My Master, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare Your praise.¹

footnotes: ¹ Rabbi Yonasan Eibschitz in his sefer, Yaaros Devash, explains that upon reflecting in Whose Presence he is about to pray, man should be so overwhelmed with awe and trepidation that he is unable to open his lips. He therefore prefaces his prayer by beseeching Hashem, to open his lips, asking His help to be able to pray in His Presence.

THE VIRTUE OF OUR FOREFATHERS

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

our God, and God of our fathers,

God of Avraham, God of Yitzchak,

and God of Yaakov,

the Almighty,

the Great, the Powerful, the Awesome,

most high Almighty,

Who bestows beneficent kindness,

Who possesses everything,

Who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs,

and Who brings a redeemer

to their children's children,

for the sake of His Name, with love.

Remember us for life²

footnotes: ² Because these are days of judgment and our lives hang in the balance, we pray to Hashem to remember us for life (Rashi, Levush).

King, Who desires life;³

footnotes: ³ This is based on Yechezkel 18:32, ‘For I do not desire the death of him that dies, but rather that he repent from his evil ways and live.’

and inscribe us in the Book of Life,⁴

footnotes: ⁴ This refers to the Book in which the righteous are inscribed for life everlasting.

for Your sake,⁵ Living God.

footnotes: ⁵ We ask Hashem to grant us life for His sake, i.e., so that we can fulfill His commandments.

King,⁶ Helper,⁷ and Deliverer⁸ and Shield.⁹

footnotes: ⁶ We proclaim and accept His Kingship on Rosh Hashanah. ⁷ He helps us during the Ten Days of Penitence, by accepting our repentance. ⁸ He delivers us on Yom Kippur by forgiving our sins. ⁹ On Sukkos, as His Divine Cloud of Glory, hovers over us, He shields us from spiritual and physical danger (Shaare Shomayim).

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Shield of Avraham.

DIVINE MIGHT

You are mighty forever,¹⁰ my Master;

footnotes: ¹⁰ Hashem’s rule of the world is permanent and perpetual (Kuzari).

You are the Resurrector of the dead¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ Here we emphatically declare our belief in the immortality of the soul (Kuzari).

the Powerful One to deliver us.

Sustainer of the living with kindliness,

Resurrector of the dead with great mercy,

Supporter of the fallen,

and Healer of the sick,

and Releaser of the imprisoned,

and Fulfiller of His faithfulness

to those who sleep in the dust.

Who is like You, Master of mighty deeds,

and who can be compared to You?

King Who causes death and restores life,

and causes deliverance to sprout forth.¹²

footnotes: ¹² Deliverance is not a sudden happening but rather a process of growth or sprouting.

Who is like You merciful Father,

Who remembers His creatures for life,

in His mercy.¹³

footnotes: ¹³ Even if we are not worthy of life by virtue of our deeds, inscribe us for life because You are a merciful Father (Siddur Chasidei Ashkenaz).

And You are faithful

to restore the dead to life.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Resurrector of the dead.

DIVINE SANCTIFICATION

You are holy and Your Name is holy

and holy beings

praise You every day, forever.

And so,¹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁴ The word וּבְכֵן, ‘and so,’ marks the beginning of the special prayers of the Shemoneh Esreh recited at each Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur service. According to Avudraham, the Sages chose this word to convey the thought expressed by Esther as she prepared to go before the king on behalf of her people. After telling Mordechai to assemble all the Jews to fast for three days and nights on her behalf, she said, “ וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ and so I will go in to the king” (Esther 4:16). Thus, since today is the Day of Judgment, as we come before the Supreme King of kings, the Holy One Blessed is He, we begin with the words uttered by Esther as she came before the king. The Siddur Maggid Tzedek quoted by Siach Yitzchak writes that the emphasis of Avudraham was on the last words of the verse said by Esther, “וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא כַדָּת,” “And so I will go into the king, even if it is unlawful,” for which one of us can say, “I am virtuous, I have cleansed my heart from sin.” Especially on this great and awesome Day of Judgment, who among us is not embarrassed and ashamed to appear before the King of kings garbed in sackcloths of sin. If Esther who had fasted for three days in penitence and prayer in preparation for her appearance before the king was nevertheless so terribly frightened that she declared: “וּבְכֵן אָבוֹא אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר לֹא כַדָּת” then we should certainly tremble in awe before the presence of Hashem on this Day of Judgment, knowing deep in our hearts how little and how poorly we have prepared ourselves. Thus our Sages ordained that we open the prayers with the word וּבְכֵן recalling the words of Esther; therewith shattering our delusions of spiritual complacency, and causing us to bow before Him with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes.

grant¹⁵ that Your awe, Adonoy, our God,

footnotes: ¹⁵ The word תֵּן implies מַתָּנָה, a gift. We ask Hashem to grant us the feeling of reverence for Him, as a gift, knowing how difficult it is to attain such a high level of reverence completely on our own (Siach Yitzchok).

be upon all Your works,¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁶ The word מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, lit., Your works, indicates that which has attained or is near perfection. Thus Yisrael is called His works since we have accepted His Kingship and His Torah which is the fulfillment of Hashem’s creation (Siach Yitzchok).

and Your dread upon all You have created;¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁷ All you have created, שֶׁבָּרָאתָ, indicates that which has not attained its fulfillment, thus we ask Hashem to cast His dread even on those people who have not yet accepted His Divine Kingdom (Siach Yitzchok).

and [then] all [Your] works will fear You,¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁸ The nation of Yisrael will fear You.

and prostrate before You

will be all [Your] created beings.¹⁹

footnotes: ¹⁹ The nations of the world will finally prostrate themselves before You, i.e. submit to You and accept the yoke of Your Kingship.

And may they all form a single band

to do Your will

with a perfect heart.

For we know Adonoy, our God

that rulership is Yours,

strength is in Your hand,

might is in Your right hand

and Your Name is awesome

over all You have created.

And so,

grant honor, Adonoy, to Your people,²⁰

footnotes: ²⁰ Once all of Your works and created beings have submitted themselves to Your rule and formed a single bond to do Your will, the honor of Yisrael will be established and raised to new heights. It will then be apparent to all that Yisrael alone carried the yoke of Hashem’s Kingdom throughout the bitter years of exile, giving Him obedience despite its suffering and persecution and the taunts of those who cynically asked, “Where is Your God?” (Etz Yosef).

praise to those who fear You,²¹

footnotes: ²¹ Those who fear Hashem will then be praiseworthy in the eyes of all men.

good hope to those who seek You²²

footnotes: ²² Those who seek Hashem and search for ways to serve Him will no longer be considered ridiculous.

confident speech

to those who yearn for You,²³

footnotes: ²³ Those who wait upon Him will no longer be subdued but will voice their convictions freely.

joy to Your land, gladness to Your city,

flourishing of pride to Dovid, Your servant

and an array of light

to the son of Yishai, Your anointed,

speedily in our days.²⁴

footnotes: ²⁴ See Tehillim 132:17. The climax of this spiritual renaissance will be the restoration of our people to our land under the scepter of the Moshiach, descendant of Dovid, the anointed of Hashem.

And then

the righteous will see [this] and rejoice,²⁵

footnotes: ²⁵ The entire universe was created for the sake of Yisrael in order that Hashem’s Divine Influence be attached to it. This essence (Yisrael) was created for the sake of an even more treasured essence, namely the prophets and the pious among them. This gradation forms the basis of the sequence of the Rosh Hashanah—Yom Kippur prayers: “Grant that Your awe be upon all that You have made,” is the first prayer. It is followed by, “Grant honor to Your people,” and finally by “the righteous will see this and rejoice.” Thus the righteous and pious are the purpose and fulfillment of the entire creation, the true reason for celebrating these holy days (Fundamentals of Kuzari, page 59).

and the upright will be jubilant,

and the pious will exult with joyous song;

injustice will close its mouth,

and all the wickedness will vanish like smoke,

when You remove the rule of evil

from the earth.

And You Adonoy will reign alone

over all Your works

on Mount Tziyon,

dwelling place of Your glory,

and in Yerushalayim, city of Your Sanctuary,

as it is written in Your holy words,

“Adonoy will reign forever;

Your God, Tziyon,

throughout all generations.

Praise God.”

Holy are You, and awesome is Your Name,

and there is no God beside You,

as it is written,

“And Adonoy Tzevaos is exalted

through justice

and the Almighty, the Holy One,

is sanctified through righteousness.”

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

the King, the Holy One.

SANCTIFICATION OF THE DAY

You chose us from [among] all the peoples;

You loved us and took pleasure in us;

You exalted us above all tongues,

and You sanctified us

with Your commandments;

You drew us near, our King, to Your servitude

and Your great and Holy Name,

You have pronounced upon us.

And You gave us Adonoy, our God,

in love,

(this Shabbos Day and)

this Day of Atonement,

for forgiveness,²⁶ pardon²⁷ and atonement,²⁸

footnotes: ²⁶ Forgiveness, (מְחִילָה) implies a waiver of punishment which is due the guilty party. ²⁷ Pardon, (סְלִיחָה) implies that the earlier relationship between the sinner and the Pardoner will not be blemished because of the wrongdoing of the sinner. ²⁸ Atonement (כַּפָּרָה) implies total acquittal of the consequences of our wrongful acts.

and to forgive thereon

all our iniquities;

(with love)

a day of holy assembly

commemorating the exodus from Mitzrayim.

Our God and God of our fathers,

may there ascend, come, and reach,

appear, be desired, and heard,

counted and recalled

our remembrance and reckoning;

the remembrance of our fathers;

the remembrance of the Messiah

the son of Dovid, Your servant;

the remembrance of Yerushalayim,

city of Your Sanctuary

and the remembrance of Your entire people,

the House of Yisrael, before You

for survival, for well-being,

for favor, kindliness, compassion,

for life and peace

on this Day of Atonement.

Remember us Adonoy, our God

on this day for well-being;

be mindful of us on this day for blessing,

and deliver us for life.

In accord with the promise of deliverance

and compassion,

spare us and favor us,

have compassion on us and deliver us;

for to You our eyes are directed

because You are the Almighty,

Who is King, Gracious and Merciful.

Our God and God of our fathers,

forgive our iniquities

(on this Shabbos day, and)

on this Day of Atonement.

Blot out and remove

our transgressions and sins²⁹

footnotes: ²⁹ Were it not for the intervention of the wondrous power of Hashem’s grace, our moral and physical entity would have long ceased, as a consequence of our transgressions. This would have been our fate in accordance with the law of cause and effect which functions in Hashem’s world according to His will. It is only Hashem Himself, He Who originally ordained that law, Who in the omnipotence of His will, can also suspend that law. Only He can cause the wrong which was done to become as if it had never occurred. Only Hashem can uproot in its entirety the sin and consequential effect of sin. He has assured this wondrous power of His benevolent grace to every Jew who fulfills the true purpose of Yom Kippur by doing teshuva, true repentance. Thus we cry out to Him “Blot out and remove our transgressions and sins from before Your eyes” for in the words of the prophet, Hashem alone blots out our transgressions.

from before Your eyes, as it is said:

“I, I [alone] am He

Who blots out your transgressions

for My own sake;³⁰

footnotes: ³⁰ Were Hashem to destroy us because of our transgressions, His Name would be desecrated among the nations of the world. Thus says the prophet, He blots out our transgressions for His own sake.—Metsudas DovidAccording to Malbim, “for My own sake” implies for the sake of the favor and lovingkindness which is His attribute (כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד אָנִי).

and your sins, I will not recall.”³¹

footnotes: ³¹ Yeshaya 42:25. This implies that our sins will be blotted out so thoroughly that not even the slightest trace will remain. Thus says Hashem, “and your sins, I will not recall” because there will be nothing left to recall.—Metsudas Dovid

And it is said,

“I have swept away like a thick cloud³²

footnotes: ³² The word פְּשָׁעֶיךָ, your transgressions, which implies a wanton disregard of Hashem’s will is compared to an עָב, a thick cloud. Just as a thick cloud darkens the earth so too, our transgressions cause darkness in our lives.—Malbim

your transgressions,

and like a mist³³ your sins;

footnotes: ³³ The word חַטֹּאתֶיךָ, your sins, which implies error, or sins committed unknowingly, is compared to an עָנָן, a mist cloud, which does not cause such terrible darkness. So too, our sins do not create such severe blackness in our lives.—Malbim

return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”³⁴

footnotes: ³⁴ Yeshaya 44:22

And it is said,

“For on this day

He will make atonement for you,

to cleanse you;

from all your sins,

before Adonoy, you will be cleansed.”³⁵

footnotes: ³⁵ In our translation, the words, מִכֹּל חַטֹאתֵיכֶם are joined with the words לִפְנֵי ה' תִּטְהָרוּ, thus reading “from all your sins before Adonoy, you will be cleansed”; implying that the entire sentence is a statement of fact, i.e., that Yom Kippur is a day in which Hashem atones our sins. According to Targum Yonassan ben Uziel, however, the words מִכֹּל חַטֹאתֵיכֶם are joined to the previous words—לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם—changing the entire concept of the sentence. According to the Targum the sentence reads: כִּי בַיּוֹם הַזֶה יְכַפֵּר עֲלֵיכֶם לְטַהֵר אֶתְכֶם מִכֹּל חַטֹאתֵיכֶם. “For on this day He will make atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins”; and thus the final three words of the sentence לִפְנֵי ה' תִּטְהָרוּ represent a command to cleanse ourselves before Him, as the Targum says: וְאַתּוּן קָדָם ה' תּוֹדוּן סוּרְחָנוּתְכוֹן וְתִדְכּוּן “And you—confess your wrongdoings before Hashem, and then you will be cleansed.” Klei Yakar, obviously influenced by Targum explicitly states that this sentence is not a blanket promise of atonement, for Yom Kippur atones only for those who cleanse themselves with honest repentance.

(Our God and God of our fathers,

be pleased with our rest)

Sanctify us with Your commandments

and give us our share in Your Torah;

satisfy us from Your goodness

and gladden us with Your deliverance,

(And give us as our inheritance

Adonoy our God

with love and with pleasure

Your holy Sabbath;

and may Yisrael rest thereon—

[they who are] sanctifiers of Your Name)

and purify our hearts to serve You in truth,³⁶

footnotes: ³⁶ The words סָלְחָן and מָחֳלָן (Pardoner and Forgiver) indicate that Hashem constantly pardons and forgives. He is not like a king who pardons only at times but His Divine attribute is to be a סָלְחָן and מָחֳלָן at all times. He is thus intrinsically a Pardoner and Forgiver.— Pesher Dovor

For You are the Pardoner³⁷ of Yisrael,

footnotes: ³⁷ The literal meaning of חַדְרֵי בָטֶן is “chambers of the stomach,” but according to Ibn Ezra to Mishlei 20:27, from which the expression is taken, חַדְרֵי בָטֶן refers to the heart which is the innermost chamber of human thought.

and the Forgiver³⁸ of the tribes of Yeshurun

footnotes: ³⁸ The literal meaning of כְּלָיוֹת is “kidneys,” which are said to give counsel to the heart.— Avudraham

in every generation,

and beside You,

we have no king who forgives and pardons,

only You!

Blessed are You,

King Who forgives and pardons

our iniquities,

and the iniquities of His people,

the House of Yisrael;

and Who removes our trespasses

each year;

King over the whole earth,

Sanctifier

(of the Shabbos and)

of Yisrael and the Day of Atonement.

PRAYER FOR RETURN OF DIVINE SERVICE

Be pleased, Adonoy, our God,

with Your people Yisrael

and their prayer;

and restore the service

to the Holy of Holies in Your abode,

and the fire-offerings of Yisrael;

and accept their prayer, lovingly

and willingly.

And may You always find pleasure

with the service of Your people, Yisrael.

And may our eyes behold

Your merciful return to Tziyon.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Who returns His Divine Presence to Tziyon.

THANKSGIVING

We are thankful to You

that You Adonoy are our God

and the God of our fathers forever;

Rock of our lives,

Shield of our deliverance,

You are in every generation.

We will give thanks to You

and recount Your praise,

for our lives

which are committed into Your hand,

and for our souls

which are entrusted to You,

and for Your miracles of every day with us,

and for Your wonders and benefactions

at all times—

evening, morning and noon.

(You are) The Beneficent One—

for Your compassion is never withheld;

And (You are) the Merciful One—

for Your kindliness never ceases;

we have always placed our hope in You.

And for all the foregoing

blessed and exalted

be your Name, our King

constantly, forever and ever.

Inscribe for a good life

all the children of Your covenant.

And all the living shall thank You forever

and praise

Your Name with sincerity

the Almighty, Who is our deliverance

and our help forever.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

“The Beneficent” is Your Name

and You it is fitting to praise.

PRAYER FOR PEACE

Grant peace, goodness, and blessing,

favor, kindness and compassion

upon us and upon all Yisrael, Your people.

Bless us, our Father, all of us as one

with the light of Your countenance.

For by the light of Your countenance

You gave us Adonoy our God,

a Torah of life and the love of kindliness,

righteousness, blessing, compassion,

life, and peace.

And may it be good in Your eyes

and to bless Your people Yisrael,

at all times and at every moment

with Your peace.

In the book of life, blessing, peace

and abundant maintenance,

may we be remembered and inscribed

before You;

we and all Your people, the House of Yisrael

for a good life and peace.

Blessed are You, Adonoy,

Who makes the peace.

Who blesses His people Yisrael

with peace.)

May the words of my mouth be acceptable

and the thoughts of my heart — before You

Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Our God and God of our fathers,

let our prayer come before you

and do not ignore our supplication.

For we are not so brazen-faced

and stiff-necked

to say to you,

Adonoy, our God, and God of our fathers,

“We are righteous and have not sinned.”

But, indeed, we and our fathers have sinned.

We have trespassed [against God and man, and we are devastated by our guilt];

We have betrayed [God and man, we have been ungrateful for the good done to us];

We have stolen; We have slandered.

We have caused others to sin;

We have caused others to commit sins for which they are called רְשָׁעִים, wicked;

We have sinned with malicious intent;

We have forcibly taken others' possessions even though we paid for them;

We have added falsehood upon falsehood; We have joined with evil individuals or groups;

We have given harmful advice;

We have deceived; we have mocked;

We have rebelled against God and His Torah;

We have caused God to be angry with us;

We have turned away from God's Torah;

We have sinned deliberately;

We have been negligent in our performance of the commandments;

We have caused our friends grief;

We have been stiff-necked, refusing to admit that our suffering is caused by our own sins.

We have committed sins for which we are called רָשָׁע, [raising a hand to hit someone].

We have committed sins which are the result of moral corruption;

We have committed sins which the Torah refers to as abominations;

We have gone astray;

We have led others astray.

We have turned away

from Your commandments

and from Your good laws,

and we have gained nothing from it.

And You are the Righteous One

in all [punishment] that has come upon us;

for You have acted truthfully

and we have acted wickedly.

What shall we say before You,

Who dwells on high;

and what shall we relate to You

Who dwells in the heavens?

For everything, both hidden and revealed,

You know.

You know the mysteries of the universe,

and the hidden secrets of every individual.

You search all our innermost thoughts,

and probe our mind and heart.

There is nothing hidden from You,

and there is nothing concealed

from Your sight.

And so may it be Your will

Adonoy our God and God of our fathers,

that You pardon us

for all our careless sins,

and that You forgive us

for all our deliberate sins,

and that You grant us atonement

for all our rebellious sins:

For the sin we committed before You

under compulsion³⁹ and willingly.

footnotes: ³⁹ Even a sin committed under duress needs to be forgiven, because many times a person allows himself to be placed in a predicament in which he is compelled to sin (e.g., leaving the office at a very late hour on the eve of Shabbos or Festival).—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by callously hardening the heart.⁴⁰

footnotes: ⁴⁰ This would include not giving charity with a whole heart, and not helping a needy fellow Jew.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

inadvertently.⁴¹

footnotes: ⁴¹ The literal meaning of בִּבְלִי דַעַת is “without knowledge,” and it implies not using our intellectual capabilities to study the laws of Torah and therewith gain the “knowledge” needed to observe the commandments properly.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

with an utterance of the lips.⁴²

footnotes: ⁴² This includes the sins of making vows and oaths (even though they are kept), verbally insulting one’s fellowmen, and directing one’s displeasure against the decrees of Hashem.— Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

openly and secretly.⁴³

footnotes: ⁴³ A sin committed publicly could very well cause חִלוּל ה', the desecration of Hashem’s Name, and may also lead others to sin. A sin committed in secret, indicates that the sinner fears the reaction of people but is unafraid of Hashem’s displeasure.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

in sexual immorality.⁴⁴

footnotes: ⁴⁴ This also includes such things that arouse desire for forbidden sexual relationships, such as embracing or dancing.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

through [misuse of our power of] speech.⁴⁵

footnotes: ⁴⁵ This includes speaking the words of Torah in unclean places, cursing, humiliating someone; speaking of business matters on Shabbos, revealing another person’s secret, telling jokes and holding idle conversations in a house of worship (and certainly during the actual prayers) and telling lies.

And for the sin we committed before You

with knowledge and with deceit.⁴⁶

footnotes: ⁴⁶ This includes false advertising and dishonesty in business matters.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

by improper thoughts.⁴⁷

footnotes: ⁴⁷ Evil thoughts, lustful thoughts, heretical thoughts, and suspicious thoughts about righteous people are included.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by cheating a fellow-man.

For the sin we committed before You

with [mere] verbal confession.⁴⁸

footnotes: ⁴⁸ This refers to confession of sins without feeling regret for committing them and without earnest resolve to correct them in the future.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by joining in a lewd gathering.⁴⁹

footnotes: ⁴⁹ Any gathering or intimate meeting for the purpose of sexual immortality is included.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

intentionally and unintentionally.

And for the sin we committed before You

by insufficient respect for parents

and teachers.⁵⁰

footnotes: ⁵⁰ Not obeying their commands, not rising for a talmudic scholar and disrespect for one’s teacher even if he is not considered a “Torah Great” are included.

For the sin we committed before You

by using coercion [to harm others].⁵¹

footnotes: ⁵¹ This includes using physical, political or financial power to harm someone.

And for the sin we committed before You

by desecrating the Divine Name.⁵²

footnotes: ⁵² This involves any sin committed that becomes public knowledge, including improper conduct with one’s fellow man.

For the sin we committed before You

with foolish talk.⁵³

footnotes: ⁵³ This refers to idle talk and gossip.

And for the sin we committed before You

with impurity of the lips.⁵⁴

footnotes: ⁵⁴ This includes profanity and unclean language.

For the sin we committed before You

with the Evil Inclination.⁵⁵

footnotes: ⁵⁵ When a person allows his Evil Inclination to rule over him, he commits a sin.

And for the sin we committed before You

knowingly and unknowingly.⁵⁶

footnotes: ⁵⁶ We ask Hashem to pardon us even for sins we are not aware that we committed, and also for such sins through which we caused damage but are not aware of the amount of loss incurred. —Siddur HaGra

And for all of these, God of pardon,

pardon us, forgive us,

grant us atonement.

For the sin we committed before You

by forcing someone to give or take bribes.⁵⁷

footnotes: ⁵⁷ A bribe is not limited to money or gifts; it includes flattery or personal favors.— Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by false denial and false promise.

For the sin we committed before You

by evil talk [slander].⁵⁸

footnotes: ⁵⁸ This includes causing a fellow Jew physical, monetary of social harm through passing degrading information about him to another person. It makes no difference whether this is done in his presence or behind his back, or if the information is true or false.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by scoffing.⁵⁹

footnotes: ⁵⁹ Ridicule of a person, a commandment, or guards of Torah are all included in the sin of scoffing.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

in business dealings.⁶⁰

footnotes: ⁶⁰ This would include overcharging, misrepresenting, false-labeling and all other such deceitful practices.

And for the sin we committed before You

in eating and drinking.⁶¹

footnotes: ⁶¹ Eating forbidden (non-kosher) foods, not saying the proper blessing or grace after meals, over-eating, are included in this sin.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.

And for the sin we committed before You

by haughtily stretching forth the neck.

For the sin we committed before You

with gazing of the eyes.⁶²

footnotes: ⁶² This refers to using the eyes to gaze at forbidden things.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by the prattle of our lips.⁶³

footnotes: ⁶³ This includes idle gossip, which is certainly forbidden in the synagogue at all times.

For the sin we committed before You

with haughty eyes.

And for the sin we committed before You

with impudence.⁶⁴

footnotes: ⁶⁴ Speaking “with chutzpah” to Torah scholars, or to someone more learned than himself is included in עַזּוּת מֵצַח.

And for all of these, God of pardon,

pardon us, forgive us,

grant us atonement.

For the sin we committed before You

by throwing off the yoke [of heaven].⁶⁵

footnotes: ⁶⁵ Rejecting an obligation to fulfill even a single commandment. Also included is shirking a religious obligation which must then be assumed by someone else.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

in passing judgment.⁶⁶

footnotes: ⁶⁶ This includes a “Dayan,” a judge who does not render correct decisions, and it also includes not giving someone the benefit of the doubt.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

by entrapping a fellowman.⁶⁷

footnotes: ⁶⁷ This includes even attempting to harm someone; even if no harm was actually done, he still needs forgiveness.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by a begrudging eye.⁶⁸

footnotes: ⁶⁸ Not doing a favor, not giving charity properly, and feeling bad at someone else’s success are included.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

by lightmindedness.⁶⁹

footnotes: ⁶⁹ Lightmindedness or frivolity in the synagogue or Bais Midrash or while wearing tefillin are serious sins.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by being stiff-necked [stubborn].⁷⁰

footnotes: ⁷⁰ Rejecting admonition and “ignoring” punishment are included. Also included is brushing aside illness, financial loss, and humiliation as mere coincidences rather than manifestations of Divine displeasure.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

by running to do evil.

And for the sin we committed before You

by talebearing.⁷¹

footnotes: ⁷¹ This refers to carrying tales, even true ones, about one person to another, and the one who listens to these tales is also included in this category of sin.—Siddur HaGra

For the sin we committed before You

by swearing in vain.⁷²

footnotes: ⁷² This includes swearing falsely or even swearing a useless oath.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by unwarranted hatred.⁷³

footnotes: ⁷³ Hating someone because of jealousy, or because he doesn’t conform to your ideas of ettiquete.

For the sin we committed before You

by breach of trust.⁷⁴

footnotes: ⁷⁴ Denying that you owe someone a monetary debt when he asks for payment.—Siddur HaGra

And for the sin we committed before You

by a confused heart.⁷⁵

footnotes: ⁷⁵ This includes sins committed because of confusion, worry or pain, it also includes the sin of harboring doubts about the authenticity of the laws enacted by our Sages, and doubts about the fundamental principles of our faith, such as Divine Providence, reward and punishment, and also doubts about the authenticity of the Torah and the Prophets.—Siddur HaGra

And for all of these, God of pardon,

pardon us, forgive us,

grant us atonement.

And for sins

for which we are obligated to bring

a burnt-offering.⁷⁶

footnotes: ⁷⁶ A burnt-offering is brought for failure to fulfill any positive commandment, e.g, putting on non-kosher tefillin.

And for sins

for which we are obligated to bring

a sin-offering.⁷⁷

footnotes: ⁷⁷ A sin-offering is brought for unintentionally transgressing any prohibitive commandment punishable by excision (כָּרֵת) if it were done with intent.

And for sins

for which we are obligated to bring

a “fluctuating” offering.⁷⁸

footnotes: ⁷⁸ The fluctuating offering is an offering that varies in value according to the financial means of the individual who brings it. (The literal meaning of עוֹלָה וְיוֹרֵד, is “go up and down”). This type of offering is brought when a person swore falsely (unintentionally) concerning something he did or did not do. For example, one may have thought he ate something and consequently swore that he ate it, but in reality he did not and thus he swore falsely.

And for sins

for which we are obligated to bring

a guilt-offering for certain

or for doubtful trespasses.⁷⁹

footnotes: ⁷⁹ This type of sacrifice was brought in an instance where it is uncertain whether or not a violation occurred. For example it is not known whether a substance he ate was of a forbidden nature or if it was permitted.

And for sins

for which we incur the penalty

of lashing for violations of Rabbinic law.⁸⁰

footnotes: ⁸⁰ A Rabbinic Court had the right to impose lashing for a violation of a rabbinic injunction.

And for sins

for which we incur the penalty

of forty lashes.⁸¹

footnotes: ⁸¹ Forty lashes proscribed by the Torah was given to one who actively and intentionally violated any of the prohibitive commandments, providing he was forewarned and the act was witnessed by two witnesses.

And for sins

for which we incur the penalty

of death at the hand of Heaven.

And for sins

for which we incur the penalty

of excision and childlessness.⁸²

footnotes: ⁸² One who intentionally does work or eats on Yom Kippur, or one who eats chometz — leavened bread — on Pesach, is punished with excision and childlessness.

And for sins

for which we are liable

to any of the four death penalties

inflicted by the [Rabbinic] Court [which are]:

stoning, burning,

beheading or strangulation.⁸³

footnotes: ⁸³ Stoning is the penalty for knowingly desecrating Shabbos, burning is the penalty for certain forbidden sexual relationships, beheading is the penalty for murder, and strangulation is the penalty for adultery.

For [transgressing]

positive commandments,

and for [transgressing]

prohibitive commandments,

whether the prohibition can be corrected

by a specifically prescribed act,⁸⁴

footnotes: ⁸⁴ For example returning the stolen money would be a corrective measure for the prohibition of stealing.

or whether it cannot be corrected

by a specifically prescribed act,

for those of which we are aware

and for those of which we are not aware.

For those of which we are aware,

we have already declared before You

and confessed them unto You;

and for those of which we are not aware,

before You they are revealed and known,

as it is said,

“The hidden things

belong to Adonoy, our God,

but the revealed things are for us

and for our children forever,

that we might fulfill

all the words of this Torah.”⁸⁵

footnotes: ⁸⁵ Devorim 29:28.

For You are the Pardoner of Yisrael,

and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshurun

in every generation,

and beside You, we have no King

Who forgives and pardons—only You!

God, before I was formed,

I was unworthy [to be created].

And now that I have been formed,

it is as if I had not been formed.

I am like dust while I live,

how much more so when I am dead.

Here I am before You

like a vessel filled with shame.

May it be Your will,

Adonoy, my God, and the God of my fathers,

that I shall sin no more,

and the sins I have committed before You,

cleanse them in Your abundant mercies;

but not through

suffering and severe illness.

My God, guard my tongue from evil

and my lips from speaking deceitfully.

To those who curse me,

may my soul be unresponsive;

and let my soul be like dust to all.

Open my heart to Your Torah

and let my soul pursue Your commandments.

And all who plan evil against me,

quickly annul their counsel

and frustrate their intention.

Act for the sake of Your Name.

Act for the sake of Your right hand.

Act for the sake of Your holiness.

Act for the sake of Your Torah.

In order that Your loved ones be released,

deliver [with] Your right hand and answer me.

May the words of my mouth be acceptable

and the thoughts of my heart — before You

Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.

He Who makes the peace in His high heavens

may He make peace

upon us and upon all Yisrael

and say Amein.

May it be Your will,

Adonoy, our God, and the God of our Fathers

that the Holy Temple be rebuilt

speedily in our days,

and grant us our share in Your Torah.

And there we will serve You reverently

as in the days of old,

and in earlier years.

And let Adonoy be pleased

with the offerings of Yehudah

and Yerushalayim

as in the days of old and in earlier years.