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Why does the Rambam (רמב"ם) connect free choice (bechirah) specifically to teshuvah? The shiur develops that bechirah means more than the ability to choose actions—it's the power to choose our identity. Teshuvah works immediately not by erasing sins but by allowing us to redefine who we are, which transforms our relationship with Hashem (ה׳) instantly.
Rabbi Zweig examines the connection between free choice (bechirah) and teshuvah based on the Rambam (רמב"ם)'s Laws of Teshuvah. The shiur opens with Rashi (רש"י)'s explanation that life depends on good, and death on evil, leading to questions about why the Torah (תורה) presents the results before the means. The Rambam connects the parsha's discussion of teshuvah being "very close to you" with the concept of free choice, but this raises a fundamental question: why does the Rambam specifically say that because we have free choice, we should do teshuvah? Every mitzvah (מצוה) requires free choice. The shiur explores apparent contradictions in the Rambam's presentation of teshuvah's effectiveness. In chapter one, the Rambam outlines different categories of sins requiring different levels of atonement - some needing only teshuvah, others requiring Yom Kippur, and still others needing suffering or even death. Yet in chapter seven, he describes teshuvah's immediate transformative power, saying someone can go from being rejected by Hashem (ה׳) to being embraced overnight. This seems impossible given the extended atonement process described earlier.
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Parshas Nitzavim - Devarim 30:11-14
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