211. There's Always Hope

Teshuvah 4:5

Five things encourage a sinner to continue in his ways and are very hard to change. Therefore, a person should be careful not to become attached to these things, namely: (1) gossip; (2) slander; (3) having a quick temper; (4) being preoccupied with evil thoughts; (5) being friendly with an evil person because he emulates his deeds, as per Proverbs 13:20, “The companion of fools will suffer harm.” In Hilchos Deios, we explained the traits that people should strive to follow. This is surely true of those who endeavor to perform teshuvah.

Teshuvah 4:6

All of the aforementioned and similar things impede teshuvah but they do not preclude it. If one of these people repents, he is a baal teshuvah with a share in the Next World.