Understanding the Vidui
Join Rabbi Yitzhak Zuriel and explore the text of the Vidui, confession, which we say on Yom Kippur. Learn what the Rambam says about confession and how it contrasts with the actual text in the machzor.
Understanding the Vidui: Vidui and teshuva: how are they related?
Dear Students,
Welcome to this short series for Elul about Vidui.
In this first session, we will examine the connection between teshuva and vidui, and also discuss the question of whether teshuva is actually a mitzva or not.
You are welcome to use the posted material to see in advance some of the material that we will cover in the shiur.
Understanding the Vidui: What must we say in vidui, and why?
In this shiur, the second in our short series for Elul, we will learn from the text of the Rambam in Hilchot Teshuva the detailed halachic requirements of vidui. What do we need to say? Why do we need to say these things? When are we expected to say the vidui?
We will also begin to examine the actual texts of the vidui that we say during the Ten Days of Repentence and Yom Kippur.
You are again invited to look at the sources we will use in the shiur, which are posted here.
Understanding the Vidui: How does the vidui text in our Mahzor meet the requirements of vidui?
In this shiur, the final one of the three in this short Elul series, we will examine the actual texts that we use for vidui in selichot and on Yom Kippur. We will try to answer the question: how are the halachic requirements of vidui met by these texts? For example: don’t we need to explicitly confess specific sins that we did…? And we will discuss some practical approaches for our own individual recitations of vidui.
You are welcome to use the attached source sheet in advance of the shiur.
Rabbi Yitzhak Zuriel has been enjoying guiding students in how to learn and understand Talmud at WebYeshiva.org since its founding. He began his teaching career as a teacher and educational director at Michlelet Bruria in the 1980s. For over 20 years, he has been working as a software engineer in Jerusalem, and during that time has been an editor and contributor to the company NDS's Torah journal, Chiddushei Torah@NDS, that was published annually from 1996-2014 . He and his wife reside in Ma'ale Adumim and are parents to five children and have many grandchildren.