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Selichot Nusach Ashkenaz Lita, Erev Rosh Hashana

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חיבר רב סעדיה גאון

The Metsudah Selichos: translated and annotated by Rabbi Avrohom Davis, Metsudah Publications, 1986

This prayer too was composed by R’ Saadyah Gaon.

שָׁכַחְנוּ־אֶת־טוֹבוֹתֶיךָ. וְנָשִׁינוּ אֶת־רֹב חֲסָדֶיךָ. וּמָרִינוּ אֶת־פִּיךָ. וּמִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ סַרְנוּ. וּבְהַבְלֵי הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה נֶהְבַּלְנוּ. אֶל־רְהָבִים וְשָׂטֵי כָזָב פָּנִינוּ. וְהִסְכַּלְנוּ הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד. וְאָהַבְנוּ רָע מִטּוֹב וְשֶׁקֶר מִדַּבֵּר צֶדֶק סֶלָה. וְטֻמְאָה תַּחַת טַהֲרָה. וְשִׁקּוּץ תַּחַת זְכוּת. וְהֶחֱלַפְנוּ עוֹלָם עוֹמֵד בְּעוֹלָם עוֹבֵר. מִדֵּי יוֹם בְּיוֹמוֹ הַשְׁכֵּם וַחֲטוֹא עַד אֲשֶׁר עֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ עָבְרוּ רֹאשֵׁנוּ. וְרַבּוּ מִשַּׂעֲרוֹתֵינוּ. וְעָצְמוּ מִדִּבְרֵי פִינוּ. וְגָדְלוּ מִצַּעֲדֵי רַגְלֵינוּ. וְגָבְהוּ מִנִּשְׁמַת רוּחַ אַפֵּנוּ. טָבַעְנוּ בִּיוֵן מְצוּלָה וְאֵין מָעֳמֳד. בָּאנוּ בְמַעֲמַקֵּי מַיִם וְשִׁבֹּלֶת שְׁטָפָתְנוּ. וְלֹא לְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ הֲרֵעֹנוּ כִּי אִם לְנַפְשֵׁנוּ. וְלֹא אוֹתְךָ הִכְעַסְנוּ כִּי אִם אוֹתָנוּ. כִּי אֱנוֹשׁ אִם חָטָא מַה־יִּפְעַל־לָךְ. וְאִם רַבּוּ פְשָׁעָיו מַה יַעֲשֶׂה־לָךְ. אֲבָל אוֹי לִבְנֵי אָדָם אֲשֶׁר חָטְאוּ לָךְ. וְאוֹי לְנַפְשָׁם כִּי גָּמְלוּ לָהֶם רָעָה. אֱלֹהֵינוּ בּוֹשְׁנוּ וְנִכְלַמְנוּ לְהָרִים אֱלֹהֵינוּ פָּנֵינוּ אֵלֶיךָ כִּי אָנוּ כִּכְלִי נִמְאָס. כֵּן נִבְזִינוּ בְּעֵינֵי נַפְשֵׁנוּ. כְּגֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר הוּטְבַּל בְּשַׁחַת וְתִעֲבוּהוּ שַׂלְמוֹתָיו. וּכְמוֹ בְּעָווֹן חוֹלָלְנוּ. כֵּן בֹּשֶׁת פָּנֵינוּ כִּסָּתְנוּ:

The Metsudah Selichos: translated and annotated by Rabbi Avrohom Davis, Metsudah Publications, 1986

We have forgotten Your goodness, and been mindless of Your great kindnesses; we have rebelled against Your word, and have turned away from Your laws. We have indulged in the vanities of this world, and to men of arrogance and deceit we have turned. We have been very foolish, we have loved evil more than good, and falsehood rather than speaking righteousness, we have sought impurity rather than purity, and the loathsome rather than the clean; we have exchanged the permanent [world] for the transitory. Day by day we rise early to sin, until our iniquities have mounted above our heads, and are more numerous than our hairs, and more powerful than the words of our mouth, and exceeded the steps of our feet, and surpassed the breathing of our nostrils. We have sunk into muddy depths, and there is no foothold; we have come into deep waters, and a whirlpool has swept us away.¹ Not You Adonoy, our God, have we harmed, but [only] ourselves, not You have we irritated but [only] ourselves; for when man sins, what effect has it on You? If his transgressions are numerous, what does it do to You? But woe to the sons of man who sin against You, and woe to their souls, for they bring evil upon themselves. Our God, we are too ashamed and disgraced, to lift our faces to You, our God;² for we are like a repulsive vessel, thus are we disgraced in our own eyes. As a man immersed in a [muddy] ditch and soils his clothing;³ and as we were conceived in iniquity, so the shame of our faces have covered us.⁴

footnotes: ¹ Psalms 69:3. ² Ezra 9:6. ³ Job 9:31. ⁴ Psalms 44:16.