It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Yom Kippur is almost here! Many might think that the Day of Atonement is one to dread or avoid. However, after celebrating it for nearly 30 years, I can honestly say that it's one of my favorite days of the year. 

According to Leviticus 23, Yom Kippur is a day of solemn assembly, with prayer and fasting as we seek forgiveness for sin. Traditionally, we spend the day in services, reciting liturgies and quietly meditating before the Lord before breaking the fast together as a community. Personally, my favorite part of the entire twenty-four hour period is one prayer in particular: the "Al Chet." A lengthy, extensive prayer sung in Aramaic, the Al Chet is a prayer seeking forgiveness for anything and everything that you might be able to think of, and some that you might not. Much like the fine print of a legal document, the Al Chet covers every contingency possible that might result in lingering sin before God. But my favorite line in the entire prayer is: "And for the sin which we have committed before You by insincere verbal confession of the lips...For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us."

When I was little, my father would tell me that an insincere confession could be anything that wasn't a hundred-percent true, like little white lies, vain promises, silly vows, or impossible oaths. From "I'm never going to eat ice cream ever again!" to "When I have kids, I'll never put them in time out!"... the small things that we confess with our mouths have a huge impact on our lives without us ever knowing. Resolutions like new workout routines, eating habits, or hobbies often fall to the wayside without us ever taking the time to recognize that we've broken a promise to ourselves. Over time, these broken promises can subconsciously affect our confidence and unconsciously effect the way we interact with others.

Now that I'm older, I recognize how often I confess insincerely to myself, making promises that I know I won't be able to keep. I'd like to think that I've gotten better at catching myself in the moment, but I'm human and therefore fallible. So, with that in mind, I look forward to Yom Kippur, remembering that no matter how many frivolous promises or vows I might have made throughout the year, forgiveness and release are on the horizon. 

Big vows, little vows, tiny promises, unspoken commitments, all of them are covered eventually through the Al Chet. And there's a wonderful relief at the end of the prayer that makes the air around a little sweeter.  Thankfully, as believers in Yeshua (Jesus), we have atonement available to us at all times through Yeshua's final sacrifice. We can approach the Throne with boldness and freedom in order to ask for forgiveness. But there's something genuinely cathartic about going through the Al Chet prayer. So, I'm asking you to join me this Yom Kippur in speaking this prayer over yourself. It may seem redundant, repetitive, or even a little extra. But I promise that what's waiting at the end is worth it! May your fast be meaningful and the atonement of our Messiah Yeshua sweet!

AL CHET

• For the sin which we have committed before You under duress or willingly.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by hard-heartedness.
• For the sin which we have committed before You inadvertently.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.
• For the sin which we have committed before You with immorality.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly.
• For the sin which we have committed before You with knowledge and with deceit.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You through speech.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by deceiving a fellowman.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by improper thoughts.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by a gathering of lewdness.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by verbal [insincere] confession.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by disrespect for parents and teachers.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You intentionally or unintentionally.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by using coercion.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by desecrating the Divine Name.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by impurity of speech.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by foolish talk.
• For the sin which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You knowingly or unknowingly.
• For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by false denial and lying.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by a bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by evil talk [about another].
• For the sin which we have committed before You in business dealings.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by eating and drinking.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by a haughty demeanor.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by the prattle of our lips.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by a glance of the eye.
• For the sin which we have committed before You with proud looks.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You with impudence.
• For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke [of Heaven].
• And for the sin which we have committed before You in passing judgment.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by scheming against a fellowman.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by a begrudging eye.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by frivolity.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by obduracy.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale-bearing.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by swearing in vain.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred.
• For the sin which we have committed before You by embezzlement.
• And for the sin which we have committed before You by a confused heart.
• For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
• And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a burnt-offering.
• And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a sin-offering.
• And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a varying offering [according to one's means].
• And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a guilt-offering for a certain or doubtful trespass.
• And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of lashing for rebelliousness.
• And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of forty lashes.
• And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of death by the hand of Heaven.
• And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of excision and childlessness.
• And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of the four forms of capital punishment executed by the Court: stoning, burning, decapitation and strangulation. 

For [transgressing] positive and prohibitory mitzvot, whether [the prohibitions] can be rectified by a specifically prescribed act or not, those of which we are aware and those of which we are not aware; those of which we are aware, we have already declared them before You and confessed them to You, and those of which we are not aware --- before You they are revealed and known, as it is stated: The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, that we may carry out all the words of this Torah. For You are the Pardoner of Israel and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshua in every generation, and aside from You we have no King who forgives and pardons.