Do I have to atone for sins I didn't commit? Making Sense of The Yom Kippur Confessionals

TRANSLITERATION

Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu laasok b’divrei Torah.

TRANSLATION

Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to engage with words of Torah.

For the sin which we have committed before You under duress or willingly.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by hard-heartedness.
For the sin which we have committed before You inadvertently.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.
For the sin which we have committed before You with immorality.
And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly.
For the sin which we have committed before You with knowledge and with deceit.
And for the sin which we have committed before You through speech.
For the sin which we have committed before You by deceiving a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by improper thoughts.
For the sin which we have committed before You by a gathering of lewdness.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by verbal [insincere] confession.
For the sin which we have committed before You by disrespect for parents and teachers.
And for the sin which we have committed before You intentionally or unintentionally.
For the sin which we have committed before You by using coercion.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by desecrating the Divine Name.
For the sin which we have committed before You by impurity of speech.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by foolish talk.
For the sin which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.
And for the sin which we have committed before You knowingly or unknowingly.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by false denial and lying.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by evil talk [about another].
For the sin which we have committed before You in business dealings.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by eating and drinking.
For the sin which we have committed before You by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a haughty demeanor.
For the sin which we have committed before You by the prattle of our lips.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a glance of the eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You with proud looks.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with impudence.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke [of Heaven].
And for the sin which we have committed before You in passing judgment.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scheming against a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a begrudging eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You by frivolity.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by obduracy.
For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale-bearing.
For the sin which we have committed before You by swearing in vain.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred.
For the sin which we have committed before You by embezzlement.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a confused heart.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
  • If I didn't commit one or more of these sins, do I have to say it and hit my chest with everyone else?
  • First, everyone's thoughts...
From R. Baruch HaLevi Epstein:
"During the time of Maimonides, a person complained to [the Rabbi] about the language of the Ashamnu and Al Chet (confessional prayers), he said, 'There is no doubt in my mind I did not commit the great majority of the sins mentioned in them, even to the smallest details...how can I confess to God if I have no personal reason to do so?'
"Maimonides tried to explain to him, even if he did not actually commit these sins, he may still be accountable for the 'dust' or the 'image' of these sins in a way he did not recognize nor feel personally...
"All of this is forced, to my mind this topic is simple. The language of the Ashamnu and Al Chet is similar to the prayer for healing in the Amidah, since although the one who is praying is healthy in every way, and does not need healing, even so they pray for healing...
"We can explain this in the way known to everyone, due to the merit of the people of Israel, the entire people is considered a single family, happy in another's happiness, and troubled by another's suffering...and [in the Midrash] Israel is compared to a nut, when nuts are piled up in a basket, if you take one they all will be disturbed [and fall] so too Israel, if one person is troubled all the rest will feel it, too; just as when one part of the body is hurting the rest of the body will be impacted by that one part...
"So therefore, in the healing prayer [offered in the Amidah] that we all pray, even the one who does not need healing participates in the suffering of others and asks for compassion on the entire people in which there will for sure be people who need healing...
"And so here in the confessional prayers Ashamnu and Al Chet everyone confesses, and among the people there are those who did commit this sin or that one, and everyone prays for the whole people, and so these prayers become prayers for the entire people.
"Our Sins? They're Not All Mine!" by Rabbi David Teutsch, PhD
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.
R. Nachman of Bretzlav, Likkutei MoHaRa”N I 270, Translation by R. Jonathan Slater
We are frequently aroused in our spiritual practice by our fellows. When we witness them recite their requests, prayers for forgiveness and supplications with passionate arousal and a broken heart, we are aroused as well. We are moved to look at ourselves, and so wake up spiritually to recite our own petitions with aroused hearts.
In the same way, we can arouse ourselves, listening to our own words. So, when we recite our own requests and supplications with great arousal, crying out “woe is me!”, this wakes us up. We begin to take stock: “Where am I? Who is it who is crying out this way? When I say ‘woe is me’ is it not really me about whom I’m speaking?” This leads us to cry out again “woe is me”, this time really knowing the “me” we speak of. Even though at first it seemed to us that we were speaking the truth, nevertheless we see how great is the difference between then and now.
Both quoted by Debra Rappoport in her Sefaria sheet "Yom Kippur Confession"
שכל העולם כולו נזדעזע בשעה שאמר הקב"ה בסיני (שמות כ, ו) לא תשא את שם ה' אלהיך לשוא וכל עבירות שבתורה נאמר בהן ונקה וכאן נאמר לא ינקה וכל עבירות שבתורה נפרעין ממנו וכאן ממנו וממשפחתו שנאמר (קהלת ה, ה) אל תתן את פיך לחטיא את בשרך ואין בשרו אלא קרובו שנאמר (ישעיהו נח, ז) ומבשרך לא תתעלם וכל עבירות שבתורה נפרעין ממנו וכאן ממנו ומכל העולם כולו שנאמר (הושע ד, ב) אלה וכחש ואימא עד דעביד להו לכולהו לא ס"ד דכתיב (ירמיהו כג, י) מפני אלה אבלה הארץ וכתיב (הושע ד, ג) על כן תאבל הארץ ואומלל כל יושב בה וכל עבירות שבתורה אם יש לו זכות תולין לו שנים ושלשה דורות וכאן נפרעין ממנו לאלתר שנאמר (זכריה ה, ד) הוצאתיה נאם ה' צבאות ובאה אל בית הגנב ואל בית הנשבע בשמי לשקר ולנה בתוך ביתו וכלתו ואת עציו ואת אבניו
that the entire world trembled when the Holy One, Blessed be He, said at Mount Sinai: “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless one who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). And be aware that with regard to all of the other transgressions in the Torah it is stated: “And will…clear the guilty [venakkeh]” (Exodus 34:7); whereas here, with regard to taking a false oath, it is stated: “Will not hold guiltless [lo yenakkeh].” And be aware that with regard to all of the other transgressions in the Torah, punishment is exacted only from the transgressor, whereas here, punishment is exacted from him and from his family, as it is stated: “Do not allow your mouth to bring your flesh into guilt” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). The verse indicates that one who sins with his mouth, by taking a false oath, causes his flesh to be punished as well; and one’s flesh is nothing other than his relative, as it is stated: “And that you not hide yourself from your own flesh” (Isaiah 58:7). And be aware that with regard to all of the other transgressions in the Torah, punishment is exacted only from the transgressor; whereas here, punishment is exacted from him and from the entire world, as it is stated: “Swearing, and lying, and murdering, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break all bounds…Therefore, the land mourns, and everyone who dwells therein languishes” (Hosea 4:2–3). The Gemara suggests: And why not say that punishment is not exacted from the entire world unless he commits all of the sins mentioned in the verse? The Gemara answers: This should not enter your mind, as it is written: “Because of swearing the land mourns” (Jeremiah 23:10), indicating that taking a false oath is sufficient to cause the land to mourn. And it is similarly written in the verse in Hosea: “Therefore, the land mourns, and everyone who dwells therein languishes.” Both verses employ a term of mourning. The baraita continues with the judges’ forewarning: And be aware that with regard to all the other transgressions in the Torah, if the transgressor has merit, God suspends his punishment for two or three generations, and only if his descendants follow in his ways are they punished. Whereas here, punishment is exacted from him immediately, as it is stated: “This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole land…I cause it to go forth, says the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of he who swears falsely by My name; and it shall abide in the midst of his house and shall consume it, with its timber and its stones” (Zechariah 5:3–4).
וכל עבירות שבתורה מכל העולם לא והכתיב (ויקרא כו, לז) וכשלו איש באחיו איש בעון אחיו מלמד שכל ישראל ערבים זה בזה
The Gemara asks: And with regard to all of the other transgressions in the Torah, is punishment not exacted from the entire world? But isn’t it written: “And they shall stumble one upon another” (Leviticus 26:37)? This verse is homiletically interpreted to mean that they shall stumble spiritually, one due to the iniquity of another, which teaches that the entire Jewish people are considered guarantors for one another. Apparently, any transgression makes the entire world liable to be punished.
  • We are responsible for each other & our ancestors also explain God shares in some way in our lives - both in happiness and sadness
(ט) בְּֽכׇל־צָרָתָ֣ם ׀ (לא) [ל֣וֹ] צָ֗ר וּמַלְאַ֤ךְ פָּנָיו֙ הוֹשִׁיעָ֔ם בְּאַהֲבָת֥וֹ וּבְחֶמְלָת֖וֹ ה֣וּא גְאָלָ֑ם וַֽיְנַטְּלֵ֥ם וַֽיְנַשְּׂאֵ֖ם כׇּל־יְמֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃

(9) In all their troubles [God] was troubled,
And the angel of the divine Presence delivered them.
In love and pity
It was [God] who redeemed them,
Raised them, and exalted them
All the days of old.

לו צר היה דומה להם כאב שצרת בנו צר לו כאילו היה צרה לו לעצמו,

God was like a father for whom his child's suffering felt as though He was experiencing the same suffering.

-Malbim

(יד) וּבְכֵן תֵּן פַּחְדְּךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ עַל כָּל מַעֲשֶֽׂיךָ וְאֵימָתְךָ עַל כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָֽאתָ. וְיִירָאֽוּךָ כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים וְיִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְפָנֶיךָ כָּל הַבְּרוּאִים. וְיֵעָשׂוּ כֻלָּם אֲגֻדָּה אֶחָת לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם. כְּמוֹ שֶׁיָּדַֽעְנוּ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ שֶׁהַשִּׁלְטוֹן לְפָנֶֽיךָ עֹז בְּיָדְךָ וּגְבוּרָה בִּימִינֶֽךָ וְשִׁמְךָ נוֹרָא עַל כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָֽאתָ:

(14) And so... And may they all form a single band (bond?) to do Your will with a perfect heart. For we know Adonoy, our God that rulership is Yours, strength is in Your hand, might is in Your right hand and Your Name is awesome over all You have created.