The Closed Fist in Vidui: Sources and Significance

Sifra, Acharei Mot, Section 2:2

ספרא, אחרי פרשה ב ב

Sifra, Acharei Mot, Section 2:2

The passage discusses the atonement process on Yom Kippur, explaining that when Aaron brought his own sin offering, he did so not on behalf of the community; it then establishes through textual analysis that the kapparah (atonement) mentioned in connection with the bull involves vidui dvarim (confession of words), deriving this by analogy from the atonement mentioned regarding the goat, which explicitly involves confession apart from the blood.

Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 5:4

משנה תורה, תפלה פרק ה

Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 5:4

Maimonides presents bodily comportment and humility as part of proper prayer. Although it does not mention the fist, it supports reading a prescribed or customary posture as expressing submission before God.

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 1:1

משנה תורה, תשובה פרק א א וב

Mishneh Torah, Repentance 1:1

Maimonides defines the mitzvah of teshuvah through vidui before God and articulates confession as verbal acknowledgment of the wrongdoing. The text focuses on speech rather than a hand gesture, making it an important baseline for distinguishing law from later custom.

Midrash Aggadah, Numbers 22:34

מדרש אגדה, במדבר כב לד

Midrash Aggadah, Numbers 22:34

Balaam confessed to the angel of God by saying "I have sinned," and the passage explains that the wicked Balaam jumped to make confession because he knew that only confession stands against divine wrath.

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 131:9

קיצור שלחן ערוך קל״א:ט׳

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 131:9

When reciting vidui, one strikes the heart with a closed fist to indicate that one's own heart caused the sin.

recovered from “Magen Avraham 607:1”

Magen Avraham

מגן אברהם תר״ז

Magen Avraham 607

The passage describes the order of vidui for various offerings and transgressions, and cites the Ari's writings (Ketavei HaAri) as stating that one strikes the chest with a fist, and brings a midrash on Kohelet stating that one strikes the heart in order to say "you caused this to me.

recovered from “Mishnah Berurah 607:11”

Mishnah Berurah

משנה ברורה תר״ז

Mishnah Berurah 607

When reciting vidui and mentioning a sin, one strikes the chest or heart with a closed fist, as if to say "you [the heart] caused me to sin.

בצל החכמה ח"ג סי' א'

בצל החכמה, ח״ג סי׳ א׳

בצל החכמה ח"ג סי' א'

The passage discusses whether someone who did not recite kiddush on Friday night may drink water on Shabbat morning before prayers and kiddush, presenting multiple views: some authorities permit drinking water because the obligation of kiddush can still be fulfilled at day with a meal, while others prohibit it based on the view that kiddush must be recited and one cannot eat before prayer; the passage concludes that according to the halakha, drinking water or tea on Shabbat morning before prayer and kiddush is permissible, and one can fulfill the biblical obligation of kiddush even without mentioning the exodus from Egypt.

On this pageThe passage discusses whether someone who did not recite kiddush on Friday night may drink water on Shabbat morning before prayers and kiddush, presenting multiple views: some authorities permit drinking water because the obligation of kiddush can still be fulfilled at day with a meal, while others prohibit it based on the view that kiddush must be recited and one cannot eat before prayer; the passage concludes that according to the halakha, drinking water or tea on Shabbat morning before prayer and kiddush is permissible, and one can fulfill the biblical obligation of kiddush even without mentioning the exodus from Egypt.

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Pithei Teshuva on Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 61:9

פתחי תשובה על שולחן ערוך אבן העזר ס״א

Pitchei Teshuva on Shulchan Arukh, Even HaEzer 61:9

The passage discusses the custom of the groom and bride fasting before the wedding, citing two reasons for this practice; it also notes that since this fast is not mentioned in the Gemara, one need not be stringent beyond shkiyat hachama like other fasts, though one should refrain from intoxicating beverages before the wedding, and cites a source indicating the groom recites the entire vidui (confession) in the afternoon prayer before the wedding as on Yom Kippur.

Shut HaRav HaRashi 12:1

שו"ת הרב הראשי, י״ב:א׳ — ד"ה שאלה א הכאה על הלב באמירת

Shut HaRav HaRashi 12:1

During vidui one strikes the right hand clenched in a fist gently on the heart (located beneath the breast, several finger-widths toward the front), striking once per word of the confession, and there is a simple reason—that the heart caused all these transgressions—but the true reason is hidden and has a deeper mystical dimension as explained by Rabbi Isaac Luria in Shaar HaKavannot, through which the striking accomplishes a great spiritual rectification.

Maamar Mordechai Limot HaChol 22:7

מאמר מרדכי לימות החול, כ״ב:ז׳ — ד"ה לא ישען – כשאומר וידוי לא

Maamar Mordechai Limot HaChol 22:7

A closed fist strike on the heart during vidui must be done gently with the right fist on the left side of the chest (below the breast) as each word of the confessional prayer is recited, and the reason for this practice is that the heart is the source of transgressions, as stated in the verse "lest your heart be seduced," though there is an additional mystical reason as well.