11 Nov KANYE WEST AND RABBI PINTO: IS THERE SUCH A THING AS REPENTANCE FOR ANTISEMITISM?

One of the most
antisemitic figures in
the world today—
responsible in no
small part for the
sharp rise in
antisemitism in
recent years—is the rapper Kanye West. He
wrote songs such as “Heil Hitler,” and the
like, which receive billions of views and are
sung at massive concerts around the world.
He produced shirts with similar slogans, and
speaks openly and casually about Jews being
evil, deceitful, controlling every major
industry, and more. It can even be said that
he normalized Nazi rhetoric, which has
recently gained a place of honor across
various media platforms.
And now, to the shock of the world, without
any prior indication, he suddenly arrived last
week to meet Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, to ask
the Jewish people for forgiveness and to take
responsibility for his actions. Rabbi Pinto
received him with humility, with open arms,
spoke to his heart, and after telling him that
he is a very good person—he even gave him
a hug.
The event is nothing short of astonishing.

The man who became the most blatant
symbol of Jew-hatred in our generation
stands before a rabbi, bows his head, and
asks for forgiveness.
Whether this represents a sincere inner
change or not is too early to know—
especially since this is not the first time he
has apologized to the Jewish people, only to
then return to even more extreme behavior.
Yet the mere moment in which the man who
normalized Nazi rhetoric apologizes to a
rabbi and to the Jewish people carries deep
symbolic significance.
This raises a question: aside from symbolic
meaning, is there—halachically—such a
thing as forgiveness for someone who
influences public opinion so massively and
then suddenly wants to erase all his crimes?
Does Hashem accept him? First, we must
ask if there is repentance at all for gentiles;
and second—if there is repentance for
someone who has caused great harm.
In this week’s Torah portion (Chayei Sarah),
we learn that Ishmael repented. The Torah
states that when Avraham died, Itschak and
Ishmael came to bury him. Although Ishmael
was older, he placed Itschak before him.
The sages understood this as a shift—a

gesture of humility and correction. As Rashi
writes: from here we learn that Ishmael did
teshuvah (repented).
We also find sources showing that gentiles
are expected to repent from their evil deeds.
In the generation of the Flood, Hashem sent
Noah to warn the world and urge them to
return from their wickedness. Midrash
Tanchuma states (Noach 5): “For 120 years
Hashem warned the generation of the Flood,
hoping they would repent; when they did
not, He said to Noah: Make for yourself an
ark.” Noah himself repented, and was thus
saved; his generation did not, and perished
in the Flood.
The most famous example of gentile
repentance is the people of Ninveh in the
days of Yonah. Yonah was sent to a large,
central, and wicked city. His message was
sharp and simple: if you do not repent,
“Forty more days, and Ninveh will be
overturned.”
The people of Ninveh did not dismiss the
words of the prophet, nor did they attempt to
justify their actions. Instead, they took
responsibility and changed their ways.
Scripture describes their reaction: “The
people of Ninveh believed in Hashem …
and they proclaimed a fast” (Yonah 3:5).
“Hashem saw their deeds—that they turned
from their evil way” (ibid. v. 10).
From here we learn that their repentance
was effective and accepted, specifically
because of a practical change in behavior:
returning stolen property, correcting
injustices, and making ethical and societal
improvements.
We learn that repentance does not belong
only to Jews. A gentile who sincerely
abandons his evil ways— Hashem accepts
him.
On the other hand, we find seemingly
contradictory statements. Minchat Chinuch
(Mitzvah 364) writes: “The mitzvah of
teshuvah applies to every Jewish individual.
Whether teshuvah applies to the sons of
Noah, I have seen lengthy discussions in
books of derashot. Some write that
repentance does not help them, and
regarding the repentance of Ninveh they
offer explanations, but this is not the place
to elaborate.”
Many have struggled with his words. In my
humble opinion, there is no contradiction
at all. The mitzvah of teshuvah—as a
formal halachic obligation—applies only
to Jews. Gentiles are not commanded in the
mitzvah of repentance; it is not among the
seven Noahide laws. However, like many
other mitzvot, they are permitted to perform
them (Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 10:10).
Therefore, if they do repent, Hashem
accepts them. When it is written that their

repentance “does not help,” the meaning is
as follows:
The Yerusalmi Talmud (Nazir 9:1) states: “It
says, ‘and he shall atone for him’—this
applies only to one who has atonement;
excluding gentiles, who do not have
atonement.” Yet this does not contradict
what we wrote. A gentile’s repentance may
be accepted, but that does not mean that his
sins are erased as if they never existed, in the
same way they are erased from a Jew.
Rather, as long as he does not return to his
sinful ways, he is not punished for them.
This applies only to this world.
The Mabit writes explicitly (Beit Elokim,
Sha’ar HaTeshuvah 14): “After establishing
that the essence of teshuvah is for Israel, I
will detail certain differences between the
repentance of Israel and that of the nations in
earlier times. The first and primary
difference is that repentance for Israel
benefits them in this world and the next,
whereas repentance of the nations only
protects them from punishment in this
world—not in the World to Come.”
Similarly, the Bnei Yissachar writes
(Discourses of Sivan, Yemei HaHagbalah):
“The sages said (Tanchuma, Ha’azinu 4): ‘It
says, May Hashem lift His face to you, and
it says, Who does not lift His face. If one
repents— Hashem lifts His face. One might
think this applies to all; therefore, it says to
you— to you and not to the nations of the
world.’ Thus, repentance benefits only
Israel, not the nations. So rules Remah of
Pano and the Mabit in Beit Elokim.”
Regarding the question of whether
repentance can help atone for someone who
caused the public to sin, we can learn from
the case of Hordus (Herod). Chazal teach
(Baba Batra 3b) that Hordus was not
considered a Jew but rather a Canaanite
slave. After killing all the sages of his
generation, he sought a path to atonement. A
sage named Bava ben Buta instructed him to
renovate the Beit HaMikdash, telling him
that such an act would help repair the
damage he had done — and Hordus followed
through and rebuilt the Temple in
magnificent form. From here we learn that
even a sin of such gravity, one that harmed
an entire generation and extinguished great
Torah scholars, can still be addressed
through sincere action and repair.