Introduction to Selihot: The power and significance of Selihot: From recitation to action

Abstract

The Hebrew Bible uses a form of the words seliĥa or seliḥot to refer to forgiveness in a number of verses: “I have forgiven in accordance with your words ( וַיּֽאֹמֶר יהוה, סָלַֽחְְְתִּי כִּדְְְבָרֶֽךָ )” (Numbers 14:20); “And it shall be forgiven to the entire assembly of Israel ( וְְנִסְְְלַח לְְכָָל־עֲדַת בְְּנֵי יִשְְְׂרָאֵל )” (Numbers 15:26); “For with You is forgiveness, that You may be held in awe ( כִּי עִמְְּךָ הַסְְּלִיחָה למְְעַֽןַ תִּו רֵָּא )” (Psalms 130:4); “But You are the God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate ( וְְאַתָּה אֱלֽוֹהַּ סְְלִיחוֹת חַנּוּן וְְרַחוּם )” (Nehemiah 9:17); “To the Lord our God [belong] mercy and forgiveness ( לַיהוה אֱלהֵֹֽינוּ הָרַחֲמִים וְְהַסְְּלִיחוֹת )” (Daniel 9:9).1 But the cluster of prayers that we call Seliḥot began to develop as a unit only in the early Middle Ages. By the ninth century, a Seliḥot service of some kind had been established. The Geonim refer to such a service as something which had already been in existence for a while and not as something new which they introduced.2 Rabbi Saadya Gaon composed a commentary on one of the Seliḥot texts that is contained in our service (see Seliĥa 48). (from Introduction)