Primordial: Lev Tahor - Pure Heart
(יב) לֵ֣ב טָ֭הוֹר בְּרָא־לִ֣י אֱלֹהִ֑ים וְר֥וּחַ נָ֝כ֗וֹן חַדֵּ֥שׁ בְּקִרְבִּֽי׃
Create a pure heart in me great Spirit.
And renew a true soul within me.
(English & Music: Daphna Rosenberg and Yoel Sykes)
And renew a true soul within me.
(English & Music: Daphna Rosenberg and Yoel Sykes)
Lev Tahor Hebrew Version
Writing exercise - Lets say the Divine has granted you your prayer request, how does your pure heart and your renewed true soul look like?
Does your pure heart want to tell you today, in the beginning of Elul?
Present Past Future: Yah Melech Yah Malach Yah Yimloch L'Olam Vaed
Does your pure heart want to tell you today, in the beginning of Elul?
Present Past Future: Yah Melech Yah Malach Yah Yimloch L'Olam Vaed
Yah Malach: Past - Hashivenu/Hashivinu
הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יהוה אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה
חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃
חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃
Take us back, Eternal, to Yourself,
And let us come back;
Renew our days as of old!
And let us come back;
Renew our days as of old!
Yah Yimloch: Future
יְסוֹד הַחֲסִידוּת וְשֹׁרֶשׁ הָעֲבוֹדָה הַתְּמִימָה הוּא שֶׁיִּתְבָּרֵר וְיִתְאַמֵּת אֵצֶל הָאָדָם מָה חוֹבָתוֹ בְּעוֹלָמוֹ וּלְמָה צָרִיךְ שֶׁיָּשִׂים מַבָּטוֹ וּמְגַמָּתוֹ בְּכָל אֲשֶׁר הוּא עָמֵל כָּל יְמֵי חַיָּיו.
The foundation of piety and the root of true service [of G-d] is for a person to clarify and come to realize as truth what is their obligation in his world and to what they needs to direct their gaze and their aspiration in all that he toils all the days of his life.
ר׳ שלום נח מסלונים, נתיבות שלום, ראש השנה א, ה
וע"פ הדברים האלה יבואר מה שר’’ה הוא יום חגנו, ולובשים בו לבנים ומברכים שהחיינו על היום הזה, הכל מטעם שהוא יום התחדשות הברית בין קוב’’ה וישראל. ומובן מה שאמר נחמיה אל כל העם, ’’היום קדוש הוא ליהוה אלהיכם, אל תתאבלו ואל תבכו! לכו ואכלו משמנים ושתו ממתקים וכו׳,’’ כי התפיסה של העם בר’’ה היתה שהוא יום הדין על העבר, ובכייתם היתה בבחי׳ אבלות כבוכה על מה שאין לו תיקון עוד... שהוא יום כריתת ברית מחדש ובו כל יהודי ממליך עליו מחדש את הקב’’ה. קבלו עליכם את הברית מכאן ולהבא.
וע"פ הדברים האלה יבואר מה שר’’ה הוא יום חגנו, ולובשים בו לבנים ומברכים שהחיינו על היום הזה, הכל מטעם שהוא יום התחדשות הברית בין קוב’’ה וישראל. ומובן מה שאמר נחמיה אל כל העם, ’’היום קדוש הוא ליהוה אלהיכם, אל תתאבלו ואל תבכו! לכו ואכלו משמנים ושתו ממתקים וכו׳,’’ כי התפיסה של העם בר’’ה היתה שהוא יום הדין על העבר, ובכייתם היתה בבחי׳ אבלות כבוכה על מה שאין לו תיקון עוד... שהוא יום כריתת ברית מחדש ובו כל יהודי ממליך עליו מחדש את הקב’’ה. קבלו עליכם את הברית מכאן ולהבא.
R' Shalom Noach of Slonim, Nesivos Sholem, Rosh Hashanah 1:5
According to this we can understand why Rosh Hashanah is called "a day of our celebration," and on it we wear shining white clothes and bless shehechiyanu. The reason is because it is a day of renewal of the covenant between the Holy One and Israel. It is understood what Nehemiah (the prophet) said to the people, "Today is a holy one for the Lord your G-d, do not mourn, and do not weep! Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet [wine]..." The people's original take on the day was that it was a day of judgement of the past, and their crying was like that of mourning, crying over what was ruined and cannot be fixed... But [Rosh Hashanah] is the day on which the covenant is contracted a new, and on it each Jew crowns G-d again. So take on the covenant on yourself from now forwards!
According to this we can understand why Rosh Hashanah is called "a day of our celebration," and on it we wear shining white clothes and bless shehechiyanu. The reason is because it is a day of renewal of the covenant between the Holy One and Israel. It is understood what Nehemiah (the prophet) said to the people, "Today is a holy one for the Lord your G-d, do not mourn, and do not weep! Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet [wine]..." The people's original take on the day was that it was a day of judgement of the past, and their crying was like that of mourning, crying over what was ruined and cannot be fixed... But [Rosh Hashanah] is the day on which the covenant is contracted a new, and on it each Jew crowns G-d again. So take on the covenant on yourself from now forwards!
Yah Melech: Present - Vidduy and Chesbon Hanefesh
Viddui Zuta
Interpretive Short Viddui by Dani’el Yoel Cohen
For the full version click here
Vidui means acknowledgment. It is not about self flagellation or blame, but about honesty, coming into contact with our lives, our patterns and experiences, and ultimately about teshuva and learning. In contacting the pain and suffering which our modes of being have given rise to, our regret can help us to willfully divest ourselves of them and awaken the yearning for those modes of being which are life-affirming, supportive of wholeness, connection, integrity, and flourishing. With each one we tap on our heart, touching the pain and closed-heartedness we have caused, and simultaneously knocking on the door that it may open again.
אשמנו
We have become guilty.
What do you feel guilty about? What is it that you value that you wish you had acted in alignment with? (The guilt is trying to connect you to that)
What value or need were you trying to fulfill in the way you acted or spoke? How could you pursue that more skillfully next time?
We have become guilty.
What do you feel guilty about? What is it that you value that you wish you had acted in alignment with? (The guilt is trying to connect you to that)
What value or need were you trying to fulfill in the way you acted or spoke? How could you pursue that more skillfully next time?
בגדנו
We have put clothes on integrity, covering what is true.
Notice the duality and suffering of this betrayal.
We have put clothes on integrity, covering what is true.
Notice the duality and suffering of this betrayal.
גזלנו
We have robbed/stolen.
Where have we not honored others’ property and creations? Where have we imposed ourselves in others’ domains?
We have robbed/stolen.
Where have we not honored others’ property and creations? Where have we imposed ourselves in others’ domains?
דיברנו דופי
We have spoken slander.
We have the gift of voice and communication. When have we created suffering by misusing it?
We have spoken slander.
We have the gift of voice and communication. When have we created suffering by misusing it?
Vidduy Raba
Alternative Long Viddua by Michal Tal-Yah
For the full page click here
For the full page click here
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּדָבְרֵנוּ דְּבַר שֶׁקֶר כִּי פָּחַדְנוּ מִתּוֹצְאוֹת חֲשִׂיפַת הָאֱמֶת, וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לִפְנֵי הוֹרֵינוּ בְּשִׁפּוּטִיּוֹת חַסְרַת חֶמְלָה.
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לִפְנֵי אֲהוּבֵינוּ בְּצִמְצוּם גִּלּוּיֵי אַהֲבָה, וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לִפְנֵי כָּל הָעוֹלָם בַּאֲטִימַת לִבֵּנוּ לְעֹנִי, לְדִכּוּי, לִשְׁחִיתוּת, לְמִלְחָמוֹת.
עַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לִפְנֵי אֲהוּבֵינוּ בְּצִמְצוּם גִּלּוּיֵי אַהֲבָה, וְעַל חֵטְא שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לִפְנֵי כָּל הָעוֹלָם בַּאֲטִימַת לִבֵּנוּ לְעֹנִי, לְדִכּוּי, לִשְׁחִיתוּת, לְמִלְחָמוֹת.
For the sin we have sinned before You in speaking falsehood, out of fear of the consequences of revealing truth, and for the sin we have sinned before our parents with judgment lacking compassion.
For the sin we have sinned before our beloveds by withholding expressions of love, and for the sin we have sinned before the whole world by hardening our hearts to poverty, oppression, corruption, wars.
For the sin we have sinned before our beloveds by withholding expressions of love, and for the sin we have sinned before the whole world by hardening our hearts to poverty, oppression, corruption, wars.
Al Chet - R' Or and Fliza Zohar
Words and translations are found on Youtube
וזהו שאמר "שופטים ושוטרים תתן לך: רצה לומר אותו משפט שהיית רוצה על חבירך - אותו משפט שפוט לעצמך ותתן לך זה השופט שישפוט אותך כמו זולתך ואז כל אחד על מקומו יבוא בשלום.
This is why the Torah says, "Judges and officers shall you place on yourself," that is to say, the judgment that you wished to levy on your fellow, you should apply that judgment to yourself. "Place on yourself," this is the [internal] judge who will judge you as if you were another, leaving everyone will settle in place in peace.