לזכות יאשיה בנימין שילה בן ריסה רות
לזכות בנימין שמחה בן עדינה מניה
לזכות ניסים בן לידיא
The Rambam says [Teshuva 3/2-3]:
אדם שעונותיו מרובין על זכיותיו מיד הוא מת ברשעו שנאמר על רוב עונך וכן מדינה שעונותיה מרובין מיד היא אובדת שנאמר זעקת סדום ועמורה כי רבה וגו' וכן כל העולם כולו אם היו עונותיהם מרובין מזכיותיהן מיד הן נשחתין שנאמר וירא ה' כי רבה רעת האדם ושקול זה אינו לפי מנין הזכיות והעונות אלא לפי גודלם יש זכות שהיא כנגד כמה עונות שנאמר יען נמצא בו דבר טוב ויש עון שהוא כנגד כמה זכיות שנאמר וחוטא אחד יאבד טובה הרבה ואין שוקלין אלא בדעתו של אל דעות והוא היודע היאך עורכין הזכיות כנגד העונות:
כל מי שניחם על המצות שעשה ותהה על הזכיות ואמר בלבו ומה הועלתי בעשייתן הלואי לא עשיתי אותן הרי זה איבד את כולן ואין מזכירים לו שום זכות בעולם שנאמר וצדקת הצדיק לא תצילנו ביום רשעו אין זה אלא בתוהה על הראשונות וכשם ששוקלין זכיות אדם ועונותיו בשעת מיתתו כך בכל שנה ושנה שוקלין עונות כל אחד ואחד מבאי העולם עם זכיותיו ביום טוב של ראש השנה מי שנמצא צדיק נחתם לחיים ומי שנמצא רשע נחתם למיתה והבינוני תולין אותו עד יום הכפורים אם עשה תשובה נחתם לחיים ואם לאו נחתם למיתה:
If a person's sins exceed his merits, he will immediately die because of his wickedness as [Jeremiah 30:14] states: "[I have smitten you...] for the multitude of your transgressions."
Similarly, a country whose sins are great will immediately be obliterated as implied by [Genesis 18:20]: "The outcry of Sodom and Amorah is great....
In regard to the entire world as well, were its [inhabitants'] sins to be greater than their merits, they would immediately be destroyed as [Genesis 6:5] relates: "God saw the evil of man was great... [and God said: `I will destroy man....']"
This reckoning is not calculated [only] on the basis of the number of merits and sins, but also [takes into account] their magnitude. There are some merits which outweigh many sins as implied by [I Kings 14:13]: "Because in him, there was found a good quality." In contrast, a sin may outweigh many merits as [Ecclesiastes 9:18] states: "One sin may obscure much good."
The weighing [of sins and merits] is carried out according to the wisdom of the Knowing God. He knows how to measure merits against sins.
Anyone who changes his mind about the mitzvot he has performed and regrets the merits [he has earned], saying in his heart: "What value was there in doing them? I wish I hadn't performed them" - loses them all and no merit is preserved for him at all as [Ezekiel 33:12] states "The righteousness of the upright will not save him on the day of his transgression." This only applies to one who regrets his previous [deeds].
Just as a person's merits and sins are weighed at the time of his death, so, too, the sins of every inhabitant of the world together with his merits are weighed on the festival of Rosh HaShanah. If one is found righteous, his [verdict] is sealed for life. If one is found wicked, his [verdict] is sealed for death. A Beinoni's verdict remains tentative until Yom Kippur. If he repents, his [verdict] is sealed for life. If not, his [verdict] is sealed for death.
Asked Rav Elchonon: Our Rabbis [such as the Mesilas Yesharim] teach us that the ability to do Teshuva and alter the past is a CHESED from Hashem because according to the strict letter of the law - it shouldn't work. If so, why then is our regret of our mitzvos also effective in erasing what was already done? Where is the chesed there?
Said Rav Yaakov Weinberg z"l [RY Ner Yisroel]: Rav Elchonon should have asked a better question. Why when it comes to aveiros is there a whole process of Teshuva [admitting, regretting, accepting upon oneself not to do it in the future, confession, being in the same situation and not doing it again etc. - See the second perek of Hil. Teshuva] while in order to lose one's mitzvos all he has to do is regret them. Seems unjust??!
Answered Rav Yaakov with a question [as Jews do]!: Why did the Rambam write this halacha in perek gimmel in the context of explaining how Hashem "grades" and judges and not in the second perek where the Rambam explains what Teshuva is? In the second perek the Rambam should have already told us that just like we can repent from our sins, we can also "repent" from our mitzvos??
The 3 rules of real estate: Location, location, location!! With the strategic placement of this halacha, the Rambam is teaching us that even if one regrets his mitzvos, he doesn't lose them completely. All that happens is that when Hashem "weighs" mitzvos against aveiros, the mizvos don't count. But in the end, of course they still remain in place [unlike avieros that are erased with Teshuva] and he will receive his just reward. That explains the placement in the 3rd perek and why ERASING aveiros is a chesed that doesn't apply to mitzvos which can't be erased. If one merely REGRETS his aveiros without the other aspects of Teshuva then they too [like mitzvos] will not go into the final tally on the day of judgement [although there will be retribution].
Pilei Plaos of a vort!!!
