Tapping chest in סלח לנו

Question

Artscroll siddur says to tap ones chest during the beracha of סלח לנו in the עמידה. Where does this come from?

There didn't seem to a part of שולחן ערוך that talks about this ברכה and other סידורים don't mention it....

Dunno who discusses touching the chest, but the chapter in at least טור and I assume (I hadn't checked) שלחן ערוך is 115. — msh210, Apr 15 '17 at 22:15
@msh210 I saw the bracha discussed in טור, not שולחן ערוך — Moshe Steinberg, Apr 15 '17 at 22:37
@mevaqesh Why do you assume the minhag for Slach Lanu and Vidui came from the same place? They're certainly related, but they could very well be different. — DonielF, Apr 16 '17 at 05:30
סלח לנו is a confession, which is what ודוי means.@DonielF — mevaqesh, Apr 16 '17 at 05:31

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 16 '17 at 07:31

Rav Ari Enkin writes:

"The Mishna Berura comments that our sins and misdeeds should be at the forefront of our hearts and minds when we recite the "slach lanu" blessing in shemoneh esrei.[Mishna Berura 115:1] This is the source for the custom to beat one's chest when reciting the words "chatanu" and "pashanu" in the course of this blessing.[Piskei Teshuvot 115:2] There is also a Midrash which teaches that whenever one recalls one’s sins, one should pound one’s chest.[Kohelet Rabba 7:2] This is because banging on one's chest symbolizes that forbidden desires originate in one's heart. It might also be that banging on one's chest during slach lanu is something that was adopted from the Yom Kippur custom to do so when reciting "chatanu" and "pashanu" in the course of the prayers.[Magen Avraham 607:3]"

I'll check the sources – Moshe Steinberg Apr 16 '17 at 16:25 — Moshe Steinberg, Apr 16 '17 at 16:25

Tapping chest in סלח לנו

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