יחזקאל, פרק י״ח, פסוק כ״ד

Human free will is a continuous journey, measured not merely by a person's history, but by their present choices and inner attitude toward their own actions. When an individual chooses to abandon the path of integrity, corrupting their behavior to act in the manner of the wicked, a natural question arises: can such a person expect to survive? It is unthinkable that they would continue to live solely on the merit of their former righteousness. Instead, all the good they previously accomplished is completely disregarded.

The erasure of past merits is not an arbitrary punishment. The primary approach among commentators is that this loss occurs specifically when a person actively regrets the good deeds they performed in the past, viewing their former righteousness as a mistake [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. This dynamic raises a profound philosophical dilemma. How can a worker lose the wages of years of labor simply because they ceased working? Furthermore, does this imply that God changes His mind or alters His relationship with humanity?

The answer lies in understanding that God's ways never change. He constantly desires to bestow goodness upon those willing to receive it; the transformation happens entirely within the individual. This is compared to a farmer who plants a field but later destroys the seeds. The rain continues to fall from the sky without interruption, but the ruined earth is no longer capable of producing a harvest. In the same way, a righteous person who turns to wickedness and regrets their past virtue destroys their own capacity to receive God's blessings [מלבי״ם].

Consequently, the ultimate downfall of such an individual stems from two distinct layers of corruption. The first layer is rooted in betrayal and rebellion [מצודת ציון]. It represents the fundamental departure from the path of justice, the act of distancing oneself from God, and the internal regret over past good, much like a spouse who breaks a vow of loyalty [מלבי״ם]. The second layer consists of the actual, practical sins and new injustices the person commits from that moment onward [מלבי״ם]. Ultimately, it is the combination of these two elements—the ideological betrayal and the active wrongdoing—that seals their fate.