Daily Tanya Tuesday 12th Tamuz Igeres Hateshuvah Chapter 3 Part 3: Redeeming Fasts with Charity

1.      Fasting in our times for rectification of sin:

• Fasting the full set of fasts for severe sins: One is to fast at least lease one time in his life the number of fasts required for the severe sins that carry a death penalty, such as for the sin of masturbation one is the fast 84 fasts at least one time in his life.
• When to perform the fasts: One can delay doing these fasts until the short winter days and spread it out throughout several years such as to do 10 fasts or less in a single winter, and hence end of completing the 84 fasts in nine years or more, as he is able to handle.
• Fasting half days to complete the three sets of fasts: One who desires to fast three times the set amount of fasts required for the sin, such as 252 fasts for a Tikkun for having wasted seed on several occasions, then he is to complete the remaining two sets of 84 fasts, by fasting 336 half fast days, fasting until midday and having two half day fasts count as one full day fast. The same applies regarding all other sins that one’s heart desires atonement for.

2.      Giving charity as rectification for sin instead of fasting:

• Redeeming the remaining number of fasts with charity: One who performed a sin that carries a death penalty more than three times, and desires to do a set of atonement for each time he sinned, then rather than fast more than the above amount of frequencies, he should rather redeem those number of fasts with charity, giving the equivalent of 18 Polish coins for each day of fasting that is required.
• Redeeming the fasts of non-severe sins with charity: One who desires atonement for non-severe sins, such as transgressing a positive command such as Torah learning or a rabbinical injunction, is not to fast on their behalf but is rather to redeem the number of required fasts with charity, as explained above.
• If the charity exceeds 1/5 of one’s earnings: Even if the charity that one gives to atone for his sins and correspondence to the fasts exceeds 1/5 of his earnings, he may nonetheless continue to distribute charity, as the directive of the sages to not spend more than 1/5 of one’s earnings for charity was not said in the case that one is doing so for the sake of healing his soul, as just as one can spend limitless money to heal his body, all the more so for soul.
• Distributing charity generously: Due to the fact that one is able to redeem the fasts with charity, and due to the fact that there are many sins which require fasts, therefore the custom today amongst God fearing Jews is to increase tremendously in giving charity being that they are unable to fast due to their weak nature.