Yom Kippur (1): Trading in our Sins

During these days we insert into our Tefilos a Perek of Tehilim that concludes as follows:

והוא יפדה את ישראל מכל עונותיו

And He shall Redeem the Yidden from all of their sins.

What does it mean to be redeemed of our sins?

The Aveiros that a Jew may ח"ו do are not intrinsically attached to his soul. They are not really connected to his  essence. This is why he can disconnect from them. Just like one can transfer the Kedushah from fruits from  Shmitah onto money - a process called Pidyon - so to Hashem can take the Aveiros that are on Am Yisrael's  Cheshbon and move them onto the world. The word Pidyon means to redeem. Where do we see that a Yid's  Aveirah can be done away with through Pidyon? והוא יפדה את ישראל מכל עונותיו. Just like the sanctity in the  fruit is not intrinsic and can therefore be transferred onto something else, so too הוא יפדה את ישראל מכל עונותיו.

This is the meaning on the Gemara (Yevamos 63a) that states that the tragic events that befall random parts of  the word are really on account of the Jews.

The opposite is true as well. A Jew is naturally good. The Mitzvos that he does are really a part of him and he  could not separate from them if he wanted. (See תשובות מהר"ם אלשקר סימן קא where he states in the name of  R' Hai Gaon that one cannot sell a Mitzvah that he did.)

This is why when it comes to doing the right thing a Jew is called a בר מצוה, a son of Mitzvah doing. On the other  hand one who may sin is called a בעל עבירה, an owner of sin. A son is a relationship that cannot be broken, but  just like an object can be relinquished, so too one can separate from his sins. Owner vs. Son.

A third reality is also important to know: Just as it is true that a Jew is intrinsically good and thus his Aveiros  can be placed elsewhere, so too because the Goyim do not have this level of innate holiness they can have this  Pidyon done on their good deeds.

This is one reason for Galus. The holy nature of the Jewish soul serves as a sponge to absorb the Zechuyos of the  Goyim. Wow.

הוא יפדה את ישראל מכל עונותיו

(עיין צדקת הצדיק עה)