Tonight I learned in my chevrusa (study group) a section of Tanya.So it says that if you break a positive mitzvah (commandment) then you must ask for forgiveness and you will be instantly forgiven.If you break a negative mitzvah (commandment) then you must ask for forgiveness and it is tentative. You must go through Yom Kippur and then it will all be forgiven.But then it says that the positive is HIGHER than the negative? Why? The forgiveness process is harder for the negative, wouldn't that be higher?I won't go into the whole thing but suffice to say. When you do a positive mitzvah, you get a little bit of divine light within you. If you don't do that mitzvah you can ask for forgiveness and be forgiven but you can never get that divine moment back. When you break the negative mitzvot, you cause a blemish on your soul. You can ask for forgiveness and be forgiven but you have to wait until Yom Kippur for your soul to be wiped clean again. Therefore, you can never get back the benefit of the positive but you can wash away the stain of the negative.___To all my friends and family -I ask for your forgiveness if I have sinned against you in this past year. Please forgive my missteps as I forgive you for yours.