Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Vidui for Bloggers

This morning, LW, esq., said that in vidui, according to the rules of dikduk, the fei in דיברנו דופי should have a dagesh. I think he may be right. Although what I say on the blog is usually an honest expression of my thoughts, so I can say that what I write here is not duplicitous, I recognize that there may have been some posts and comments for which I need to say vidui for דברנו דופּי with the dagesh in the pei.

To all of you, Yasher kochachem for the pilpul chaveirim, and Kesiva ve'chasima tova to you and yours.
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On the topic of making fools of ourselves, here's a poem recently printed in the New Yorker. It seems like light verse until the last paragraph, which, I think, might be a mussar dehrhehr.

Reckoning

by Richard Wilbur

August 31, 2009


At my age, one begins

To chalk up all his sins,

Hoping to wipe the slate

Before it is too late.


Therefore I call to mind

All memories of the kind

That make me wince and sweat

And tremble with regret.


What do these prove to be?

In every one, I see

Shocked faces that, alas,

Now know me for an ass.


Fatuities that I

Have uttered, drunk or dry,

Return now in a rush

And make my old cheek blush.


But how can I repent

From mere embarrassment?

Damn-foolishness can’t well

Entitle me to Hell.


Well, I shall put the blame

On the pride that’s in my shame.

Of that I must be shriven

If I’m to be forgiven.

5 comments:

  1. dehrher, in Yiddish, means insight. I was wondering whether the the most common motivator for teshuva turns out to be self-interest and ego.

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  2. Let us not be so cynical that we lose our faculty for being embarrassed. As Manis Friedman says, doesn't anyone ever blush anymore?
    GHT

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  3. Yes, I agree, embarrassment is a key to teshuva, and there's sure nothing wrong with Teshuva mei'yir'a. Criticizing any sort of teshuva is probably just an atzas hayeitzer. But I like the poem anyway.

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