Kol Nidre

(The following has been imported from the 1906 public domain "Jewish Encyclopedia". It already has been edited and Wikified, but does not yet incorporate modern scholarship. Please help by modifying as needed.)

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Kol Nidre (ashk.) or Kal nidré (sef.) is a Jewish prayer recited in the synagogue at the beginning of the evening service on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. Its name is taken from the opening words, meaning "All vows".

Related Topics:
Jew - Prayer - Synagogue - Yom Kippur - Aramaic - Hebrew

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"Kol Nidre" has had an eventful history, both in itself and in its influence on the legal status of the Jews. Introduced into the liturgy despite the opposition of some rabbinic authorities, attacked in the course of time by some rabbis, and in the nineteenth century expunged from the prayer-book by many communities of western Europe, this prayer has often been employed out of context by anti-Semites to support their claims that Jews cannot be trusted.

Related Topics:
Liturgy - Anti-Semites

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