Towards the end of the Selichot, the Sephardic custom is to recite the poem entitled “Elecha Hashem Nasati Enai.” In the fifth stanza of this stirring poem, we recite, “Remove my sin, G-d of my salvation; and also, my tear, place in your flask.” This means that we are requesting that Hashem collect our tears and save them so that they appear before Him so that He may accept our repentance and prayers.
Among Ashkenazi communities, it is customary to recite the “Ezkera Elokim” poem, which states: “May it be Your will, the One who hears crying voices, that you place our tears in your flask and that you save us from all cruel decrees, for our eyes are fixated only upon You.”
The source for this request to have our tears saved in Hashem’s flask is based on a verse in Tehillim, which states, “Place my tear in your flask,” about which the Gemara (Shabbat 105b) expounds that when one sheds tears for a worthy person, these tears are collected by Hashem and placed in His inner sanctum. Rashi (Tehillim 56) comments that we are praying that Hashem see our tears and that He treat them as our suffering. As a result, we shall surely merit having our prayers answered.
Rabbeinu Chaim Vital quotes the Ari z”l as having said that if one is not aroused to tears during the prayers of the Days of Awe, namely Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, this is an indication that one’s soul is unworthy and incomplete.
Maran zt”l would often say that even if one is not moved to tears, one should still pray in a crying voice, based on the verse, “For Hashem has heard the sound of my cries.”
Nevertheless, several Acharonim, among them the Aholei Yaakov (Laws of Selichot, 11) raise a concern that if one knows that one does not cry, how can one recite these words? Is this not a lie?! Indeed, the Taharat Ha’Mayim writes that if one does not cry while reciting Selichot, one may not recite this text, for it is tantamount to telling a lie.
On the other hand, Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l writes (in his Chazon Ovadia- Yamim Nora’im, page 19) that if this individual cries at least on Yom Kippur, such as during the confessional prayer authored by Rabbeinu Nissim Gaon, Rosh Yeshiva of Babylon, one may have this in mind while reciting the words “And also my tear etc.” in the Selichot. One need not cry specifically during Selichot services.
Similarly, within the “Lecha Eli” poem recited on the eve of Yom Kippur, when we recite “I shall pour my tears to you,” if one has in mind the tears one sheds during the confessional prayer, this is sufficient. Nonetheless, it is especially poignant to try and move oneself to tears during this powerful prayer of “Lecha Eli.”
Furthermore, Hagaon Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l writes (in his Shalmei Mo’ed, page 23) that even one who does not cry himself may have in mind the copious tears spilled collectively by the Jewish nation during these days. His opinion is quoted by Maran zt”l.
Summary: Even one who does not necessarily cry while reciting the Selichot may, in fact, recite the portions of Selichot which reference crying and tears. One should have in mind the tears one sheds when one really does cry. Needless to say, prayers recited amid tears do not return unanswered and it is especially important to pray with tears during the Days of Awe amid love of Hashem and pain that we have drifted apart from Him as a result of our sins.
