Here are some further thoughts on Selichot, penned by Rabbi Wein zt’l back in 2017.
The custom of reciting selichot –- penitential prayers –-preceding
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is an ancient one. It dates back to the period of
the Geonim in Babylonia ,if not to Talmudic times. There are different
customs as to when to begin reciting these prayers. Most Sephardic and Middle
Eastern Jewish congregations begin the recitation of selichot at the beginning
of the month of Elul while European Jewish communities begin their recitation
the week preceding Rosh Hashanah itself.
Over the centuries the number of piyutim available for the
selichot recitation has increased exponentially. There are many hundreds of
such selichot piyutim in our repertoire of religious poetry. A substantial
number of them were composed during the early and later Middle Ages and were
the work of the great men of both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic worlds.
It was commonly accepted and even expected that Torah
scholars would produce such selichot. Some of the greatest sages of Israel,
such as Rashi, Rabbenu Gershom, Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel and others, are
represented in the Ashkenazic version of the selichot services.
In later times, especially in the modern era, the number and
authorship of the selichot has become fixed, though even in the Ashkenazic
tradition there is quite a difference between the selichot of German,
Lithuanian, and Polish custom. Needless to say, all of these Ashkenazic
versions of selichot vary widely from the piyutim recited by the Middle Eastern
Sephardic communities—and there too there are differences between certain
localities and ethnic groups.
The basic prayer of selichot, upon which all various
communities agree, is the recitation of the thirteen so-called attributes of
the Almighty. These are revealed to us in the Torah when Moshe hid his face in
the presence of the Divine spirit passing over him. The recitation of this
Torah description of Godly attributes is one of the central themes of Yom
Kippur, when we recite this section of selichot numerous times during the
prayer services of the day. In fact, the climactic prayer of Neilah on
Yom Kippur incudes the recitation of these thirteen attributes thirteen times! It
is as though this prayer, ordained so to speak by God, is the only weapon left
in our arsenal of prayer and tears that will deliver us to life and goodness.
The theme of the High Holy Days is to call to our Creator when He is close to
us and can be easily reached. The recitation of the selichot prayers, from
before Rosh Hashanah until through the day of Yom Kippur, reinforces this idea
of closeness and immediacy with the divine and the infinite.
Selichot is an invaluable conduit to achieve this exalted
connection with godliness and spirituality. It is no wonder that throughout the
ages the Jewish people have constantly observed and even strengthened this
custom in our never-ending quest for soulful spirituality. Early hours of
rising and devotion testify to the level that all Jewish communities dedicate
to this custom of penitential prayer.
What I have always found interesting and noteworthy in the
piyutim of selichot is that most of them are concerned with the sorry state of
the Jewish people in our long and bitter exile. It is as though we not only
expect to be forgiven for our sins and shortcomings but that we also implore
Heaven to intercede on our behalf and improve our lot in life.
And in an even further leap, the prayers of Rosh Hashanah
tie us all as human beings to common fates and challenges. In Judaism, the
individual, the national and the universal are all bound together in judgment
and in blessing. Therefore there can be no better introduction to and
understanding of the holy days that are coming upon us than the prayers of the
selichot services.
For ""Of Emotions, Memories and a Sense of Purpose", Rabbi Wein zt'l's previous post on Selichot, click here
