Halakhah su Salmi 51:78

In order to express one’s desire to come closer to God and to stand before Him, we customarily take three steps toward the Amida prayer (Rema 95:1). After finishing these steps, one stands in place and only then recites the verse “Ado-nai sefatai tiftaḥ u-fi yagid tehilatekha” (“My Lord, open my lips and my mouth will speak your praises”; Tehilim 51:7), since that verse is part of the Amida.

Before saying, Tehillos le'eil elyon,⁴“Praises to the most high Almighty.” you should stand and prepare yourself for the prayer of Shemoneh Esrei [Amidah]. You should rid yourself of phlegm and saliva, and anything that may distract your thoughts; then walk back three steps and say: tehillos le'eil elyon, and continue till [Ga'al Yisrael],⁵“Who redeemed Israel.” then return [to your position] by walking three steps forward in the manner of one approaching a king. You should not make any interruption between Ga'al Yisrael and Shemoneh Esrei, not even [in response] to Kaddish, Kedusha, or Barechu, because [the prayer of] redemption must be joined to the [Amidah] prayer. It is best to be precise in concluding the berachah of Ga'al Yisrael simultaneously with the chazzan, because should you finish first and the chazzan afterwards, there is a question whether to answer Amein to the berachah of the chazzan;⁶However if you finished before the chazzan you should answer Amein to his berachah. but when you conclude the berachah with him, you are certainly not required to answer Amein, because you do not answer Amein to your own berachah. (See Chapter Six, paragraph eleven.) In the ma'ariv service, since the berachah preceding the Shemoneh Esrei [does not] end with Ga'al Yisrael, an interruption is permitted, as it is permitted at any place between one chapter and another. [See Chapter 16 paragraph 2] Before praying Shemoneh Esrei, we say the verse: "Hashem, sefasai tiftach" [My Master open my lips]⁷Psalms 51:17.. This is not [considered] an interruption because it is relevant to the prayer; but the verse: "Ki Sheim Hashem ekra," etc.⁸“When I proclaim Hashem’s Name.” Deuteronomy 32:3. should not be said [before the Amidah], except at musaf and minchah prayers, before saying, Hashem, sefasai tiftach.

The pious men of olden days were wont to write their transgressions on a tablet when they sinned in order to confess their sins,¹The previous chapter instructs him to enumerate his sins. This can be done if he records them. Hence the custom of the pious (Perush). also in order to remember, regret and do penance. Because if he remembers his transgressions and that in the future he must give an accounting of them,²Another reason for recording them is to fulfill the demands of the verse. he will do penance, therefore it is good to record them, to fulfill that which is written, “And my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:5). And he remembers the day of death, Gehenna, and the day of judgement and lastly the love of heaven which is the best.³Yoma 86b. Let him write them cryptically in order that nobody sees them. The statement of the rabbis that one who declares his sins is called “impudent,” refers to one who enumerates his sins, who tells everyone wherein he sinned. But one is permitted to tell a humble and righteous individual one of his transgressions, that he may be able to teach him how to do penance. Or he should inquire of him inexplicitly, “ If a person has committed such a transgression and comes to repent, how does he do penance?” Even though penance and weeping are good for the person at all times, the days between the New Year and the Day of Atonement are better,⁴Rosh ha-Shanah 18a. and they (penance and weeping) are immediately accepted, as it is written, “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found” (Isa. 55:6). This is said only concerning the individual, but with the community, as long as they are doing penance and crying with whole hearts, they are answered, as in a similar matter where it is written, “For what great nation is there, that hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is whensoever we call upon Him?” (Deut. 4:7) The Day of Atonement is the day of penance for each individual and the community, it is the time of remission and pardon for all Israel. Therefore, all are enjoined to do penance and to confess on the Day of Atonement. And the commandment concerning confession on the Day of Atonement is that it start while yet day before the individual eats or drinks lest he choke. Let him recite the confessional that is customary “But we have sinned,” and this is the quintessence of the Confessional. Transgressions, even though he has confessed them on the Day of Atonement and he is yet within a state of penance, them he confesses on another Day of Atonement, as it is written, “For I know my transgression: and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:5).⁵Yoma 86b.

It is forbidden to turn away a poor person, empty handed, even if you give him only a dried fig [a mere pittance], as it is said: "Let not the oppressed turn back in disgrace."²²Psalms 74:21. And if you have nothing to give him, console him with words. It is forbidden to scold a poor person or to raise your voice to him in a shout, because he is brokenhearted and humbled, as it is said: "A heart that is broken and humbled God does not despise."²³Psalms 51:19. Woe is to him who embarrasses the poor. Rather act towards him like a father, both in [feelings of] compassion and with words, as it is said: "I was a father to the poor."²⁴Job 29:16.

It is written at the end of Hosea, “Return, O Israel, unto the Lord thy God” (Hos. 14:2). Repentance is great in that it reaches the Throne of Glory for it is said, “Unto the Lord.”¹Yoma 86a. And it is one of those matters that had preceded the creation of the world.²Pesahim 54a. It is equal in importance to all the sacrifices for it is said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” (Ps. 51:19). It does not say “sacrifice” but “sacrifices of.”³Sanhedrin 43b. Let it not seem to the penitent that he is distant from the station of the righteous because of his past perversions, sins and rebellion, for the matter is not so. He is loved and desired by the Creator more than the righteous, for he has tasted sin and has subdued his evil inclination and our scholars have said, “In the place where the penitent stand the completely righteous are unable to stand.”⁴Berakoth 34b.

The Law of Juxtaposing "Redemption" to "Prayer". Containing 3 Seifim:
One needs to juxtapose “redemption” [i.e. the last blessing of the Sh'ma - "Ga-al Yisrael"] to “prayer” [i.e. the Amidah]. And one should not interrupt between them, even with "Amen" after “Ga-al Yisrael”, and not for any verse other than “Hashem Sefatai” [Psalms 51:17, the introductory verse for the Amidah]. Gloss: And there are those who say that it is permitted to respond Amen after “Ga-al Yisrael”, and so we practice (Tur). And there are those who say that this requirement to juxtapose “redemption” to “prayer” is only on a weekday or Yom Tov, but on Shabbat one does not need to. (Meaning, that the reason that we require to juxtapose “redemption” to “prayer” [during the week] is because it is written “God will answer you in a day of distress,” [Psalms 20:2] and juxtaposed to it [is written], “Let the words of my mouth be desire … and my redeemer.” [Psalms 19:15], but Shabbat is not a time of distress. And in my humble opinion, it seems [that the reason] this is not so on Yom Tov is because they are days of judgement, as we learned in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:2, “On Passover [the world is judged] on grain…”) (Hagahot Ashir"i [Rabbi Yisrael MiKrems] on Chapter 1 of Berachot; and Kol Bo, Laws of Shabbat; and Mahari"l, the Laws of Yom Tov) And it is good to be stringent unless in a place that needs to do such (Tur).

You must say the Vidui while standing in a bowed position, as when you say Modim,¹¹You should not lean on something when saying Vidui. If you do lean your full weight on something to the extent that you would fall if that object were removed it may be necessary for you to repeat the Vidui. (Ibid 607:10) and when mentioning each sin you should beat your heart¹²Or the breast. (Ibid 607:11) as if to say, "You (the heart) caused me to sin. The order of the Vidui, set down in the Siddur, should be said by all alike. If you are aware of an individual sin not enumerated in the Vidui, since the Vidui is recited in an undertone, you should specify that sin, and confess it with a grieving heart, and profuse tears. If that sin is one that is mentioned in the Vidui, then, when you come to it, you should burst out in bitter self-reproach. Sins you confessed on the previous Yom Kippur may be confessed again, although you know that you did not commit them again,¹³Mishnah Berurah writes that if you had wronged someone with verbal abuse, and you had asked for and received his forgiveness, and confessed on the previous Yom Kippur, it is not necessary to repeat your confession. (Ibid 607:13) and you are to be praised for doing so, as it is said, "And my sin is always before me." (Psalms 51:15)

If you were put to a test and you kept yourself from sinning, do not boast of it saying, “I withstood the test.”¹Midrash Rabbah, ed. Horeb, Genesis, Chapter LII, p. 110. Perhaps your forefathers came to the same test and did not sin and they asked of the Holy One, blessed be He, that when their sons come to the same test they be given the power to keep from sinning,²Midrash Rabbah, ed. Horeb, Leviticus, Chapter XXXII, p. 88. for it is said, “God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt offering my son etc.… and Abraham called the name of that place Adonaijireh”³See Perush. (Gen. 22:8-15). His children will be slaughtered in Sanctification of the Name and burnt like Isaac.⁴And do not sin. You should bless the Holy One because he strengthened you over your inclination, and gave you a heart to be victorious over your evil inclination,⁵Kiddushin 30b. for it is said, “God left him to try him” (II Chron. 32:31). “Left him,” from this it is apparent that all is in His hand. For this reason David entreated Him, for it is said, “Make one my heart to fear Thy name” (Ps. 86:11), and it is written, “And renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:12).