Tender End of Life Vidui

A confessional prayer at the end of life, from This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. Here are more memorial and yizkor prayers, including meditations near the end of life.

Tender End of Life Vidui
I did the best I could,
At least some of the time,
And more often as I got wiser.
My best got better,
And my shortfalls became more obvious.
This I ask of You, my G-d,
And of you, my friends and family,
And of any creatures or persons whom I’ve harmed:
Forgive me.
Release me from guilt.
Release me from my transgression.
Release my from my mistakes.
In forgiving me,
You help me forgive myself,
So I may pass from this world
With a greater measure of comfort and reassurance.
It is too late for me to do more,
And I ask with a heart of sincerity.

G-d of our mothers and fathers,
G-d of generations,
M’kor chayim
Source of life,
May it be Your will that my passing be in peace.

!שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ יי אֶחָד
Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!
Hear, O Israel! Adonai is our God! Adonai is One!

© 2017 CCAR Press from This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
Share the prayer! Email this to a friend.

Postscript: Vidui means ‘confession.’

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Tags: , , ,

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6