אָמַר רַב שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר אִינְיָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב מִנַּיִין לִגְזַר דִּין שֶׁל צִבּוּר שֶׁאֵינוֹ נֶחְתָּם אֵינוֹ נֶחְתָּם וְהָכְתִיב נִכְתַּם עֲוֹנֵךְ לְפָנַי אֶלָּא אַף עַל גַּב שֶׁנֶּחְתָּם נִקְרָע שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כַּה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּכׇל קׇרְאֵנוּ אֵלָיו
Rav Shmuel bar Inya said in the name of Rav: From where is it derived that the sentence of a community is never sealed [nechtam]? The Gemara immediately asks: Is never sealed? But isn’t it written: “Yet the stain [nikhtam] of your iniquity is before Me” (Jeremiah 2:22), which implies that the sentence of a community is indeed sealed. Rather, one must say that the question was as follows: From where is it known with regard to the sentence of a community that although it is sealed, it can still be torn up? As it is stated: “As is the Lord our God whenever we call out to Him” (Deuteronomy 4:7). This implies that there is always a way to draw close to God. [R"H 18a]
This Gemara is מחוסרת ביאור!!!!!! The word נכתם is not related to נחתם!!?? Like - not even a third cousin twice removed!!! [The fact that we Ashkenazim pronounce the כ and ח the same is just a mistake. Listen to Sfardim and Yemenites.]
