VIDUY וידוי

The word וידוי is used often these days, and usually it is connected to the word עוונות.  

The word וידוי is not mentioned in the Torah (but we see מתוודים, מתוודה)

The word וידוי appears in the Mishna in Parashat מקרא בכורים and also in Parashat וידוי מעשרות. 

Is this the same וידוי as וידוי עוונות?

I want to suggest the following:

A. In Parashat Vayikra the word וידוי is “conffesion”: "וְהָיָה כִי יֶאְשַׁם לְאַחַת מֵאֵלֶּה וְהִתְוַדָּה אֲשֶׁר חָטָא עָלֶיהָ"

B. In "פרשת וידוי מעשרות" the meaning of the word וידוי is “affirmation” , “declaration”. Nothing to do with עוונות or חטאים

C. In “פרשת בכורים" it is “הודאה” and “הודיה” . We affirm that we recognize the חסד Hashem did to us, as our ancestor was ״ארמי אובד״ and now we have a portion in the land of Eretz Yisrael, and therefore we thank HaShem.

 I found some connection between the two Parshiyot. Between Parashat "Viduy Ma’aser" and Parashat "Mikra bikurim”. Both in Parashat Ki Tavo.

"Mikra Bikurim" is the previous paragraph.  Starts at Perek 26 pasuk 1, ends at pasuk 11, and right after, pasuk 12 an on starts the paragraph of “Viduy Ma’aser".

The mishna, masechet Bikurim talks about the connection between the two:

"יֵשׁ בְּמַעֲשֵׂר וּבִכּוּרִים מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בַּתְּרוּמָה שֶׁהַמַּעֲשֵׂר וְהַבִּכּוּרִים טְעוּנִים הֲבָאַת מָקוֹם וּטְעוּנִים וִדּוּי"

(מסכת בכורים פרק ב משנה ב)

What is the Viduy in "Viduy Ma’asrot"?

The Viduy is detailed in pasuk 13, 14:

וְאָמַרְתָּ֡ לִפְנֵי֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ בִּעַ֧רְתִּי הַקֹּ֣דֶשׁ מִן־הַבַּ֗יִת וְגַ֨ם נְתַתִּ֤יו לַלֵּוִי֙ וְלַגֵּר֙ לַיָּתֹ֣ום וְלָאַלְמָנָ֔ה כְּכׇל־מִצְוָתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוִּיתָ֑נִי לֹֽא־עָבַ֥רְתִּי מִמִּצְוֹתֶ֖יךָ וְלֹ֥א שָׁכָֽחְתִּי׃"

• לֹא־אָכַ֨לְתִּי בְאֹנִ֜י מִמֶּ֗נּוּ וְלֹא־בִעַ֤רְתִּי מִמֶּ֨נּוּ֙ בְּטָמֵ֔א וְלֹא־נָתַ֥תִּי מִמֶּ֖נּוּ לְמֵ֑ת שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי בְּקֹול֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔י עָשִׂ֕יתִי כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתָֽנִי׃

The viduy here is affirmation, declaration: 'I did all what I was commanded to do, I gave to the orphans, etc.'

What is the Viduy in "Mikra Bikurim”?

וְעָנִיתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ לִפְנֵי הֹ אֱלֹקיךָ אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה וַיָּגָר שָׁם בִּמְתֵי מְעָט וַיְהִי שָׁם לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל עָצוּם וָרָב:

...וַיְבִאֵנוּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וַיִּתֶּן לָנוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ...

רֵאשִׁית פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה לִּי הֹ..

There is no any affirmation stating that I did what I was commanded to do.  The affirmation here is, “I am aware of all the good that HaShem gave me, and I thank HaShem for all that."

The word viduy has few “branches”, as you may see in Milon Even Shoshan  The root is י.ד.ה. and the examples that they give that dictionary are:

הודה על האמת

התוודה- הודע את חטאו

מודה - אומר תודה

and really they are all connected. When we thank ( מודים ) someone, we first confirm, that we know what good he did for us, and then we express our appreciation to him. We thank him.

When we confess ( מתוודים ) first we recognize and confirm what we did, and then we express our regret that we did it.

So it looks like that although there is a Viduy in both parshiyot, parashat  "Mikra Bikurim", and parashat "viduy ma’aser”, the viduy is not of the same “branch”.

In one it is declaration that I did what I was commanded to do (Viduy Ma’aser) while the other one is affirmation that I am aware of what HaShem gave me, and therefore I thank him for that.

Is there a link between Parashat Mikra Bikurim to Parashat Viduy Ma’aser?

May be the juxtaposition between the two shows the connection between them. But more than this.:

In Parashat Viduy Ma’ser it says: 

עָשִׂ֕יתִי כְּכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּיתָֽנִי׃

and Rashi writes: ״שמחתי ושימחתי״  .

“שמחתי”? Mitzvat HaSimcha is not mentioned in the pesukim of Viduy Ma’aser, but actually in the previous pesukim that are related to Mikra Bikurim:

"וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֣ בְכׇל־הַטֹּ֗וב אֲשֶׁ֧ר נָֽתַן־לְךָ֛ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּלְבֵיתֶ֑ךָ אַתָּה֙ וְהַלֵּוִ֔י וְהַגֵּ֖ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבֶּֽךָ׃"

Why then Rashi writes about Simcha in Parashat viduy ma’aser?  Rashi quotes the mishna: עשיתי ככל אשר ציותני. שמחתי ושימחתי בו״

(מעשר שני פרק ב משנה י״ב)

Also, why this pasuk that talks about Bikurim, mentions the Levi and the Ger?

The Levi and the Ger are related to the miteva in the next parasha , Parashat Viduy Ma’aser!

One more, if I may suggest.  Pasuk 12 is the first pasuk if Parashat Vuduy Ma’aser. But we can look at it also in a different way. We can see  pasuk 12 as the connection, the link  between the two parshiyot. 

ושמחת בכל הטוב…כי תכלה לעשר…ונתת ללוי ליתום ולאלמנה

Sort of “you will be happy because you give to the Levi, Yatom and Almana”.

This may be explains why the Mishna writes “Samachti Vesimachti bo” in parashat Viduy Ma’aser, although the source, the word “Vesamachta” appears in P’ Mikra Bikurim.

(the real interpretation of כי in this pasuk is “when”)

I mentioned that I was not the only one who mixed between the two parshiyot.

It looks like the Rambam also mixed between the two.

On his book “Emet LeYa’akov” HaRav Ya’akov Kaminetzki wonders about what the Rambam wrote in his work “Hayad Chazaka”:

Rav Kaminettzki writes:

 ״והנה הרמב״ם (ספר זרעים, הלכות מעשר שני, פרק י״א, הלכה ט״ו) העתיק דין זה בזה הלשון: עשיתי ככל אשר ציויתני ששמח ושימח בו שנאמר ושמחת בכל הטוב עכ״ל. ולכאורה תמוה, הא פסוק זה נאמר לעיל (פסוק י״א) במקרא בכורים. ומה זה שהביאו הרמב״ם בוידוי מעשר. וצריך עיון.״ 

HaRav Kaminetzki continues more about the Rambam and why the Rambam writes topics relating Bikurim when the subject is Ma’aser Sheni. (I will attach a copy)

The reason why I mentioned the Rambam is not really to claim that the Rambam was “confused" between the two, but really to show that these two mitzvot are connected and limked together, as I mentioned above.

Although my opinion is that the word Viduy in Parashat Viduy Ma’aser means “affirmation” “declaration”, there is an opinion that the viduy in this parasha is “confession” 

Here is what the Seforno writes in his interpretation to 26:13:

״בערתי הקדש מן הבית - בחטאינו ובעונות אבותינו הוסרה העבודה מהבכורות אשר להם היו ראויות תרומות ומעשרות באמרו ואטמא אותם במתנותם בהעביר כל פטר רחם וזהו וידוי מעשר שהזכירו רז''ל: ״

The Hebrew word “Hodaya” is known as אמירת תודה “thanksgiving”

This word appears in the Mishna on the subject of Ma’asar Sheni:

״יוחנן כהן גדול העביר הודיות המעשר״ (משנה, מסכת מעשר שני פרק ה’ פסוק ט״ו

We can see that the root is the same root. (י.ד.ה.)

To sum it up, I wanted to suggest that 

 - The Torah (inc Mishna) talks about three types of ויודי

- They all branches of the same root, but the meaning is different

- There is a link between parashat וידוי מעשר to parashat מקרא בכורים

שנה טובה

חתימה טובה

(I will be glad to get your thoughts about the above)

אהרן