Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk opens his teaching on Parashat Vayechi with a striking image from the Talmud (Shabbat 78b): a person who has "not yet repaid" their debt.
Every human being carries a piece of Godliness inside them. Even when a person sins, that divine spark does not leave—it cannot leave, because without it the person could not move a single limb. But transgression forces that spark into hiding. It wraps itself in coverings, layers of concealment that allow it to endure the pain of participating in the sin. This, Rebbe Elimelech says, is the secret of the exile of the Shechinah—God's Presence in exile within the sinner's own body.
Repentance (teshuvah) is the process of removing those coverings. When a person cries over their transgressions, they are really crying over the exile of the Shechinah. The tears destroy the wrappings. The divine spark is revealed. The debt is repaid.
"Until one has not repaid, one is obligated." Until the coverings are removed, the person remains in spiritual debt. "If one has repaid, one is exempt"—the tikkun (repair) is complete.
Rebbe Elimelech then pivots to a verse from Deuteronomy (22:4): "You must not see the donkey of your brother crouching under his burden." A person burdened by worldly affairs—crushed under the weight of material concerns—is like that donkey. The verse is a command to the tzaddik (a righteous person): do not ignore such a person. Pray for them. The righteous have an obligation not just to their own souls but to the souls of those who are struggling under the weight of ordinary life.