Selichot
Selichot are special prayers for forgiveness, said on fast days and also during the period preceding Yom
Kippur.
At the Selichot service, worshipers begin to examine their
deeds of the past year, seeking forgiveness from G-d and promising to improve their behavior in the New Year. The prayers are specifically tailored to help worshipers direct their hearts and minds to the process of teshuvah (Hebrew for repentance).
In the Sephardic tradition, Selichot are said from the beginning of the month of Elul, while in the Ashkenazic tradition Selichot are begun from the Sunday (often the Saturday night) before Rosh
Hashanah until Yom Kippur. If Rosh Hashanah begins
on a Monday or Tuesday, however, selichot begins on the Sunday of the week before Rosh Hashanah, to make
sure that there are at least three days of Selichot.
In general, the proper time to say Selichot are at the end
of the night, just before the morning, since this time is considered,
according to Jewish Mysticism,
as especially favorable in terms of the presence and closeness of God. Hence, selichot are typically
recited in the early morning, before the daily shacharit service.
The first night of Selichot is different from the other
days. First, it is customary to say Selichot the first night before
going to sleep, and, since the first part of the night is considered
a time of din, judgment, the Selichot are not recited on the
first night until after chatzot, relative midnight. A person
should consult a Jewish calendar or their rabbi to determine
the specific time of chatzot for their area.
A fundamental part of the selichot service is the repeated
recitation of the "Thirteen Attributes," a list of G-d's
thirteen attributes of mercy that were revealed to Moses by G-d after the sin of the golden calf (Exodus
34:6-7): "Ha-shem [1], Ha-shem [2], G-d [3], merciful [4], and gracious [5], long-suffering
[6], abundant in goodness [7] and truth [8], keeping mercy unto the
thousandth generation [9], forgiving iniquity [10] and transgression
[11] and sin [12], who cleanses [13]." Why is "Ha-shem"
listed twice as an attribute? And why are three of these "attributes"
Names of G-d? Different names of G-d connote different characteristics
of Him. The four-letter Name of G-d (rendered here as "Ha-shem,"
literally "the name") is the Name used when G-d is exhibiting
characteristics of mercy, and the Talmud explains that this dual usage indicates that G-d is merciful before
a person sins, but is also merciful after a person sins. The third attribute
is a different Name of G-d that is used when G-d acts in His capacity
as the almighty ruler of nature and the universe. G-d appeared to Moses
and taught him these Thirteen Attributes saying, "Whenever Israel
sins, let them recite this in its proper order and I will forgive them."
Thus, this appeal to G-d’s mercy reassures that repentance is always
possible, and that G-d always awaits a return to Him. The implication
is also that if people emulate G-d’s merciful ways, He will treat
them mercifully in return.
Sources: Judaism
101; The
Orthodox Union; The
Jewish Appleseed Foundation |