ודוי חיובית | Positive Vidui, by Rabbi Avi Weiss

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=14447

Date: 2016-09-29

Last Updated: 2025-03-29

Categories: Rosh haShanah (l’Maaseh Bereshit), Yom Kippur

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., acrostic, Alphabetic Acrostic, complementary vidui, confession, New York, North America, Open Orthodoxy, positive self-recognition, supplemental vidui, וידוי vidui, זמן תשובה Zman teshuvah

Excerpt: Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez writes, "Rav Avi spoke to us a few times as he was working through [composing] this [vidui] and I am truly moved by it. Let us not only remember and confess our wrong doings, but also what we did right this year." . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אָהַבְנוּ, בֵּרַכְנוּ, גָּדַלְנוּ, דִּבַּרְנוּ יֹפִי	We have loved,   We have blessed,   We have grown,   We have spoken positively.
הֶעֱלִינוּ, וְחַסְנוּ, זֵרַזְנוּ, חָמַלְנוּ, טִפַּחְנוּ אֱמֶת	We have raised up,   We have shown compassion,   We have acted enthusiastically,   We have been empathetic,   We have cultivated truth.
יָעַצְנוּ טוֹב, כִּבַּדְנוּ, לָמַדְנוּ, מָחַלְנוּ, נִחַמְנוּ, סָלַלְנוּ, עוֹרַרְנוּ, פָּעַלְנוּ, צָדַקְנוּ, קִוִּינוּ לָאָרֶץ	We have given good advice,   We have respected,   We have learned,   We have forgiven,   We have comforted,   We have been creative,   We have stirred,   We have been spiritual activists,   We have been just,   We have longed for the Land [of Israel].
רִחַמְנוּ, שָׁקַדְנוּ, תָּמַכְנוּ, תָּרַמְנוּ, תִּקַּנּוּ	We have been merciful,   We have given full effort,   We have supported,   We have contributed, We have repaired.

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Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez writes, “Rav Avi spoke to us a few times as he was working through [composing] this [vidui] and I am truly moved by it. Let us not only remember and confess our wrong doings, but also what we did right this year.”

For another life affirming vidui, read Rabbi Binyamin Holtzman’s Complementary Vidui” inspired by the teaching of Rav Kook that “just as there is great value to the confession of sins… there is also great value to the confession of mitzvot (our positive deeds), which gladdens the heart and strengthens the holy paths of life!” (Ayn Aya, tractate Maaser sheni, chapter 7, mishna 10).

Source(s)

 

Derived Work(s)

Art by Jesse Horowitz with vidui by Rabbi Avi Weiss

 

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Contributor: Avi Weiss

Co-authors:

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  Name: Avi Weiss
  Bio: Avraham Haim Yosef (Avi) haCohen Weiss (Hebrew: אברהם חיים יוסף הכהן ווייס; born June 24, 1944) is an American Modern Orthodox ordained rabbi, author, teacher, lecturer, and activist. He is the Founding Rabbi and served as Senior Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale (known as “the Bayit”) in New York. Since his retirement in 2015, he has served as the Rabbi-in-Residence. Rabbi Weiss is also the founding president of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, a rabbinical seminary for men that he refers to as "Open Orthodox", a term he coined to describe an offshoot of Modern Orthodoxy, and founder of Yeshivat Maharat for women; co-founder of the International Rabbinical Fellowship, an Open Orthodox rabbinical association founded as a liberal alternative to the Modern Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America, and founder of the grassroots organization, Coalition for Jewish Concerns, AMCHA. In 2007, Rabbi Weiss was named by Newsweek magazine as one of the fifty most influential rabbis in America, describing him as “Orthodox’s leading activist and leader of the Modern Orthodox community.” He is the author of two books, Women at Prayer: A Halakhic Analysis of Women’s Prayer Groups, and Principles of Spiritual Activism.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avi_Weiss
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/avi-weiss

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