Is there more to Ashamnu than a generic litany of sins “from a to z” – and a catchy tune? Why were these particular sins included? What, if any, biblical and midrashic source-texts do these sins recall? What was the paetan’s point of view about sin, teshuvah, and forgiveness? Do the stories to which this litany “from a to z” might refer help us better understand our own steps toward teshuvah? When we recite Ashamnu, what stories from our own past will we recall?