Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

atonement Atonement, atoning, or making amends is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some othe ...

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

repentance in Judaism Repentance ( /tʃuvɑː/; "return") is one element of atoning for sin in Judaism. Judaism recognizes that everybody sins on occasion, but that people can stop or minimize those occasions in the future by repenting for past transgressions. Thu ...

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' hithpael verb form of '' yadah'' () – from which ''vidui'' is derived – are found, and seems to fall into the category of speech actions. Individuals might confess their sins or their people's sins as a precondition to achieving forgiveness, while confession was required along with certain sin-offerings in the Temple. In , the people's sins were confessed "on the head" of the

scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designate ...

, which then was said to carry those sins out of the camp.

The structure of a confession

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

writes:

In prayer

In addition to each person's own personal confessions, in many communities a form of confession has been added to the standard prayer service. The standard confession text begins by referring to the prayer that has proceeded it: This is followed by a list of specific sins which the individual or community may have committed. After the list comes a statement of regret for the sins. For example, the standard short confession concludes as follows:

Alphabetical texts

There are two commonly recited confession texts: the short confession () and the long confession (). Both include a list of sins that a person confesses to in the order of the '' alephbet''. The short confession lists one sin per letter. Regarding the long confession, there are several customs: In the siddurim of Rav

Saadia Gaon Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon (892–942) was a prominent rabbi, Geonim, gaon, Jews, Jewish philosopher, and exegesis, exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate. Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic ...

and

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

, as well is in the contemporary Yemenite prayer book, there are merely a few lines of Al Cheyt in no specific order. In the siddur of Rav

Amram Gaon Amram bar Sheshna or Amram Gaon ( or ; died 875) was a gaon or head of the Academy of Sura in Lower Mesopotamia in the ninth century. He authored many responsa, but his chief work was liturgical. He was the first to arrange a complete liturg ...

, as well as in the contemporary Sephardic rite,

Italian Nusach The Italian Nusach is the ancient prayer rite ('' nusach'') of the long-standing Italian Jewish (''Italkim'') community on the Italian Peninsula, used by Jews who are not of Ashkenazi or Sephardic origin. History The Italian nusach has been ...

and Romaniote rite, as well as in the medieval French rite and most early manuscripts of the Ashkenazic rite, it is a single

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

. In later Ashkenazic manuscripts and all Ashkenazic printed machzorim, al cheyt follows a double acrostic. A number of purposes have been suggested for the alphabetical arrangement: *To aid in memorizing the list *To provide a more comprehensive list of sins, and better remind the confessor of additional sins they have committed which they can add to the list *To symbolize that one has confessed for any possible sin While not everyone has committed every sin in the standard confession texts, they are worded in the plural ("we have sinned"). They are thus recited in the name of the whole Jewish people, and it is presumably true that every sin mentioned has been committed by at least one Jew. During confession the congregant stands, with head bowed in regret or shame, and with the mention of each sin, thumps his fist over his heart. Some individuals might quickly add (silently or in a whisper) additional sins, not in the traditional list, beginning with the same letters. With reference to the Ashkenaz text, it has been said, "out of the 44 statements that make up the ''Al Cheyt'', twelve deal with sins rooted in speech (five in ''Ashamnu''). Only four statements relate to transgressions committed by man against God in the strict sense (only two in the ''Ashamnu'' text). Dominating both confessional texts are general expressions of sin (fifteen in ''Al Cheyt'' and seventeen in ''Ashamnu'')." Viduy 2

''Ashamnu'', the short confession

This formula begins "We have incurred guilt, we have betrayed, we have stolen, we have spoken falsely, etc." (""). It is commonly known by its first word, ''Ashamnu'' (also transliterated ''Oshamnu''). An early form of this confession is found most directly in ; see especially verses 5, 9, 18–19, where the supplicant acknowledges himself meritless, and entreats for God's forgiveness based only on God's own merit, and that God's name should not be tarnished among the nations. ''Ashamnu'' is an alphabetic acrostic, consisting of 24 lines (the last letter of the alphabet, (''tav''), used three times). Each sin is usually expressed as one word (a few are two words), a verb in the past tense, first person plural. The last two sins (repetitions of the letter ) are "" (''taw'inu, titawnu'') are usually translated as: "We went astray, We led others astray". Occasionally the last word is translated as "You .e. Godallowed us to go astray"—the

ArtScroll ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Rahway, New Jersey. Rabbi Nosson Scherman is the general editor. ArtScro ...

siddur A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tef ...

uses both possibilities, the point being that the last word is an unusual form (not found in the Bible) that suggests a positive determination to go astray, the misuse of free will. However, the translation of "You let us go astray" has been criticized as an error, and it has been suggested that the last word means "we have scoffed" or "we have mocked" or "we tricked" or "we misled others". The short confession is said by

Nusach Sefard Nusach Sefard, Nusach Sepharad, or Nusach Sfard, is the name for various forms of the Jewish '' siddurim'' designed to reconcile Ashkenazi customs with the kabbalistic customs of Isaac Luria (more commonly known as the Arizal). To this end, it ...

and most Sephardic communities (except Spanish and Portuguese) as a portion of

Tachanun ''Tachanun'' or ''Taḥanun'' ( "Supplication"), also called ''nefilat apayim'' ( "falling on the face"), is part of Judaism's morning (''Shacharit'') and afternoon (''Mincha'') prayer services; it follows the recitation of the ''Amidah'', the ce ...

(daily supplications) immediately following the

Amidah The ''Amidah'' (, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' during each of the three services prayed on week ...

, and by all communities on Yom Kippur and during the recitation of

Selichot Selichot (, singular: , ''səliḥā'') are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days. The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are a central theme throughout these pra ...

. It is recited standing and quietly, except during the chazzan's repetition on

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

when it is customary to recite it aloud. In many congregations (mainly

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

ones), it is even customarily sung on this date. This form first appeared in the prayerbook of the

Amram Gaon Amram bar Sheshna or Amram Gaon ( or ; died 875) was a gaon or head of the Academy of Sura in Lower Mesopotamia in the ninth century. He authored many responsa, but his chief work was liturgical. He was the first to arrange a complete liturg ...

(8th century).

''Al Chet'', the long confession

The long confession, known as (also , or ; 'For the sin ...'), is said only on Yom Kippur, and in Ashkenazic communities, it also recited by a groom on the day of his wedding in the last prayer before the Chuppah. Each line begins "For the sin we committed before You through ..." (); the prefix meaning 'through' or 'by means of', and the rest of that word is in alphabetic sequence: ('compulsion'), ('ignorance'), and so on. In the siddurim of Rav

Saadia Gaon Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon (892–942) was a prominent rabbi, Geonim, gaon, Jews, Jewish philosopher, and exegesis, exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate. Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic ...

and

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

, as well is in the contemporary Yemenite prayer book, there are merely a few lines of Al Cheyt in no specific order.Daniel Goldschimdt, Yom Kippur machzor
page 11
(footnote 14) in intorduction. In the siddur of Rav

Amram Gaon Amram bar Sheshna or Amram Gaon ( or ; died 875) was a gaon or head of the Academy of Sura in Lower Mesopotamia in the ninth century. He authored many responsa, but his chief work was liturgical. He was the first to arrange a complete liturg ...

, as well as in the contemporary Sephardic rite,

Italian Nusach The Italian Nusach is the ancient prayer rite ('' nusach'') of the long-standing Italian Jewish (''Italkim'') community on the Italian Peninsula, used by Jews who are not of Ashkenazi or Sephardic origin. History The Italian nusach has been ...

and Romaniote rite, as well as in the medieval French rite and most early manuscripts of the Ashkenazic rite, it is a single

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

. In later Ashkenazic manuscripts and all Ashkenazic printed machzorim, al cheyt follows a double

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

. This is then followed by a non-acrostic list whose lines begin "And for the sin for which we are"—here naming the Temple offering or the punishment (including lashing and death) that might be imposed. And concluding with a brief categorization of sins (such as the violation of a positive commandment, or of a negative commandment, or whether the sin can or cannot be remedied, as well as those we do not remember committing).

Musical treatment

It is traditional that both ''Ashamnu'' and ''Al Cheyt'' are chanted in a somewhat upbeat melody, in the Ashkenaz tradition similar to one associated with the triumphant Song at the Red Sea. This may seem unusual, as one might have expected a confession of sins to be chanted as a dirge. But an uplifting melody is common in all Jewish traditions. One explanation is that by this confession, "the worshipper is stimulated to a mood of victory and a sense of hopeful living in the face of an unknown and unpredictable future." Or that, by making this confession and repenting, "our sins are transformed into merits."

Deathbed confession

The

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

teaches that "if one falls sick and his life is in danger, he is told: 'Make confession, for all who are sentenced to death make confession.'"

Masechet Semachot ''Evel Rabbati'' (, "greater ractate ofmourning") is one of the later or minor tractates which in the editions of the Babylonian Talmud are placed after the fourth order, Neziḳin; it treats of mourning for the dead. It is known also under the ...

adds that "When someone is approaching death, we tell him to confess before he dies, adding that on the one hand, many people confessed and did not die, whilst on the other, there are many who did not confess and died, and there are many who walk in the street and confess; because on the merit of confession you will live." Similar language is employed in the

Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulhan Arukh'' ( ),, often called "the Code of Jewish Law", is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in the city of Safed in what is now Israel by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in ...

's codification where it is ruled that the following text should be recited to the terminally ill: "Many have confessed but have not died; and many who have not confessed died. And many who are walking outside in the marketplace confess. By the merit of your confession, you shall live. And all who confess have a place in the World-to-Come." The patient is then to recite the deathbed Viduy. There is an abbreviated form intended for those in a severely weakened state and an elongated form, "obviously if the sick person wishes to add more to his confession—even the Viduy of Yom Kippur—he is permitted to do so".Aruch HaShulchan 338 Afterwards it is also encouraged for the patient to recite the

Shema ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; , “Hear, O Israel”) is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monothe ...

, enunciate acceptance of the Thirteen Principles of Faith and to donate some money to charity.

References

External links

Confession of sins – a liturgical commentary
oztorah.com September 2009

{{Authority control Jewish law and rituals High Holy Days Confession (religion)