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When death is imminent, it is appropriate to include the Vidui (“confession”) prayer in support of the dying person (goses).
Rabbi Stuart Kelman writes, “The traditional function of the Vidui at the end of life is to provide words for the person who is in the process of dying.”
Alison Jordan, RN, MS, MFT, writes, “The Vidui provides an opportunity to unburden a heavy heart, return to a sense of hope for wholeness, and to let go of life peacefully. I continue to seek some understanding of the notion of death as atonement. In the meantime death is seen as a natural and G-d given experience to be encountered and met, hopefully in the comforting presence of others. Wholeness of healing is understood not in physical terms, but as redeeming acceptance, reconciliation, and peace.”
Alison’s website Vidui Variations offers a variety of types of Vidui prayer.
