Vidui – Final Words
Please forgive me.
I forgive you.
Thank you.
I love you.
Please forgive me.
I am so sorry. I made mistakes and caused you pain. There is so much now that I wish I could undo or redo. But we can’t go back, so I ask now for your forgiveness.
I forgive you.
And I have been hurt too. I don’t want to hold that pain and disappointment anymore. We are all more than our worst moments. I forgive you.
Thank you.
Thank you for the many blessings you have given me. I will treasure forever what you have taught me. Your presence in my life has informed who I am and who I will become. You will always be with me.
Thank you for loving me.
I love you.
I love you. And that love transcends death. I will not let you disappear from this world.
In my grief I will find strength and resilience. I will miss you, but your absence every day will only remind me of the power of your presence and your love.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ ה׳ אֶחָֽד
Shema yisrael, Adonai eloheinu, Adonai ekhad.
Hear, O Israel: Adonai is our God, Adonai is One.
May God guide your soul toward peace, and may your spirit reverberate in this world for many generations to come.
Psalms 118:5
מִן־הַ֭מֵּצַֽר קָרָ֣אתִי יָּ֑הּ עָ֝נָ֗נִי בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב יָֽהּ
Min hametzar karati Yah, anani bamerhav Yah.
Out of the narrowness I cried out to You,
You answered me with expansive possibility.
Vidui – Final Words: A Prayer for Release (Short Text)
Holy One, my soul and body are in Your hands.
The soul You gave me is pure:
You created it, formed it, breathed it into me
and kept it safe in me until now.
My healing and even my death are in Your hands.
I want to live.
But if it is time for me to transition from this world–
whether today or in the coming days–
Grant me and the beloveds of my heart, whose souls are bound with mine,
the grace to accept this turning of the wheel of life.
I forgive all who harmed me in my life.
May their hearts be at ease,
as I release all anger and pain from them into the dust of the earth.
And just as I have forgiven,
so may I be forgiven all my shortcomings, missteps or failures of judgment.
Please let me be remembered for my goodness and my love.
May my spirit shine as the brightness of the firmament.
Accept my soul in love.
Even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me.
With these last breaths, I surrender my spirit.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, יהוה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, יהוה אֶחָד
יהוה הָאֱלֹהִים. יהוה הָאֱלֹהִים. יהוה הָאֱלֹהִים
Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. Adonai haElohim, Adonai haElohim, Adonai haElohim
Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One.
Adonai is the Eternal God. Adonai is the Eternal God. Adonai is the Eternal God.
Long Text
אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי וִאמוֹתַי, שְׁמַע בְּקוֹלִי
מוֹדֶה / מוֹדָה אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ, מְקוֹר הַבְּרָכָה
שֶׁנִשְׁמַתִי וְגוּפִי מְסוּרִים בְּיָדֶךָ
אֱלֹהַי, נְשָׁמָה שֶׁנָּתַתָּ בִּי טְהוֹרָה הִיא:
אַתָּה בְרָאתָהּ, אַתָּה יְצַרְתָּהּ, אַתָּה נְפַחְתָּהּ בִּי,
וְאַתָּה שַׁמְּרָהּ בְּקִרְבִּי עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה
Elohei v Elohei avotai v’imotai sh’ma b’koli
Modeh / Modah ani l’fanecha, M’kor haChayim,
shenishmati v’gufi m’surim b’yadecha.
Elohai, n’shamah shenatata bi — t’horah hi:
Atah v’ratah, atah y’tzartah, atah n’fachtah bi,
v’atah m’sham’rah b’kirbi ad hayom hazeh.
My God and God of those who came before me: please, hear me now.
I acknowledge before You, Source of Blessing,
that my soul and body are in Your hands.
Holy One, the soul You gave me is pure:
You created it, formed it, breathed it into me
and kept it safe in me until now.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ, אַב הָרַחַמִים,
שֶׁתִּרְפָאֵנִי רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה
וּכְּשֶׁאֶעֱבֹר מֶעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, אִם הַיּוֹם אוֹ בָּזְמַן עָתִּיד לָבוֹא,
תְּחָנֵנִּי וְקְרוּבֵי הָלִבִּי, שֶׁמִתְּחַבְּרִים עִם נִּשְׁמָתִי,
לְּהַסְכִּים אֶת פְּנִיַית שֶׁל גַלְגַל הַחַיִים הַזּאת
Yehi ratzon milfanekha, Av harahamim
Shetirfa-eini refuah sheimah.
Uk’she’evor meolam hazeh Im hayom o bazman atid lavo,
l’haskim et p’niyat shel galgal hachayim hazot.
May it be Your will, Source of Compassion,
that You grant me complete healing.
But when I pass from this world – whether today or in a time to come –
grant me and the beloveds of my heart, whose souls are bound with mine,
the grace to accept this turning of the wheel of life.
לְפָנֶיךָ אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן, מְכַפֵּר עָוֹן וְלֹא מַשְׁחִית
אֲנִי סוֹלֵחַ / סוֹלַחַת כָּל שֶׁהֵרֵעוּנִי בְּחַיַי
תִּהְיוּ רְגוּעוֹת לִבּוֹתֵיהֶם
וָאֲשַׁלֵחַ מִמֵנִּי כָּל כַּעַס וּכְאֵב מֵהֵם לְתּוֹךְ אֵפֶר הָאָרֶץ
כְּשֵׁם שֶׁסָלַחְתִּי לְאֲחֵרִים,
כֵּן תִּסְלַח לִּי מִּכָּל הַחֲטָאִים שֶׁלִי
L’fanecha El rachum v’chanun, m’chapeir avon v’lo mash·chit,
ani solei·ach/solachat kol sheheirei·uni b’chayai.
Tiyu r’gu·ot liboteihem
vashalei·ach mimeini kolkaas uch’eiv meiheim l’toch eifer haaretz.
K’sheim shesa;achti l’acheirim,
kein tislach li mikol hachata·im sheli.
Before You, God of Mercy and Grace, who pardons iniquity and does not destroy, I forgive all who harmed me in my life.
May their hearts be at ease,
as I release all anger and pain from them into the dust of the earth.
And just as I have forgiven,
so may You forgive me all my shortcomings.
בִּזְּכוּת זֶה, תִּשְׁמוֹר אֶת נִּשְׁמָתִי בְּשָׁלוֹם
וּתִּזְהַר נַפְשִׁי כְּזוֹהַר הַרָקִיעַ לְעוֹלָמִים
אֲנִי מַאֲמִין / מַאֲמִינָה בְּאֶמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה שֶׁתְּקַבֵּל נִשְׁמַתִי בְּאַהֲבָה
גַּם כִּי אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת
לֹא אִירָא רָע כִּי אַתָּה עִמָּדִי
בְּיָדְךָ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי פָּדִיתָה אוֹתִי יהוה אֵל אֱמֶת
Biz’chut zeh, tishmor et nishmati b’shalom
utiz·har nafshi k’zohar harakia l’olamim.
Ani maamin / maaminah be·emunah shleimah shet’kabel nishmati bahavah
Gam ki eilech b’gei tzalmavet
lo ira ra ki atah imadi.
B’yadcha afkid ruchi paditah oti Adonai El emet
By this merit, preserve my soul in peace;
may my spirit forever shine as the brightness of the firmament.
I believe with perfect faith that You will accept my soul in love.
Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil for You are with me.
Into Your hand I surrender my spirit: You redeem me, God of Truth.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, יהוה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, יהוה אֶחָד
יהוה הָאֱלֹהִים. יהוה הָאֱלֹהִים. יהוה הָאֱלֹהִים
Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. Adonai haElohim, Adonai haElohim, Adonai haElohim
Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One.
Adonai is the Eternal God. Adonai is the Eternal God. Adonai is the Eternal God.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד
Shema Yisroel Adonai Elohainu, Adonai echad (1x)
בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד
Baruch Shem Kevod L’olam Vaed (3x)
יְהוָה הוּא חָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים
Adonai Hu Ha Elohim (7x)
(based on translation from Rabbi David Markus)
Late Fragment
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
Raymond Carver