[Avodah] Mitzvot and sins cancel each other, or not

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Mar 9, 2008 at 5:39 PM, R David Riceman <driceman at att.net> asked:
:> Michael Makovi wrote:
:>> The Gemara says that tzedaka, for example, cancels out averot.

:> Where?

On Sun, March 9, 2008 9:33 pm, Rn Shayna Livia Korb wrote:
: Do you mean in the gemara in Rosh Hashana? (16b - 4 things overturn a
: decree - tzedaka, tzeaka, shinui shem, shinui maaseh)

I fail to follow this whole argument. Is the task of sheleimus haadam
measured in a single dimension? Aren't there people who are very
generous, but also very vindictive? And not only is the melakhah
multidimensional, so is the sechar. One person could be a success
financially and be able to found institutions that give him nachas,
another is zokheh lir'os banim uvnei vanim oseqim baTorah.

Given that both "input" and "output" vary in many different ways, how
can someone discuss whether work in one area, with its sechar, has any
impact on another sechar which is tied to "baasher who sham" in
another midah, task or ...?

What then is "tzedaqah tatzil mimaves", the above gemara in RH or "...
utzedaqah ma'avirin es ro'ah hagezeirah"?

Two possibilities:
1- I think it has to do with onesh vs a window to do more teshuvah.
The gezeirah remains, but the evil is alleviated. Thus all tzedaqah
buys is time, not a cancellation.

2- Tefillah and tzedaqah are aspects of teshuvah, the lemaaseh of
Avodah and Gemilus Chassadim. Teshuvah alone cancels out aveiros; but
without a qabalah al haasid to do better bein adam laMaqom (tefillah)
and bein adam lachaveiro (tzedaqah) there is no real teshuvah.


BTW, notice that in the mapping from the gemara to the machzor,
"shinui sheim and shinui maaseh" are folded together where the other
has "teshuvah". One discussing the 2 pe'ulos, the other the 1 chalos.

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

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Micha Berger             "Man wants to achieve greatness overnight,
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