Avera

In Judaism, an Avera (alternate spelling, averah, aveira) is a sincite book
last =Falk
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =Pesach Eliyahu Falk, E. Falk
title =Modesty: An Adornment for Life
publisher =Feldheim Publishers
date =1998
location =
pages =706 pages
url =http://books.google.com/books?id=MY4xtbRlxWIC&pg=PA258&dq=aveira+sin&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=fGZDQG5t1VDsYEhTk1pTJzDxH8U
doi =
id = ISBN:0873068742 ] against man or God. The word comes from the Hebrew root ayin-bet-resh, meaning to "pass over" or "cross over" with the implied meaning of "transgressing" from a moral boundary. An avera may be trivial or serious. It is viewed by many as the opposite of mitzva (commandment), but all averos are the transgressions of one of the 365 "negative commandments". These are 365 of the 613 mitzvot defined in the Torah.

The major "averas" which many Rabbinic sources say a person should let themselves be killed before transgressing them are idolatry, blasphemy, injury or killing of innocents (murder), and immoral sexual behavior (adultery, incest, intermarriage). For most other averas (such as violating Shabbat), if one must commit the avera to save or possibly save a human life, he is required to do so, and such an act is not considered an avera, but the person doing this has fulfilled one of the greatest mitzvot.

There are three categories of a person who commits an avera. The first one is someone who does an avera intentionally, or "B'mezid." This is the most serious category. The second is one who did an avera by accident. This is called "B'shogeg," and while the person is still responsible for their action it is considered less serious. The third category is someone who is a "Tinok Shenishba," which is a person who was raised in an environment that was assimilated or non-Jewish, and is not aware of the proper Jewish laws, or halacha. This person is not held accountable for their actions.

In addition to the categories of people who commit an avera, there are also two categories of the kinds of averot. These same categorization also apply to the mitzvot. The first category is called "Bayn Adam LaMakom" which translates as "Between a man and God". These transgressions are those that involve acts of defiance to God, whether they are not following the commandments that God has laid out for us, acts of apostasy, etc. The second category is called "Bayn Adam LaChaveiro" which translates as "Between a man and his friend." These are acts that are done between a man and another human being. Examples include harming another person, shaming them, misleading them, etc.

Atonement

Depending on the type of the avera, the requirement for atonement varies. For an avera toward God, atonement is made by seriously repenting to God on Yom Kippur. For an avera against a fellow man, God does not grant forgiveness unless the victim forgives the sinner first.

For averos against God, whether or not God is willing to grant forgiveness depends on the seriousness of the repentance and the sinner's willingness to change his behavior in the future. For an avera that is committed intentionally, knowing at the time that the action was an avera, achieving forgiveness is hardest. God may be willing to forgive if the sinner was acting rebelliously at the time but has since decided to repent for the rebellious behavior, or if the sinner has acted on uncontrolled impulse, but has since learned to control his behavior.

If the avera was committed through a lack of knowledge, God is willing to forgive if the sinner willingly learns the halacha and commits himself to not violating that halacha again.

If the avera is committed by accident, such as accidentally turning on a light on Shabbat, God is willing to forgive the repentant sinner. The sinner should take appropriate action to avoid repeating the avera accidentally.

References