Bob Schwartz

Ashamnu
אָשַׁמְנוּ
nahn maswuwlun
نحن مسؤولون
We are responsible

Bagadnu
בָּגַדְנוּ
nahn nakhun
نحن نخون
We betray

Gazalnu
גָּזַלְנוּ
nahn nasriq
نحن نسرق
We steal

Dibarnu dofi
דִבַּרְנוּ דֹפִי
nahn nahtaqir
نحن نحتقر
We scorn

He-evinu
הֶעֱוִינוּ
nahn natasaraf bishakl munharif
نحن نتصرف بشكل منحرف
We act perversely

V’hirshanu
וְהִרְשַׁעְנוּ
nahn qusa
نحن قساة
We are cruel

Zadnu
זַדְנוּ
nahn nukhatit
نحن نخطط
We scheme

Chamasnu
חָמַסְנוּ
nahn eanifun
نحن عنيفون
We are violent

Tafalnu shaker
טָפַלְנוּ שֶקֶר
nahn alaiftira’
نحن الافتراء
We slander

Ya-atznu ra
יָעַצְנוּ רַע
nahn nabtakir alshara
نحن نبتكر الشر
We devise evil

Kizavnu
כִּזַבְנוּ
nahn naqul al’akadhib
نحن نقول الأكاذيب
We lie

Latznu
לַצְנוּ
nahn naskhar
نحن نسخر
We ridicule

Maradnu
מָרַדְנוּ
nahn naesi
نحن نعصي
We disobey

Ni-atznu
נִאַצְנוּ
nahn nasi’
نحن نسيء
We abuse

Sararnu
סָרַרְנוּ
nahn natahadak
نحن نتحداك
We defy

Avinu
עָוִינוּ
nahn nufsid
نحن نفسد
We corrupt

Tzararnu
צָרַרְנוּ
nahn eadaayiyuwna
نحن عدائيون.
We are hostile

Kishinu oref
קִשִׁינוּ עֹרֶף
nahn eanidun
نحن عنيدون
We are stubborn

Rashanu
רָשַׁעְנוּ
nahn ghayr ‘akhlaqiiyn
نحن غير أخلاقيين
We are immoral

Shichatnu
שִׁחַתְנוּ
nahn naqtul
نحن نقتل
We kill

Tiavnu
תִּעַבְנוּ
nahn nufsid
نحن نفسد
We spoil

Ta·inu
תָּעִינוּ
nahn nudil
نحن نضل
We go astray

Titanu
תִּעְתָּעְנוּ
nahn naqud alakharin ‘iilaa aldalal
نحن نقود الآخرين إلى الضلال
We lead others astray

---

The Jewish High Holidays 5785/2024—the ten Days of Repentance and Awe—begin with Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, on the evening of October 2, and end with Yom Kippur, the Day of Repentance, on October 10.

Confession is a centerpiece of the holiday. In the liturgy, Vidui includes two confessional prayers, Ashamnu and Al Cheit. Ashamnu is the shorter list of transgressions. Al Cheit is a longer detailed list of particular wrongdoings.

The past year has been one of tragedy, suffering and war in Israel, Gaza, the Middle East, and the Jewish world. Whatever our faith, status, history, ideology, grievances, or rationales, we are reminded now that none of is above responsibility, none of us as above the need for confession.

Above is my adaptation of Ashamnu. In Hebrew it is an acrostic, the first letter of each line in alphabetical order. English translations of those words vary, but all are admissions of conduct to be fixed in the year ahead. I’ve changed the common translation of the first word, Ashamnu. Often translated as “we have trespassed” or “we are guilty”, I have borrowed from Abraham Joshua Heschel. He famously said about his early protest of the Vietnam War: “In a free society, few are guilty, but all are responsible.”

My version also adds a rough translation of each expression into Arabic. Not in the least literate in the language, I’ve relied on a digital translator. For any errors in this, small or egregious, my humble and sincere apologies.

The message is that all of us, from the heinous to the heavenly, are responsible. The High Holidays insist that we are imperfect in ways that we may not acknowledge or may ignore. Our hearts may be hard when they should be soft. Why else do we literally beat our chests as we recite each of our wrongs? So we can locate our hearts, reach in, and know what condition they are in.

Shana tova. A good and sweet New Year to all.

© 2024 by Bob Schwartz