Vidui

Edit

Pronunciations

Vidui (vee-DOO-ee) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. A confessional prayer recited on Yom Kippur made up of a list of sins.

Example Sentences

  • "They summoned a rabbi to say the viduy with a wealthy old lady, who was seriously ill. After it was over, she leaned toward the rabbi and asked: 'Rabbi, can I still have a glass of water, or must I die now?'" (Glinert)

  • "As the renowned sceptic, Yisroel Ostrin, lay dying, a pious friend came and pleaded: 'Yisroel, Yisroel! Say a viduy!'" (Glinert)

  • "During the Viddui, worshipers gently beat themselves on the chest for each transgression listed." (source)

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • וידוי, lit. 'confession'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      Viddui, Viduy, Vidduy

Notes

  • The Vidui is also recited at the deathbed, by, or on behalf of, the one who is dying.

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.