Ahavnu: A Positive Version of the Ashamnu Vidui Prayer

This post presents Rabbi Avi Weiss’ positive version of the Ashamnu prayer, an alphabetical acrostic of 22 sins recited during each of the five prayer services on Yom Kippur. Based on the idea that in order to move forward and cultivate a positive sense of self, we must focus on the good we have done, along with our transgressions, this prayer provides one positive quality or accomplishment for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Rabbi Avi Weiss is an educator and human rights activist, the founding rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and founder of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and Yeshivat Maharat rabbinical schools. This prayer was shared on the The Open Siddur Project, which aims to liberate the creative content of Jewish spiritual practice as a commonly held resource for adoption, adaptation, and redistribution.