Kol Nidrei “The first round of Kol Nidrei is recited in an undertone, to invoke the feeling of one who is overwhelmed when entering the king’s palace. The second round is recited louder, and the third round more loudly still, similar to one who is accustomed to being in the presence of the king.” Machzor Vitri 351
The best known piece of High Holiday liturgy is undoubtedly Kol Nidrei, the rite that inaugurates the Yom Kippur services, chanted in a moving melody that involves keen emotional appeal. In the machzor,* it’s on pages 35–36. Kol Nidrei is actually a legal formula rather than a prayer. In it, we preemptively void any vow that we may make during the coming year. During the Middle Ages, those who sought to libel and persecute Jews pointed to Kol Nidrei to prove that Jews’ vows and commitments in the commercial arena could not be trusted. These accusations, however, were made in bad faith. Kol Nidrei is irrelevant to the vows we make to other people; those vows cannot be unilaterally voided. Kol Nidrei’s vow annulment only pertains to those that don’t involve others, for example, *A ll references to the machzor in the section on Yom Kippur are to the Machzor for Yom Kippur with English Translation, Annotated Edition (Brooklyn: Kehot Publication Society, 2004). This machzor can be purchased at: www.tinyurl.com/YKmachzor
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when one takes a vow to refrain from overeating. There have been times when taking vows on such matters was very common, while at other times, it was less common. Either way, Judaism regards such vows as being directed to G-d, even if this is not clearly specified. Many Jews are, therefore, careful to avoid taking vows in the first place, lest they fail to follow through, which would amount to a transgression. In case we do take a vow, we preemptively void it on Yom Kippur to ensure that it does not result in a violation. In modern times, many wonder why this legal procedure—rather than a heartfelt prayer for forgiveness—initiates the Yom Kippur service and why it’s chanted in such a memorable tune. This question has induced some creative theories, most famously that it was the conversos (Jews in Spain who were forced to convert to Christianity but who remained committed to Judaism in secret) who composed this prayer. According to this theory, when they would clandestinely gather to pray on Yom Kippur,
