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Why are we only worried about choking now?
In Orach Chaim 607:1 it says:
צריך להתודות במנחה קודם סעודה המפסקת
One must say vidui at mincha prior to the final meal before the fast.
The Mishnah Berurah explains:
קודם סעודה המפסקת - שמא יארע לו דבר קלקלה בסעודה שיחנק או שתטרף דעתו ולא יוכל להתודות אח"כ
Prior to the final meal before the fast- Perhaps something bad will happen to him, that he'll choke or become crazy, and he won't be able to confess afterwards.
Why are we only concerned now that maybe he will choke before saying viduy, is it not possible that he can choke on a different day, and he will end up not saying viduy on Yom Kippur1?
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So everyone should have to say a full viduy on every day. ↩
1 answer
The Baal Shem Tov writes:
וביום הכיפורים לית ליה רשות לאסטוני (יומא ד"כ ע"א), על כן בא השטן בכל כחו לקטרג על כל אדם
On the day of Yom Kippur, [the Satan] has no permission to prosecute, therefore the Satan is coming in full force to prosecute everyone.
Since the Satan can't harm us on Yom Kippur, he will do whatever he can the day before Yom Kippur to punish us, even about a sin that is small enough to get away with on a normal day. Therefore, we are concerned that maybe someone will do a small sin, and the Satan will cause him to choke.
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