607 - תרז סדר הווידוי במנחה בערב יום הכיפורים ובו ט"ז סעיפים

607 - Order of the Vidui at Mincha on Erev Yom Kippur - 16 Subsections

1 Since Yom Kippur is the day of forgiveness and atonement, as it is written: "For on this day He shall atone," etc. (Vayikra 16:30), therefore every person must confess his sins. For so we find regarding all the offerings that come to atone. As it is said: "And they shall confess their sin that they committed" (Bamidbar 5:7).

And the mitzvah of confession, by law, is at the beginning of the time of atonement, that is, from when it becomes dark on the night of Yom Kippur.

Except that the Sages were concerned lest some mishap of drunkenness or the like occur at the seudah hamafsekes, and he will not be able to confess at the beginning of the time of atonement.

Therefore they instituted that every person should confess on erev Yom Kippur at Mincha, before he eats at the seudah hamafsekes.

And even though he confessed at Mincha — he must go back and confess at Maariv, which is the beginning of the time of atonement. And it is the essential time of the confession of Yom Kippur.

And even though he confessed at Maariv — he goes back and confesses at the Shacharis prayer. Lest a matter of transgression occurred to him after the confession of Maariv.

And for this reason he must go back and confess at Musaf and at Mincha and at Ne'ilah — lest a matter of transgression occurred to him during the whole day. For Yom Kippur atones until its end, at nightfall.

2 And there are those who say that the time of the mitzvah of confession, by law, is before the beginning of the time of atonement, that is, at nightfall — so that he should enter the day in teshuvah, and there should be no interval in which to sin between the confession and the beginning of the time of atonement.

Except that the Sages were concerned lest some mishap occur to him at the meal and he will not be able to confess at nightfall — therefore they instituted to confess at Mincha.

And even though he confessed at Mincha, he goes back and confesses at nightfall, which is the essential time of confession by law, lest a matter of transgression occurred to him after Mincha.

And even though he confessed at nightfall — he goes back and confesses at the Maariv prayer and at every prayer of the day — because certainly on Yom Kippur itself too he is obligated to confess and to return in complete teshuvah.

And the halacha is like the first opinion.

Nevertheless, it is fitting for every person to be stringent upon himself like the second opinion. And when he sees bein hashmashos approaching and coming — let him stand and confess.

3 When the individual confesses, whether at the Mincha prayer of erev Yom Kippur or at Maariv, Shacharis, Musaf, Mincha, and Ne'ilah of Yom Kippur — he confesses after he has completed his prayer, before he has moved his feet. But the chazan says the confession on Yom Kippur within the prayer.

But at the Mincha prayer of erev Yom Kippur — the chazan does not repeat the confession aloud. For since they instituted the confession at Mincha only on account of the concern lest a mishap occur at the meal, and the chazan repeats the prayer only in order to fulfill the obligation of one who is not expert — the Sages did not wish to institute that the chazan repeat the confession lest a mishap occur to one who is not expert, for those who are not expert are few.

4 If he did not specify his sins but said in general terms: "I have sinned" — he has fulfilled the mitzvah of confession. Nevertheless, ideally it is proper to specify the sin, that he should say: "I did such and such." Because [through this] he is more ashamed before the Holy One, blessed be He, of his sins, and regrets them from the depth of his heart.

And when he specifies his sins — he should confess in an undertone. For if he confesses aloud — it is forbidden for him to specify his sins in public. Because it is not the honor of the Omnipresent that he reveals to the public that he sinned against Him.

In what case is this said? Regarding a sin that is not publicly known. But a sin that is publicly known to the multitude — it is permitted to specify it in public, even aloud.

Nevertheless, there is no obligation to specify it aloud; rather he may specify it in an undertone, if he wishes.

5 And as for our saying "Al Cheit" according to the order of the alef-beis — this is not called specifying his sins, since all say it equally, it is only like a text of prayer. And therefore it is permitted to say it aloud.

6 The order of the confession is with "For the sins for which we are liable to an olah," and afterward "chatas," and afterward "korban oleh v'yored," and afterward "asham vadai and asham talui." Because so are the offerings ordered in Parshas Vayikra.

And afterward, "for which we are liable to makkas mardus." And afterward, "forty lashes." And afterward, "death at the hands of Heaven." And afterward, "kares and childlessness." And afterward, "the four court-imposed deaths."

For one must request regarding the lighter matters first, and afterward continue and increase. As explained in siman 582.

7 He should say the term "kaparah" for chata'im, and the term "mechilah" for avonos, and the term "selichah" for pesha'im.

For the cheit is lighter than the avon, and the avon is lighter than the pesha. And the kaparah is greater than the mechilah, and the mechilah is greater than the selichah.

Therefore, the cheit is atoned, and the avon is pardoned, and the pesha is forgiven.

And one must confess while standing. Therefore he should not lean upon something in such a manner that if that thing upon which he leans were removed he would fall. As explained in siman 585^[1].

And it is good to bow at the time of the confession as at Modim — in order to confess with great submission.

And when he confesses he should strike with his fist upon the heart, as if to say: "You caused me the sin."

And there are those who practice to strike upon the chest, for the reason known to them.

8 Even though he confessed in the silent prayer, even so when the chazan reaches the confession — he must go back and stand and confess with him.

And in this confession he need not specify the sin, but rather once he has said with the chazan: "But we have sinned" — it suffices. And he may sit afterward.

Nevertheless, one should not speak at the time that the chazan is confessing.

9 Sins that he confessed over on the past Yom Kippur, even though they have already been atoned — even so he may go back and specify them in his confession. And moreover, one who goes back and specifies them, behold this is praiseworthy. For it is said: "And my sin is before me always" (Tehillim 51:5). That is to say: I do not presume that You have atoned for me, and behold it is always as though it stands before me.

10 We do not conclude with a blessing at the confession^[2] — neither the confession of erev Yom Kippur at Mincha nor the confession of the individual after his prayer in the prayers of Yom Kippur itself^[3].

11 The practice is that after the Mincha prayer on erev Yom Kippur the entire congregation receives thirty-nine lashes.

And even though lashes are not effective in this time — for we have no ordained judges? And also one is not liable to lashes unless they warned him — that the court should lash him?

Nevertheless, the practice is to be lashed — for through this he will take to heart to repent from the transgressions in his hand.

And furthermore, in order to humble his heart and prepare it to serve the honored and awesome Name with dread and with fear.

12 And the practice is that the one being lashed says confessions at the time that he is lashed.

And the one who lashes says: "And He, the Merciful One, atones iniquity," etc. (Tehillim 78:38), three times, which are thirty-nine words corresponding to the thirty-nine lashes.

13 And the practice is to lash with a strap of whatever sort — for this is not complete lashes, which require a strap a tefach wide.

14 And they take a strap of calfhide, to awaken him to teshuvah. Along the lines of "The ox knows its owner" (Yeshayahu 1:3).

But one need not take two straps, one of donkey hide, as they were in complete lashes — since lashes are not effective in this time.

15 And the one being lashed should neither stand nor sit, but rather be bent over, his back to the south and his face to the north. Because the essential sin of man is on account of money. And it is written: "From the north gold comes" (Iyov 37:22). Therefore let him humble himself to that direction — to make known that from there the sin came to him.

16 Yom Kippur atones only for those who repent and who believe in its atonement. But one who spurns it and thinks in his heart: "What does Yom Kippur avail him?" — for this one Yom Kippur does not atone.

Notes

^[1] "siman 585" — se'if 1. ↑

^[2] "We do not conclude with a blessing at the confession" — see Yoma 87b, and Rashi: "he does not conclude with 'Who sanctifies Israel'". ↑

^[3] "the prayers of Yom Kippur itself" — see above, se'if 5. ↑