Tzedakah Atones For Sin:
The Rosh Dovid adds: We also see the greatness of tzedakah from the story of Achav.
Chazal say (Sanhedrin 102B) that Achav had an equal amount of mitzvos and aveiros because he used his wealth to support Torah scholars. This is difficult to understand. Achav was an idol worshipper. Chazal say that the most severe sins of Yeravam ben Nevat were the most minor sins of Achav. He was a much bigger sinner than Yeravam but Chazal still say that the tzedakah he gave atoned for half of his sins and made him into a person with an equal amount of mitzvos and aveiros.
We can learn from this that even though the Zohar says that the mitzvos a rasha does go over to the evil forces, as is stated (Tehillim 50:16): “Hashem says to a wicked man: Why do you speak of My laws?”, and Chazal say (Sotah 21A) that an aveirah extinguishes a mitzvah, that is only true about all other mitzvos. The mitzvah of tzedakah is different. As we see from Achav, tzedakah atones for sins even for a wicked man. This mitzvah is not given over to the evil forces. And Chazal further say that tzedakah transforms middas hadin into middas rachamim.
