Q&A: About the Selichot
About the Selichot
Question
Hello Rabbi. It’s the month of Elul and so on, and the Sephardim are already saying Selichot. Personally, Selichot do nothing for me; mainly they just annoy me.
My question and request: is the whole purpose of Selichot simply to awaken a person to repentance, so that if that goal is not achieved then there is no point at all in the shared mumbling and the sentimental songs? (And perhaps each person should awaken to repentance in ways that actually help him.) Or is it like prayer, where it is completely irrelevant what you feel, and you need to say it because that is what was instituted / has become customary?
Thank you very much.
Answer
This is not a matter of Jewish law but of custom. If it does nothing for you, then in my opinion it has no value whatsoever. It may still be important that, if you make the effort, it could help you set aside some time for self-examination and repentance. But if not, then not.