{"id":10251,"date":"2014-05-07T00:03:27","date_gmt":"2014-05-06T21:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=10251"},"modified":"2020-09-15T12:06:03","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T09:06:03","slug":"15-07-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/15-07-03\/","title":{"rendered":"03. The Mitzva of Confession (<em>Vidui<\/em>)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Yom Kippur is a time of forgiveness and atonement, as we read, \u201cFor on this day, atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord\u201d (Vayikra 16:30). Therefore, a mitzva is incumbent upon every individual to repent and to confess his sins on this day (MT, Laws of Repentance 2:7).<\/p>\n<p>The process of repentance is completed when a person explicitly verbalizes a confession. As is the case with our mission in this world in general, here too, we must actualize the good intentions present in our thoughts and hearts. Explicit, verbal confession clarifies and crystalizes the thoughts and emotions accompanying repentance. Regret is deeply and keenly felt, and the penitent\u2019s resolution to refrain from sin is reinforced. This is why the Torah commands those bringing an offering to confess their sins, as we read, \u201cSpeak to the children of Israel: When a man or woman commits any wrong toward a fellow man, thus breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess the wrong that he has done\u201d (Bamidbar 5:6-7). Similarly, we read, \u201cWhen he realizes his guilt in any of these matters, he shall confess that wherein he has sinned\u201d (Vayikra 5:5). Just as someone offering a sin offering must confess, so too, any penitent must confess. This is the final step of his repentance (MT, Laws of Repentance 1:1).<\/p>\n<p>Confession should also be practiced all year round. If one sinned unknowingly, he should say \u201cI have sinned\u201d (<em>\u1e25atati<\/em>); if he sinned knowingly, he should say \u201cI have done wrong\u201d (<em>aviti<\/em>); and if he sinned spitefully, he should say \u201cI have rebelled\u201d (<em>pashati<\/em>). By doing so, he has fulfilled the mitzva of confession, even though he has not detailed specific sins. In general, it is preferable to specify sins, although there are some situations where it is preferable not to do so (SA 607:2; MB <em>ad loc<\/em>. 5; SHT <em>ad loc<\/em>. 11; see sections 4-6 below for details).<sup><a href='#_te01ftn7_1' id='_te01ftnref7_1' class='aup1'>[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<div>\n<hr size=\"1\" \/>\n<div>\n<a href='#_te01ftnref7_1' id='_te01ftn7_1'>[1]<\/a>. Many authorities consider <em>vidui<\/em> to be the primary element of repentance, for it completes the process of repentance (<em>Sha\u2019arei Teshuva<\/em> 1:40; Ramban; <em>Smak<\/em>; <em>Sefer \u1e24aredim<\/em>). Ramban explains that repentance must be expressed in thought, speech, and action. \u201cThought\u201d refers to regret for past misdeeds. \u201cSpeech\u201d refers to <em>vidui<\/em>. \u201cAction,\u201d in Temple times, referred to leaning on a sacrificial animal before offering it (Ramban on Vayikra 1:9; <em>Sefer Ha-ikarim<\/em> 4:26). Nowadays, when there are no sacrifices, the verbal confession, which involves moving the lips, is considered to be action as well as speech (<em>Yad Ketana<\/em>). The customary bending over and striking the heart while reciting <em>vidui<\/em> (SA 607:3; MB <em>ad loc<\/em>. 10) is also a type of bodily action.<\/p>\n<p>Rambam writes, \u201cWhen a person repents and turns away from his sin, he must confess before God, blessed be He\u201d (MT, Laws of Repentance 1:1). Many understand Rambam to be saying that repentance is not a positive mitzva <em>per se<\/em>, as the necessity for it goes without saying; rather, the mitzva is <em>vidui<\/em> which is part of the process of repentance (<em>Pri \u1e24adash<\/em>; <em>Min\u1e25at \u1e24inukh<\/em>; <em>Mishpat Kohen<\/em> \u00a7128). Others maintain that Rambam considers repentance to be a mitzva, whereas <em>vidui<\/em> is a necessary part of that mitzva (Mabit, <em>Kiryat Sefer<\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yom Kippur is a time of forgiveness and atonement, as we read, \u201cFor on this day, atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord\u201d (Vayikra 16:30). Therefore, a mitzva is incumbent upon every individual to repent and to confess his sins on this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-15-07"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>03. The Mitzva of Confession (Vidui) - Peninei Halakha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/15-07-03\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"03. The Mitzva of Confession (Vidui) - Peninei Halakha\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yom Kippur is a time of forgiveness and atonement, as we read, \u201cFor on this day, atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall purify yourselves before the Lord\u201d (Vayikra 16:30). 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