Atonement for a Sin Punishable by Karet

Dear Rabbi, I intentionally violated a prohibition punishable by karet, and I am very afraid. I was told to do a tikkun by studying all night without interruption and everything will be fine. The question is, can I send someone in my place, as it is very difficult for me to stay awake all night?

Hello, the prohibition punishable by karet is indeed very serious, and I was very sorry to hear that you failed in this. However, it is important to remember that the Saba of Slabodka always said that a person is not measured by the sin itself but by how he deals with it afterward. Does the sin serve as a trap to drag him into a pit, and one transgression leads to another, or, on the contrary, does the repentance following the sin become a powerful lever for success, reaching a state where even complete righteous people cannot stand where the repentant stand. No tikkun can help without true repentance, and therefore the great Kabbalists of our generation, such as the Gaon, Rabbi Y. Hillel, shlita, for a complete recovery soon, and others, have instructed that one should not engage with these tikkunim, as they were all written only for those who have already done complete repentance properly and want only to do the final purification and polishing of the soul. However, a situation has arisen where the tikkunim and redemptions, and especially performing the tikkun through a messenger, only serve to calm the conscience and prevent the person from returning in complete repentance. But it is important to remember that performing repentance on a basic level is very easy and simple, and after basic repentance, a person is already close to the Creator of the world, and then as the process of repentance continues, he sanctifies and purifies himself until he reaches a higher state than he was before the terrible sin. Repentance for a prohibition punishable by karet includes 4 parts, and it is definitely not complicated, and anyone can do it: A. True regret for the past, think in your heart what you could have done to turn back time, how happy you would have been if you had not fallen into this, and how good it would have been if you had managed to overcome. B. Full confession, say: 'I did such and such, and I regret and accept upon myself not to repeat the sin ever again.' It is advisable to say the text found in the foundation of repentance at the end of the book 'Shaarei Teshuva'. C. Acceptance for the future, remember that a person who has already fallen into sin finds it harder in the future not to fall again, so focus on two things, and this is the main acceptance for the future: avoid situations where there is temptation and enticement to transgress the prohibition, and strive very hard not to reach these situations at all. And pray to the Creator of the world all the time to give you the strength not to fail again. D. Wait eagerly for Yom Kippur, which will cleanse and complete the repentance, and confess again and ask on Yom Kippur that you be forgiven for this terrible sin. Another thing that is very worthwhile to do and helps all parts of repentance is to study the laws of the prohibition in which you failed, and the more you study these things in depth, it also strengthens all parts of repentance and also helps to atone for the sin.

Yoma (86a) Or Yisrael (ch. 30).