Viddui: Carrying Each Other's Burdens
I wanted to share with you the short introduction which to Viddui which I will be sharing this evening on Yom Kippur. G'mar chatima tova, may you be sealed in the book of life.
Entering into Yom Kippur, there is a special section of the prayer book called Viddui. In the Viddui section, we take the moment to exclaim our wrongdoings as a community. Ashamnu, bagadnu, gazalnu… We have trespassed, we have betrayed, we have stolen… The list continues, and is always in the plural first person, we. I am working this year at Temple Sinai in Washington DC, and wanted to share with you the short introduction which to Viddui which I will be sharing this evening in community.
It’s worth mentioning that this is simply the introduction. The day is long, and Yom Kippur is ultimately a celebratory day, as we come out the other side. But to arrive at the end, it is worthwhile to start from a place of humility. Only from that standpoint can we find joy and forgiveness at the day’s end.
I hope that you have a meaningful day, no matter how you are spending it. G’mar chatimah tovah v’tzom kal.
Viddui means confession. Confession is vulnerable. On Yom Kippur, we are tasked to sit in a community and announce that we are sinners. Look to your left. To your right. Each person you see is a sinner, as are you. As am I. And it is in the act of confessing, of viddui, that we see the humanness of the travelers around us in this challenging world.
I am emotionally tired. I have withheld comfort. I have been unempathetic for others. I have lost inspiration and faith in this world. Sometimes, in my own people. I have been quiet when I should have spoken up. This year has stretched my capacity for anger. For disillusionment. For shame.
In all these ways I have sinned. And I know I’m not the only one. We pray the viddui together because spiritual renewal can only come in community. Some of those sins may not resonate with you. But together, we can help lessen the load that any individual might be otherwise holding on their own. Let me hold some of your burden. Perhaps you will hold some of mine.