Talk:Confession (Judaism)

I don't get why this article at first claims that confessing to God in front of others is forbidden but then goes on to describe times when Jews confess either to themselves or outloud (or singing!) during communal prayer. Isn't that a "public confession"?

¶ I have enlarged this article considerably and hope that meets with general approval. I would appreciate the help of others regarding the last word of Ashamnu. Sussmanbern (talk) 18:53, 11 December 2011 (UTC)

Confession Judaism: Public vs. Private
Unless I misunderstand, the article delineates between sins to G-d and sins towards another Jew. Sins against G-d are always to be confessed in private. Sins against another Jew can be publically confessed.--Mcmoran 13:12, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

Clarity: Atonement or Forgiveness for sins
I have sought some clarity concerning the Jewish Law concerning 'forgiveness of sin' and specifically, the role of the Rabbi and/or Priest in this process. It appears that sins against another Jew are addressed and obtained form the offended Jew in accordance with the Law. Does the Rabbi/Priest actually forgive those sins confessed that are against G-d??--Mcmoran 13:19, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

The confession is from man directly to God. The Rabbi is not told of the sins and has nothing to do with the confession. In Judaism it is God that has the power to forgive, no man has the authority to forgive sin.Learned69 (talk) 23:15, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Integration from another article
The wikipedia article Repentance in Judaism included a section on viduy. Because this article was the correct place for it, I deleted the content there and am temporarily pasting it here for integration:

Viduy (confession) is an integral part of the repentance process. It is not enough to feel remorse and forsake sin, although such feelings are a commendable first step. A penitent must put his or her feelings into words and essentially say, "I did such-and-such and for that, I am sorry." Excuses for and rationalizations of the sin are not accepted at this stage of the repentance process. The verbal confession need not necessarily be a confession to another person; confessing alone may allow the penitent to be more honest with him- or herself.

Viduy is slightly different for sins committed against God or one's self than they are for sins committed against another human. Abraham Joshua Heschel once wrote, "According to Jewish tradition, even God Himself can only forgive sins committed against Himself, not against man." True repentance requires the penitent to approach the aggrieved party and correct the sin however possible. The Jewish concept of repentance is not simply the renouncement of sin in general, but rather in the specific sin done against a specific person or group of people. Only then must one go through the introspective processes described above. Boruch Baum (talk) 05:49, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

Confession in the Amidah
This article doesn't mention the confession in the weekday Amidah. Blessings 4, 5 and 6 form a unit that thanks God for giving the knowledge to distinguish good from evil, the desire to repent, and granting forgiveness. The 6th blessing begins with an explicit (but brief) confession: "Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned." (English translation from The Authorized Daily Prayerbook, 1912, Eyre and Spottiswood, London, page 46; ). Douglas W. Jones (talk) 19:40, 19 May 2023 (UTC)

After the Amidah, in the traditional weekday morning service, there a penetential reading that begs for divine mercy. The form differs:
 * On fast days, Avinu Malkeinu is chanted. This begins with a brief confession "Our Father our King, we have sinned before thee." (as above, Page 55; https://books.google.com/books?id=c-IOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PT440]).
 * On most other weekdays, Tachanun is recited. The short version includes a brief confession "O thou who art merciful and gracious, I have sinned before thee," as part of the introduction to Psalm 6 (as above, Page 62;).
 * On most Mondays and Thursdays, the long Tachanun contains additional confessional elements.

Adding a discussion of this material to the article would need a brief discussion of how the different streams of Judaism vary, with citations to other prayerbooks. I checked the current Reform prayerbook and two Conservative prayerbooks, neither has tinkered with the confessional element in the Amidah. The Conservative prayerbook contains the traditional Tachanun.