Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Edmund (Part 3)

Edmund himself initiates his process of repentance. True he does so only when having found himself in a much worse scenario than he had expected. He had assumed he would be welcomed by the Queen of Narnia a son, but instead was worked as a slave. Certainly this situational repentance does not fit Maimonides' definition of a full repentant: one who finds himself in the exact situation of when he sinned and this time chooses against sin. Nonetheless, that first opening is vital as it allows God to expand His presence in a person's heart, as explained in the midrash in the name of R' Yassa:  

The Holy One Blessed be He said to Israel, my sons! Open to me in repentance even a doorway like the eye of a needle and I will open to you doorways that even wagons and carriages can pass through.

Summarizing, God promises that if one is willing to open their hearts to repentance even by the smallest of amounts, He will open their hearts the rest of the way. Edmund opened his heart slightly. First, he felt bad only for himself, but that emotion led him to differentiate between good (his siblings) and evil (the White Witch). Having identified evil, he began to sympathize, perhaps even empathize with the poor animals turned to stone by the White Witch. Finally, Aslan brings him the rest of the way,  to become a true repentant. 

Having achieved a full turnaround it is indeed not necessary for others to talk to Edmund about his past. This too is famously codified by Maimonides: 

It is, nevertheless, a grievous sin to say to the penitent: "Remember your erstwhile conduct", or to remind them in his presence so as to put him to shame, or to mention things and subjects similar to them so as to remind him of what he did.

Nonetheless, repentance of sins between man and his fellow is not achieved by talking even to God Himself. One must confront the person he sinned against and ask for forgiveness (Maimonides, Hilkhot Teshuva 2:9). Hence, despite Edmund's achievement of repentance and Aslan's assertion that there is no need to talk of the past, that is only with respect to the sins against Aslan. However, Edmund must still seek forgiveness from his sibling who he betrayed.  

This also allows us to understand when Aslan himself brings up Edmund's past, urging Lucy to go on and heal others by rebuking, "Must more people die for Edmund?" Aslan himself does not hold a grudge having accepted Edmund's repentance completely. However, Edmund still owes an apology and must ask for forgiveness from each individual whose life was lost, or even made more difficult, due to his treacherous actions.  

Can Edmund ever hope to achieve such forgiveness? How can one who directly harms hundreds or thousands of unnamed individuals find every single one of them and beg for absolution his sin? The answer, of course, is that he cannot. Yet, perhaps there is another way. One who has harmed a society can, achieve repentance by improving that society. Hence, Edmund becomes King Edmund the Just, "great in council and judgement." In this way, by contributing to society and to any part of society who approaches him, can Edmund achieve full repentance.  

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Edmund (Part 2)

In our last post, we listed a few questions with respect to the repentance experienced by Edmund and suggested that perhaps a Jewish perspective on teshuva would help us interpret the story. In this post, we start that interpretation.

The Talmud (Pesachim 54a) tells us that there are seven ideas or concepts that precede Creation. These are: Torah, Repentance (Teshuva), the Garden of Eden, Hell, God’s Throne of Honor, the Temple and the name of the Messiah. All of these are integral to God’s plan for the universe. A universe in which humans have guidance from God but free will enables reward and punishment. However, none of these concepts arise from cosmology and the laws of nature.

The White Witch understood the laws of nature. Not just the physical laws, but she also understood the principles of sociology and civilization. A traitor, one who rebels against his master or his clan, must be expelled. What other option is there? How could anyone look such a person in the eye and again accept him as a fellow? How could a civilization take the risk of not punishing such a breach?

God, however, peers back before Creation where He has formulated the concept of repentance, teshuva. A regretted action can be nullified and the breach can be repaired as if it never occurred. The Stone Table, the tablets on which the laws of nature are recorded, cracks under the divine mandate: man’s ability to violate the arrow of time, to go back and erase an action.

Edmund experienced all of this. His sin was wiped away so thoroughly that he did not even comprehend that the discussion of the traitor centered on him. But he clearly had help: he was saved from the clutches of the White Witch by Aslan’s search and rescue party and was then brought to understanding via a conversation with Aslan himself. However, this too has its sources in Jewish lore as we will discuss in our next.

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: Edmund

The first character in the Chronicles to experience spiritual renewal is Edmund. Having been saved from the White Witch and after a talk with Aslan, Edmund utterly rejected his former ways so much so that Aslan asserted, there was no further need to talk about the past. 

Yet, the unmerciful, non-spiritual, world is not so easily appeased. The White Witch demands that Edmund be killed as a traitor, and, by law, she is correct. One who has sinned cannot escape justice and punishment simply due to a change of heart. Only because the White Witch is willing to accept a replacement is Edmund saved. The trade, of course, is for Aslan himself and his subsequent murder is clearly symbolic of the Christian worldview that the death of God’s Son achieves Grace for humanity. For it is only through this willing sacrifice that man can rise from the carnal and achieve salvation.

Edmund himself recognizes the truth of this and later describes Aslan to Eustace saying, “He is the great Lion, the son of the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea, who saved me and saved Narnia.” 

There are, however, some points to note: 

1. Though salvation only comes to Edmund due to the sacrifice of Aslan, Edmund himself already showed signs of remorse before this. Upon reaching the palace of the White Witch and having betrayed his siblings, Edmund is finally confronted with the true evil of the White Witch. He is filled with remorse, and looks back at his former actions as the lie that they truly are. Would Aslan have saved Edmund without this penitence? Would the sacrifice have been made for one not worthy of Grace?

2. Despite Aslan’s statement that there is no need to talk to Edmund about the past, Edmund apologizes to all of his siblings, and his apology is accepted. Is this part of achieving Grace or simply an act of politeness? 

3. Aslan pressures Lucy into visiting others of the wounded by rhetorically asking, “Must more people die for Edmund?” This clearly invokes the past even though there is no need to speak to Edmund about it. 

4. Edmund grows up to become King Edmund the Just, “great in council and judgement.” How much of this growth can be attributed to his experience as a traitor and a returnee?

While not able to address all of these issues, perhaps the Jewish view of teshuva, repentance, can shed light on the salvation of Edmund.