Our communal confession begins with Ashamnu, an acrostic in which there is one word representing each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is thus both contained and inclusive of everything. The Short Confession begins with the assertion that we are not so arrogant and stubborn as to say we have not sinned, for we have sinned. Hebrew has several words for "sin" or "transgression" or "missing the mark" or "erring."
Viddui (English translation from Forms of Prayer, Reform Synagogues of Great Britain)
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אָשַׁמְנוּ. בָּגַדְנוּ. גָּזַלְנוּ. דִּבַּרְנוּ דֹּפִי: הֶעֱוִינוּ. וְהִרְשַׁעְנוּ. זַדְנוּ. חָמַסְנוּ. טָפַלְנוּ שֶׁקֶר: יָעַצְנוּ רָע. כִּזַּבְנוּ. לַצְנוּ. מָרַדְנוּ. נִאַצְנוּ. סָרַרְנוּ. עָוִינוּ. פָּשַׁעְנוּ. צָרַרְנוּ. קִשִּׁינוּ עֹרֶף: רָשַׁעְנוּ. שִׁחַתְנוּ. תִּעַבְנוּ. תָּעִינוּ. תִּעְתָּעְנוּ: |
Ashamnu, bagadnu, gazalnu, dibarnu dofi. He’e’vinu, v’hirshanu, zad’nu, chamas’nu, tafalnu shaker. Ya’atz’nu ra, kizav’nu, latz’nu, marad’nu, ni’atz’nu, sarar’nu, avinu, pasha’nu, tzarar’nu, kishinu oref. Rashanu, shichat’nu, Ti’av’nu, ta’i’nu, tita’nu. |
We have abused, we have betrayed, we have been cruel. We have destroyed and embittered other people’s lives. We were false to ourselves. We have gossiped about others and hated them. We have insulted and jeered. We have killed. We have lied. We have misled others and neglected them. We were obstinate. We have perverted and quarreled. We have robbed and stolen. We have transgressed through unkindness. We have been both violent and weak. We have practiced extortion. We have yielded to wrong desires, misplaced our zeal. |
From We Have Sinned, Ed. Lawrence Hoffman, pp. 134-138
Jewish tradition holds that reconciliation with God must be preceded by reconciliation with other people. The month of Elul and the period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are designated as a time to accomplish that task, which requires not only apology but also a concerted effort to repair the damage to others that has resulted from the transgressions. Yom Kippur focuses on the relationships between people and God. If the confession is the individual's effort to return to God, why does it repeatedly say "we" rather than "I"? There are several answers to this question, and they are not mutually exclusive.
Sometimes, sins are not simply between one person and another; they entail complicity across an entire community. A communal confession allows for the possibility that any single wrong may well have occurred in part because of invisible sins of silence when tochecha [rebuke] should have been offered.
Another function of communal confession is its emphatic statement of behaviors the community considers unacceptable. We can understand this as a general form of admonition, by which the community proclaims its expectations to its members. "we" affirm the standards of our community together.
אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהַתְּשׁוּבָה וְהַצְּעָקָה יָפָה לָעוֹלָם. בַּעֲשָׂרָה הַיָּמִים שֶׁבֵּין רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה וְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים הִיא יָפָה בְּיוֹתֵר וּמִתְקַבֶּלֶת הִיא מִיָּד
Although it is always good to cry out and repent every day of the year, during the space of the Ten Days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom HaKippurim it is exceedingly better, and the atonement is immediately accepted..
אֵי זוֹ הִיא תְּשׁוּבָה גְּמוּרָה. זֶה שֶׁבָּא לְיָדוֹ דָּבָר שֶׁעָבַר בּוֹ וְאֶפְשָׁר בְּיָדוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ וּפֵרַשׁ וְלֹא עָשָׂה מִפְּנֵי הַתְּשׁוּבָה.
What is complete teshuvah? When a person has the opportunity to commit the same sin again because they are in the same situation, but they separate themselves and do not do it because of teshuvah and not because they are afraid of the punishment or consequences.
- Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903-1993, author of "Halachic Man", one of the foremost modern jewish thinkers/ scholars)
(ה) וַיֵּ֤רֶד ה' בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֥ב עִמּ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א בְשֵׁ֖ם ה'׃ (ו) וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר ה' ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ ה' ׀ ה' אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀ (ז) נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙
(5) God came down in a cloud; He stood with Moses there, and proclaimed the name of Adonai (6) God passed before him and proclaimed: “Adonai, Adonai, God of compassion and graciousness, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, (7) extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin;
In this spirit, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook in his commentary on the Mishnah points out that just as there is a vidui la-ra, a confession for the bad, so, too, is there a vidui la-tov, a confession for the good. An example is vidui ma’aser. In the fourth and seventh year of the sabbatical cycle, we recall that we have given tithes properly over the past three years. To the priest, we gave terumah (gift offering), to the Levite, we gave tithes, in support of Jerusalem we gave the second tithes. And we helped the indigent (ma’aser ani) by giving money to the poor. In short, our actions were an all-encompassing doing good (Deuteronomy 26:12-15).
God our Creator and Guide,
Let us speak now of the healing acts by which we bring You into the world, the acts of repair that make You a living presence in our lives:
For the act of healing we have done openly or anonymously and for the act of repair we have done without personal gain.
For the act of healing we have done by seeking forgiveness and for the act of repair we have done by forgiving others.
For the act of healing we have done through righteous giving and for the act of repair we have done by opening our hearts.
For the act of healing we have done by comforting the mourner and visiting the sick; and for the act of repair we have done by pursuing justice and human rights, fairness and civility.
For the act of healing we have done by making peace between one person and another; and for the act of repair we have done by protecting nature and all its creatures.
For the act of healing we have done by teaching our children the ways of peace; and for the act of repair we have done by teaching our children the ways of Torah.
For the act of healing we have done by honoring elders and loving the stranger; and for the act of repair we have done in response to Your commandment: choose life and blessing.
And all these bring nearer the day when You shall be One and Your name shall be One.