Q&A: Kol Nidrei
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Kol Nidrei
Question
Why did the annulment of vows come to occupy such an important place, to the point that it became the ritual of “Kol Nidrei” — such a highly significant ceremony, with the Torah scrolls, all the worshippers, and so on — a ceremony that opens the holiest day of the year? What is so special about the annulment of vows?
Answer
I think it is only because it marks the beginning of the day’s prayers. The Talmud does indeed say that because of the sin of vows a person’s children die, etc., but that does not seem to me to be the main reason.