(1) And God sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, “There were two men in the same city, one rich and one poor. (2) The rich man had very large flocks and herds, (3) but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He tended it and it grew up together with him and his children: it used to share his morsel of bread, drink from his cup, and nestle in his bosom; it was like a daughter to him. (4) One day, a traveler came to the rich man, but he was loath to take anything from his own flocks or herds to prepare a meal for the guest who had come to him; so he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” (5) David flew into a rage against the man, and said to Nathan, “As God lives, the man who did this deserves to die! (6) He shall pay for the lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and showed no pity.” (7) And Nathan said to David, “That man is you! Thus said the God of Israel: ‘It was I who anointed you king over Israel and it was I who rescued you from the hand of Saul. (8) I gave you your master’s house and possession of your master’s wives; and I gave you the House of Israel and Judah; and if that were not enough, I would give you twice as much more. (9) Why then have you flouted God's command and done what displeases Him? You have put Uriah the Hittite to the sword; you took his wife and made her your wife and had him killed by the sword of the Ammonites. (10) Therefore the sword shall never depart from your House—because you spurned Me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite and making her your wife.’ (11) Thus said God: ‘I will make a calamity rise against you from within your own house; I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes and he shall sleep with your wives under this very sun.
Neilah, Concluding the Silent Amidah
אֱלֹקַי. עַד שֶׁלֹּא נוֹצַֽרְתִּי
God, before I was formed,
אֵינִי כְדַאי,
I was unworthy [to be created].
וְעַכְשָׁו שֶׁנּוֹצַֽרְתִּי
And now that I have been formed,
כְּאִלּוּ לֹא נוֹצַֽרְתִּי.
it is as if I had not been formed.
עָפָר אֲנִי בְּחַיָּי.
I am like dust while I live,
קַל וָחֹֽמֶר בְּמִיתָתִי.
how much more so when I am dead.
הֲרֵי אֲנִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ
Here I am before You
כִּכְלִי מָלֵא בוּשָׁה וּכְלִמָּה.
like a vessel filled with shame.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ
May it be Your will,
יקוק אֱלֹקַי וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתַי
Adonoy, my God, and the God of my fathers,
שֶׁלֹּא אֶחֱטָא עוֹד.
that I shall sin no more,
וּמַה שֶּׁחָטָֽאתִי לְפָנֶֽיךָ
and the sins I have committed before You,
מָרֵק בְּרַחֲמֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים.
cleanse them in Your abundant mercies;
אֲבָל לֹא עַל יְדֵי
but not through
יִסּוּרִים וָחֳלָיִם רָעִים:
suffering and severe illness.
אֱלֹקַי נְצוֹר לְשׁוֹנִי מֵרָע
My God, guard my tongue from evil
וּשְׂפָתַי מִדַּבֵּר מִרְמָה
and my lips from speaking deceitfully.
וְלִמְקַלְלַי
To those who curse me,
נַפְשִׁי תִדּוֹם
may my soul be unresponsive;
וְנַפְשִׁי כֶּעָפָר לַכֹּל תִּהְיֶה
and let my soul be like dust to all.
פְּתַח לִבִּי בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ
Open my heart to Your Torah
וּבְמִצְוֹתֶֽיךָ תִּרְדּוֹף נַפְשִׁי
and let my soul pursue Your commandments.
וְכֹל הַחוֹשְׁבִים עָלַי רָעָה
And all who plan evil against me,
מְהֵרָה הָפֵר עֲצָתָם
quickly annul their counsel
וְקַלְקֵל מַחֲשַׁבְתָּם:
and frustrate their intention.
עֲשֵׂה לְמַֽעַן שְׁמֶֽךָ,
Act for the sake of Your Name.
עֲשֵׂה לְמַֽעַן יְמִינֶֽךָ,
Act for the sake of Your right hand.
עֲשֵׂה לְמַֽעַן קְדֻשָּׁתֶֽךָ,
Act for the sake of Your holiness.
עֲשֵׂה לְמַֽעַן תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ.
Act for the sake of Your Torah.
לְמַֽעַן יֵחָלְצוּן יְדִידֶֽיךָ
In order that Your loved ones be released,
הוֹשִֽׁיעָה יְמִינְךָ וַעֲנֵֽנִי:
deliver [with] Your right hand and answer me.
יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי
May the words of my mouth be acceptable
וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶֽיךָ
and the thoughts of my heart — before You
יְהֹוָה צוּרִי וְגוֹאֲלִי:
Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.
עֹשֶׂה הַשָּׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו
He Who makes the peace in His high heavens
הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם
may He make peace
עָלֵֽינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל
upon us and upon all Yisrael
וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן:
and say Amein.
ת"ר עבירות שהתודה עליהן יוה"כ זה לא יתודה עליהן יום הכפורים אחר ואם שנה בהן צריך להתודות יוה"כ אחר ואם לא שנה בהן וחזר והתודה עליהן עליו הכתוב אומר (משלי כו, יא) ככלב שב על קיאו כסיל שונה באולתו רבי אליעזר בן יעקב אומר כ"ש שהוא משובח שנאמר (תהלים נא, ה) כי פשעי אני אדע וחטאתי נגדי תמיד.
Furthermore, during confession, one must detail the sin he committed and not suffice with a general admission of sin, as it is stated: “And Moses returned to the Lord and said: Please, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves a god of gold” (Exodus 32:31); this is the statement of Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava. Rabbi Akiva says that the verse states: “Fortunate is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is hidden” (Psalms 32:1), which teaches that one need not detail his sins.
Yoma 86b
The Sages taught in the Tosefta: With regard to transgressions that one confessed on this Yom Kippur, he should not confess them on another Yom Kippur, since he has already been forgiven. But if he repeated those same transgressions during the year, he must confess them again on another Yom Kippur. And if he did not repeat them but did confess them again, about him the verse states: “As a dog that returns to its vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11), since it is inappropriate to go back and mention one’s earlier sins. Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: If one confesses in subsequent years, all the more so is he praiseworthy, as he remembers his earlier sins and is thereby humbled, as it is stated: “For I know my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me” (Psalms 51:5).
וצריך לפרוט את החטא שנאמר (שמות לב, לא) אנא חטא העם הזה חטאה גדולה ויעשו להם אלקי זהב דברי ר' יהודה בן בבא רבי עקיבא אומר אשרי נשוי פשע כסוי חטאה
מאי אמר
אמר רב אתה יודע רזי עולם
ושמואל אמר ממעמקי הלב
ולוי אמר ובתורתך כתוב לאמר
ר' יוחנן אמר רבון העולמים
ר' יהודה אמר כי עונותינו רבו מלמנות וחטאתינו עצמו מספר
רב המנונא אמר אלקי עד שלא נוצרתי איני כדאי עכשיו שנוצרתי כאילו לא נוצרתי עפר אני בחיי ק"ו במיתתי הרי אני לפניך ככלי מלא בושה וכלימה יהי רצון מלפניך שלא אחטא ומה שחטאתי מרוק ברחמיך אבל לא ע"י יסורין והיינו וידויא דרבא כולה שתא ודרב המנונא זוטא ביומא דכפורי
אמר מר זוטרא לא אמרן אלא דלא אמר אבל אנחנו חטאנו אבל אמר אבל אנחנו חטאנו תו לא צריך
דאמר בר המדודי הוה קאימנא קמיה דשמואל והוה יתיב וכי מטא שליחא דצבורא ואמר אבל אנחנו חטאנו קם מיקם אמר שמע מינה עיקר וידוי האי הוא.
The Gemara asks: What does one say; what is the liturgy of the confession?
Rav said: One says the prayer that begins:
You know the mysteries of the universe, in accordance with the standard liturgy.
And Shmuel said that the prayer begins with: From the depths of the heart.
And Levi said that it begins: And in your Torah it is written, saying, and one then recites the forgiveness achieved by Yom Kippur as stated in the Torah.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said that it begins: Master of the Universe.
Rabbi Yehuda said that one says: For our iniquities are too many to count and our sins are too great to number.
Rav Hamnuna said: This is the liturgy of the confession: My God, before I was formed I was unworthy. Now that I have been formed, it is as if I had not been formed. I am dust while alive, how much more so when I am dead. See, I am before You like a vessel filled with shame and disgrace. May it be Your will that I may sin no more, and as for the sins I have committed before You, erase them in Your compassion, but not by suffering. The Gemara comments: This is the confession that Rava used all year long; and it was the confession that Rav Hamnuna Zuta used on Yom Kippur.
Mar Zutra said: We said only that one must follow all these versions when he did not say the words: But we have sinned. However, if he said the words: But we have sinned, he need not say anything further because that is the essential part of the confession.
As Bar Hamdudei said: I was standing before Shmuel and he was sitting; and when the prayer leader reached the words: But we have sinned, Shmuel stood. Bar Hamdudei said: Learn from here that this is the main part of the confession, and Shmuel stood up to emphasize the significance of these words.
Avi Weiss' affirmative Vidui
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אָהַבְנוּ, |
We have loved, |
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We have raised up, |
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יָעַצְנוּ טוֺב, |
We have given good advice, |
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רִחַמְנוּ, |
We have been merciful, |