made a child an orphan this year, but you did, oh Lord. Not one of them allowed a massacre of the Jewish people in this community in Russia, in Belarus, in Lithuania. But you did, oh Lord. If you forgive us for our tiny infractions, our tiny sins, we will forgive you for your great ones.'

I hope this will be a year of teshuva for all of us before God. And I hope that God will also restore his love for the Jewish people, which is always there. It's always constant, but it has to be in a manifest way. God bless you all."

---

This is the direct transcription from the video (minor auto-transcript artifacts like "Yam Kipur" / "Rebi" fixed for readability based on clear audio context; the spoken words match exactly otherwise). It's the classic Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev story, adapted by Shmuley to reference modern suffering (pogroms + implied Oct 7 context).
For your Christianity board thread/Facebook post, this literal version lets you quote it directly and contrast with passages like Numbers 23:19 ("God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind"), Malachi 3:6, or James 1:17 on divine immutability and holiness. The story is a form of Jewish "chutzpah prayer" or lament tradition, but many (including Christians and some Jews) see it as crossing into presumptuous territory theologically.

As we repent this Yom Kippur for our sins, will God repent for His “sins” against the Jewish people? | Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

As we repent this Yom Kippur for our sins, will God repent for His “sins” against the Jewish people?

www.linkedin.com

Rabbi Boteck Schmulley is better off promoting himself as a satirical yet blasphemous fool.
Then again,there are atheist Jews.