Kol Nidre

American  

[kawl nee-dray, kohl nid-ruh, -ray] / kɔl niˈdreɪ, ˈkoʊl ˈnɪd rə, -reɪ /

noun

Judaism.

1. a liturgical prayer for recitation at the beginning of the service on the eve of Yom Kippur asking that all unfulfilled vows to God be nullified and all transgressions forgiven.

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Kol Nidre British  

/ kɔl niːˈdre, kɔːl ˈnɪdreɪ /

noun

1. the evening service with which Yom Kippur begins

2. the opening prayer of that service, declaring null in advance any purely religious vows one may come to make in the coming year

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Etymology

Origin of Kol Nidre

< Aramaic kōl all + nidhrē vows, promises

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Kol Nidre

During a Kol Nidre service in Oakland, California, I crowded into a rented space-turned-synagogue with nearly 1,000 other attendees.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2023

As my rabbi, Danny Zemel, put it on Kol Nidre: “If there is a Jewish message for our time, it is to support our great experiment with every fiber of our being.”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2022

At Temple Beth El in Fort Myers, congregants planned to have in-person Yom Kippur services Wednesday, with Kol Nidre services available only online Tuesday night.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2022

We thought Hank Greenberg was part of Kol Nidre service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2019

It was impossible in Russia, Munich, even Berlin, because it was distinctly Jewish in theme—as Jewish as the Kol Nidre, and as somber.

From Fanny Herself by Edna Ferber

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