The great Rabbi Moses ben Joseph Trani (1505-1580, Salonika and Israel), known by the acronym Mabit, defines teshuva differently. He poses that when one does an aveira, a sinful act of omission relating to one’s Jewish responsibility, then besides for the person being accountable for their actions, the aveira also creates a spiritual distance between the perpetrator and God. Accordingly, the Mabit concludes that teshuva is defined as closing the distance between God and the perpetrator that was created by an aveira.
The beauty and miracle of teshuva is that while one cannot necessarily turn the clock back and undo aveirot, one can nevertheless close the spiritual distance created by aveirot and regain a closeness to God. Since God is the source of all goodness and blessing, being spiritually close to God allows one to become a greater beneficiary of that goodness and blessing.
— Dayan Menachem Gelley in Rabbi Sacks And The Community We Built Together, edited by the United Synagogue
