Editing Teshuvah (section)

== The Advantages of the Service of Teshuvah Over the Service of Tzaddikim ==
The Gemara explains that "in the place where Baalei Teshuvah stand, complete Tzaddikim cannot stand." At first glance, this statement seems puzzling: how can someone who never sinned be on a lower level than a Baal Teshuvah who sinned and returned?

The Rebbe explains that there are three main details in which a Baal Teshuvah is higher than a Tzaddik:

# Unlike Tzaddikim, the service of a Baal Teshuvah is characterized by tremendous thirst and great desire.
# When a Jew was far from Hashem, acted against His will, and still decided to do Teshuvah - the divine joy from his actions (and his own joy) is much greater than from an initial Tzaddik. It's like a prince who was captive in a distant place, when he is freed and returns to his father, the joy of both is greatest.
# The main divine pleasure is from innovation. Something strange. The analogy is to a parrot. A regular person speaks much better than a parrot, but nevertheless the broken and disorganized speech of the parrot creates greater pleasure. So too in the analogue: The nature with which the world was created is that its purpose and will is to serve the Creator. When a Jew indeed does this, there is no innovation here. But when a Jew (acted against his nature) and was in a distant place, and still returns in Teshuvah - something unusual happens here, the Jew creates within himself complete renewal, and therefore the divine pleasure from him is greatest.

(The great advantage in renewal is that this is the inner will of the Creator: The world was created so that a Jew would fix it, elevate it more than how it is naturally, even if by its nature the world was created perfect).