[Avodah] Yom Kippur Thought

[Micha Berger via Avodah]

On Wed, Dec 07, 2016 at 10:44:50AM +0000, Rich, Joel via Avodah wrote:
: When you look at the backup lists to the ashamnu's and al cheit's, you
: may notice a lot of thought issues (e.g., thinking haughtily). While
: it would be great to change oneself to never have a bad thought, are we
: required to ask forgiveness for something we haven't acted on?

In fact, gaavah one felt but didn't act on would be an accomplishment.
Although tiqun hayeitzer is a still greater accomplishment than this
kibbush hayeitzer. Fixing the gaavah is better than overcoming it. (See
Or Yisrael letter 30, the beginning of the closing setion.)

But it begins "Al cheit shechatanu lefanekha be..." IOW, we aren't
asking forgiveness for our gaavah. We are asking for selichah, mechilah
and kaparah for all the sins it motivated.

And I think the same is implicitly true for Ashamnu. But that's just
conjecture.

But there is an oft-discussed chiluq between a teshuvah on sins (Hil'
Teshuvah 1:1) and a teshuvah on character (Ibid 7:3). So perhaps vidui
on those middos still awaiting tiqun is appropriate even if not sinful.
I just don't think that's what the vidui in our machzorim is doing.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
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