In your insights page to daf 129, you say that the "The Gemara says that
one should not perform blood-letting on Mondays or Thursdays, because those
are the days on which the heavenly court of justice convenes, and a
person's merits and transgressions are likely to be reviewed..."
Didn't we learn (a few dapim ago) that a person should not say "in my
z'chus, a certain person should be punished", etc.? Because this causes
the heavenly court to review his deeds, and he could be in danger!, for he
may not have enough z'chuyos to 'carry the day'. In short, it seems that
the gemara previously, strongly advises one not to depend on the heavenly
court since the very act of the court reviewing our deeds could be
dangerous. Here, however, it seems that the gemara is advising us to
depend on the heavenly court for mercy. What to do with what seems to be
this contradiction in our appeal to the heavenly court?
warm regards,
Jeff Ram
The Gemara here, on 129a, is expressing the same idea as the Gemara earlier which you mention, for here, too, the Gemara is saying that one should not perform blood-letting on days on which the heavenly court reviews his deeds, because he may not have enough Zechuyos to save him.
We are afraid of the heavenly court and our lack of merit, and that is why blood-letting should not be performed on Mondays and Thursdays. We are certainly not asking that the heavenly court look into our merits (or lack thereof).
(Your question of a contradiction does arise, however, when we look at the TUR (OC 134) cited by the REMA (134:1), who says that on Mondays and Thursdays we say extra supplications in Tachanun, because those are days of mercy ("Yimay Ratzon"). This ruling seems to contradict our Gemara which implies that Mondays and Thursdays are days that we should fear. We must answer that the Tur means that those days are days of supplication , when we have the opportunity to offer our entreaties, because the heavenly court sits in judgement then and they are open to receive our prayers. They are certainly days of judgement, though.)