Selichot

Selichot (Hebrew: סְלִיחוֹת, romanized: səliḥoṯ, singular: סליחה, səliḥā) are Jewish penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days.

In the Sephardic tradition, recital of Selichot in preparation for the High Holidays begins on the second day of the Hebrew month of Elul.

[1] In the Italian rite, selichot always begin on a Monday or Thursday shortly before Rosh Hashanah.

In the Western Ashkenazic tradition, there is similarly an overall format, but it begins with Adon Olam or Lecha Hashem Ha'Tzedaka, and the Half-Kaddish follows the first set of the thirteen attributes.

Beginning in the late 19th Century,[7] many communities in Eastern Europe stopped reciting Selichot except at Maariv and Neilah.

Italian rite communities recite Selichot on Yom Kippur in all of the prayers except Musaf.

[11] In addition to High Holidays and Fast Days, there were communities that recited Selichot on Hoshana Rabbah.

However, the differences between Polin and Lita Selichot have origins several hundred years before the advent of Nusach Sefard, and the minhagim were geographic rather than ideological.