Q&A: Selichot
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Selichot
Question
Is it known according to what principle the selichot liturgical poems were determined in the Lithuanian rite, and according to what principle in the Polish rite? Isn’t it the case that—aside from a few exceptional refrains—this is some random, meaningless division, or did whoever compiled the collection do so with serious thought? And in your opinion, what weight, in the service of God, do the selichot of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance carry?
Answer
It doesn’t sound likely that there was any editing and organization here. It accumulated over the years. In my opinion it has no value. Self-examination and repentance, of course, certainly do.