203. Tipping the Scales
Teshuvah 3:3
If a person changes his mind about the mitzvos he has performed, thinking there was no value to them and wishing he had never done them, then he forfeits the merit he had earned from them as per Ezekiel 33:12, “The righteousness of the upright will not save him on the day of his sin.” This refers to a person who regrets his earlier mitzvos.
Just as a one’s merits and sins are evaluated when he dies, the sins and merits of everyone on Earth are likewise evaluated on Rosh Hashana. If a person is judged to be righteous, he is sealed for life. If he is judged to be wicked, he is sealed for death. The judgment of a person found to be in the middle is suspended until Yom Kippur. If he repents, he is sealed for life; if not, for death.
Teshuvah 3:4
We sound the shofar on Rosh Hashana simply because God told us to; nevertheless, it contains a lesson for us. It’s as if the shofar is telling us to rouse ourselves from our slumber and inspect our actions so that we can repent and return to God. Therefore, throughout the year, a person should consider himself equally balanced between merits and sins, and the world equally balanced between merits and sins. If he performs a single sin, he would tip his own balance and that of the world to the side of sin, thereby bringing destruction upon himself and the world. Conversely, if he performs a single mitzvah, he would tip both his balance and the world’s to the side of merit and bring about redemption for himself and the world. We see this from Proverbs 10:25, “A righteous person is the foundation of the world.” This means that one who acts righteously tips the balance of the world to the side of merit, saving it.
For these reasons, the universal practice is to give generously to charity, to perform many kind acts, and to occupy oneself with mitzvos to a greater extent than usual from Rosh Hashana until Yom Kippur. During these ten days, the practice is to arise at night and pray heartfelt words of supplication in the synagogue until daybreak.