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Wednesday, November 09, 2005
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VIDDUI - וידוי
Viddui means confession and is part of the prayer for bringing gifts from
the harvest or the tithe to the Temple in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 26:5-10,
13-15).
Viddui is also the prayer for confession of sin prayed on Yom Kippur
(the Day of Atonement), based on Leviticus 16:21 (the scapegoat): “Then
Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over
it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in
regard to all their sins.”
Today, it’s condensed into the simple phrase: “I have sinned, transgressed and
committed iniquity.” The key phrase in the confession of sin is, “Aval
anachnu chatanu—“But we have sinned,” which is followed by more explicit
confessions listed alphabetically.
The Viddui is also part of the daily morning prayer. Reform Judaism
deleted many passages from the Viddui prayer.
Confession is rooted in the Old Testament: “I acknowledged my sin to Thee,
and my iniquity I did not hide” (Psalm 32:5).
The New Testament also speaks of confession: “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Another form of confession is declaring that Yeshua is the Messiah: “As I
live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue
shall...confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”
(Philippians 2:9-11; Romans 14:11; compare Isaiah 45:23).
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