Publisher's Synopsis
HARAV CHAYIM YOSEF DOVID AZULAI חיים יוסף דוד אזולאי (the anacronym for his name is חידא), as we will discuss in the next chapter, was a great Tzadik and Rabbi. He wrote many sefarim during his complicated life. Unfortunately, some of his sefarim were lost to the ravages of time. In his sefer Kaf Achas chapter 19, he went through the Ashamnu prayer that we say on many occasions and expounded on it. As we will mention shortly, as with many prayers, poems, Tehillim, and more, the Ashamnu is in alphabetical order. As you will find out in this sefer, the Chida took each letter of the Ashamnu and compiled a list of other sins that start with the same letter. If one carefully reads through this list, one can become completely overwhelmed by the enormity of the sins one could have and probably has committed. As I can testify to having seen in tzadikim who have said this expanded viduy, it is enough to bring a person to tears.
Both the Ashamnu (אשמנו) and the Al Chait (אל חטא) are in alphabetical order. There are numerous reasons for these following the אלף בית. The most obvious reason is that it makes it easier to remember since it is the most basic order.
Our sins have caused destruction to the world that was created by HaShem using the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. By reciting the confessionals in the order of the alphabet, on a spiritual and metaphysical level, we are correcting that which we corrupted by our sins.
The same applies to the holy Torah which was written with the same twenty-two letters. Consequently, since we did more sins than just those that are listed in the basic confessionals, it behooves us to add other sins that we have or might have committed.
This is one of the many reasons the Chida wrote his special addition to the basic Ashamnu confession.
While doing research for this sefer, I found that there are many hidden concepts and meanings in the choice of words that the Chida used in compiling this incredible work.
