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Why does the Torah (תורה) call both the Bikkurim declaration and the Maaser declaration "vidui" (confession) when they seem to be expressions of gratitude? The shiur develops a fundamental insight: confession and appreciation are inseparable. True repentance requires keeping the context of everything God has done for us, making His requests seem reasonable rather than burdensome. This principle transforms all relationships.
The shiur opens with a textual difficulty: The Torah (תורה) refers to two distinct declarations as "vidui" (confession). The first is the Bikkurim declaration (first fruits), which recounts Jewish history from the patriarchs through the Exodus and entry into Israel (Devarim 26:5-10). The second is the Maaser declaration made every third year, where a person affirms he properly distributed his tithes (Devarim 26:13-15). The Talmud (תלמוד) and Rambam (רמב"ם) call both of these "vidui"—the Bikkurim declaration is "vidui Bikkur" and the Maaser declaration is "vidui Maaser." Yet neither contains any admission of sin. The Bikkurim declaration is pure praise and historical recounting, while the Maaser declaration affirms perfect compliance. How can the word "vidui," which we associate with confessing sins (Ashamnu, Bagadnu, Gazalnu), apply to these declarations? The Sforno attempts to answer regarding the Maaser declaration by noting that tithes go to the Levites only because the firstborn sinned with the golden calf, so there's an indirect allusion to sin. However, this answer is inadequate—it's too subtle to justify the term "vidui." Moreover, the Sforno's approach is completely inapplicable to the Bikkurim declaration, which contains no hint of sin whatsoever.
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Devarim 26:5-15 (Ki Savo)
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