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Why does the Rambam (רמב"ם) place the laws of fast days outside hilchos teshuvah when their purpose is repentance? The fast days represent a different type of teshuvah — not to erase sin but to remember it. This constant awareness of what we lost propels us toward a stronger relationship with Hashem (ה׳).
Rabbi Zweig explores a fundamental question about fast days: if the Rambam (רמב"ם) states their purpose is to bring us to repentance, why doesn't he include them in Hilchos Teshuvah alongside other repentance-related laws like Yom Kippur? The answer reveals two distinct types of atonement with different goals and methodologies. The shiur distinguishes between white atonement (Yom Kippur) and red atonement (Parah Adumah). Yom Kippur represents forgiveness that removes sin from the relationship — "let's pretend it never happened." This maintains relationships but doesn't necessarily advance them. The red heifer, however, paradoxically makes pure people impure while purifying the impure, teaching that we must constantly remember the consequences of sin to truly appreciate purity.
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Rambam Hilchos Ta'aniyos
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