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Why does the Hebrew word for confession (vidui) share a root with thanksgiving (hoda'ah)? The shiur develops the principle that vidui is not self-flagellation but rather thanking Hashem (ה׳) for the mitzvos—because every mitzvah (מצוה) is for our benefit, not His. When we confess, we're acknowledging that what we thought was God's agenda against ours was actually always for our good.
Rabbi Zweig presents a fundamental reframing of the concept of vidui (confession) by exploring its linguistic and conceptual connection to hoda'ah (thanksgiving). He begins by noting the difficulty: why does Chazal derive the word vidui from the same root as "thank you"? When Adam HaRishon met Kayin after Kayin's trial for murdering Hevel, Kayin explained that he confessed (hitvadah) and received a mitigated sentence. Adam's response was "Tov l'hodos Hashem (ה׳)"—it is good to thank God—suggesting vidui and hoda'ah are the same concept. The shiur examines several textual difficulties that highlight this paradox. The Sforno questions why the Torah (תורה) calls it "vidui" when a person declares he fulfilled all his tithing obligations correctly—he's stating he did everything right, not confessing wrongdoing. Similarly, the declaration over bikkurim (first fruits)—"Arami oved avi" (the Aramean sought to destroy my father)—is called vidui in the Talmud (תלמוד) Yerushalmi and Rambam (רמב"ם), yet it's simply a recounting of Jewish history and thanking God for bringing us to the Land. Where is the confession?
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Devarim 26:1-11 (Bikkurim declaration), Devarim 26:12-15 (Vidui Ma'aser)
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