Islam and the faith of Abraham
Step 1 of 9
Without the Temple, how are sins forgiven (Hosea 14:3)?
Rabbinic Judaism
Teshuvah, returning to God with regret, confession and a changed life, brings His forgiveness. While the Temple stood, offerings atoned together with repentance. Now there is no altar, so repentance atones for all sins and Yom Kippur atones for those who repent. Prayer and kindness stand in the place of offerings, and the traditional prayers ask for the Temple service to be restored. Reform Judaism, a modern liberal movement, removed the prayers for restored offerings; it holds that prayer and good deeds have replaced them for good.
The case for it
Hosea tells Israel to bring words of repentance. A saying in the Talmud reads those words, for a sin done in private, as offerings of young bulls.
Where it falls short
Islam agrees that repentance is the way back: the Qur'an says Allah (﷾) forgives all sins to those who turn to Him. The Qur'an says Allah (﷾) changes the evil deeds of the one who repents into good. The Talmud keeps the same teaching: repentance out of love turns deliberate sins into merits.