Secrets of Kol Nidrei
Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, zechuto yagen aleinu, writes in a letter:
“A wealthy man purchased for me the privilege of taking out the Sefer Torah during Kol Nidrei. When I opened the Aron HaKodesh, the Beit Midrash filled with a brilliant light. It was as though the gates of Gan Eden had opened…”
“Kol Nidrei” is a special time, filled with inspiration.
Klal Yisrael recites this prayer with awe and passion. They know that it is one of the loftiest moments of Yom Kippur. Many wonder what is so special about “Kol Nidrei”—why does this prayer penetrate so deeply into a person’s heart?
1. “Kol Nidrei” annuls all vows. We also annul vows on Rosh Hashanah, but at that time we are not filled with the same awe as during “Kol Nidrei.”
What is the secret?
1) The Zohar HaKadosh teaches that through the prayer of “Kol Nidrei,” we are given the power to annul the vows of Hashem. It is possible that because of our sins, Hashem issued a harsh decree against the Jewish people and sealed it with an oath. Even if we do teshuvah and succeed in arousing Hashem’s mercy, what can we do about the oath? “Kol Nidrei” annuls Hashem’s oath. We annul not only our own vows, but also Hashem’s vows, so that He will grant us a good year. This is one of the reasons people recite this prayer with such fervor.
2) Rebbe Pinchas of Koretz (zechuto yagen aleinu), in “Imrei Pinchas, Yom Kippur (5637),” says:
“Before Kol Nidrei, the angels and souls descend from their places in Heaven. There is no place in the world that can receive angels and souls except for the tears that flow from our eyes before Hashem.”
3) On Yom Kippur, angels descend from Heaven to pray together with us, but they cannot be among sinners. Therefore, we begin Yom Kippur with thoughts of teshuvah, giving ourselves the opportunity to pray with the angels.
4) The Baal Shem Tov, zechuto yagen aleinu, explains that the Jewish people know that when we recite “Kol Nidrei,” Satan tries to incite us to sin so that he can testify against us. The explanation is as follows: The Gemara (Yoma 20) says: “The gematria of the word ‘Satan’ is 364, because Satan is granted permission to pursue a person and incite him to sin for 364 days of the year. On Yom Kippur, the 365th day, he is silent.” Satan knows that he cannot pursue the Jews on Yom Kippur, so during “Kol Nidrei,” Satan has one last opportunity to slander the Jewish people and incite them to sin before the judgment begins.
Klal Yisrael senses that they are in danger, and therefore they do teshuvah during Kol Nidrei.
