Atta noten yad

Sung in Hebrew

You extend a welcome to transgressors, ready to embrace those who turn in repentance. You have taught us to confess all our sins to You, that we may cease doing violence to our lives. Accept us in wholehearted repentance, as You have promised. Endless are the guilt offerings that would have been required of us in ancient Temple times. But we are destined for the worm, and therefore have You provided us with abundant means of pardon.

What are we? What is our piety? What is our righteousness, our attainment, our power, our might? What can we say, Lord our God and God of our fathers? Compared to You, all the mighty are nothing, the famous are nonexistent, the wise lack wisdom, the clever lack reason. For most of their actions are meaninglessness, the days of their lives emptiness. Man’s superiority to the beast is an illusion. All life is a fleeting breath.

But you distinguished man from the start, deeming him worthy to stand in Your Presence. For who would challenge Your deeds? And even if man should be righteous, what do You gain? Lovingly have You given us this Shabbat and this Day of Atonement, an end to all our sins in pardon and forgiveness, that we may cease doing violence to our lives, that we may turn to You, fulfilling Your statutes wholeheartedly.

Grant us compassion from Your abundant store of compassion. For You do not desire destruction, as Your prophet Isaiah declared: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call to Him, smile, He is near. Let the wicked man abandon his ways, and the evil man his thoughts. Let him return to our God who freely forgives.” Forgiving God, You are gracious and compassionate, patient, abounding in kindness and faithfulness. You desire the return of the wicked, not their death, as You have proclaimed through Your prophet Ezekiel: “As I live, says the Lord God, I do not desire the death of the wicked, but that he abandon his ways and live. Turn, turn from your wicked ways, for why should you die, House of Israel?” And it is written: “Do I desire death of the wicked? Do I not prefer that he abandon his ways and live? … I do not desire anyone’s death. Turn then, and live.” For You pardon and forgive the House of Israel in every generation. But for You we have no King who pardons and forgives.

Our God and God of our fathers, forgive our sins on this Shabbat and this Yom Kippur. Blot out and disregard our transgression, as Isaiah declared in Your name: “I alone blot out our transgressions, for My sake: your sins I shall not recal.