With its heart-opening melody and complicated text, the Kol Nidre prayer is so consequential that the entire service in which it is recited has taken on its name. We invite you to explore the experience of Kol Nidre with Yitzhak Pearlman, Rabbi Ethan Tucker, Rabbi Carole Balin, and more.
Rabbi Ethan Tucker: Cutting our Losses or Preparing for Failure
One of the most difficult aspects of teshuvah is figuring out what to leave behind and what to carry forward with us. Do we simply write off past failures and press the reset button? Or do we enter into the new year with full consciousness of our failings and preemptively try to address them for the future? We will explore this question through an analysis of the history of Kol Nidre, one of our most famous and most confusing pieces of liturgy.
Kol Nidre: Yizthak Perlman and Yitzchak Meir Helfgott
Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman and celebrated Hazzan Yitzchak Meir Helfgot join forces for an extraordinary rendition of Kol Nidre, bringing the violinist’s famed virtuosity together with Helfgot’s magnificent voice.
Maggie Smith: “Good Bones”
Maggie Smith is the author of Keep Moving (Simon & Schuster, 2020), Good Bones (Tupelo Press, 2017), The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison (Tupelo Press, 2015), Lamp of the Body (Red Hen Press, 2005), and three prizewinning chapbooks. The recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Smith is a freelance writer and editor.
Rabbi Carole Balin: The Transformative Melody of Kol Nidre
Rabbi Carole Balin, PhD, is in her fourth decade as a BJ member, and she never ceases to be amazed by the music. She is writing a narrative nonfiction work on Bat Mitzvah as told through the stories of girls and women who have undergone the process. To share your story, go to https://www.carolebalin.com/batmitzvahproject
Breaking Down Kol Nidre
The melody of Kol Nidre is unmistakably powerful, but what is the text actually about? Find out more as we break down the essence of Kol Nidre.
Nizakher Venikatev: A Reflective Guide for Kol Nidre
Often we make promises with the best of intentions but find ourselves coming up short. Why do you think even our most heartfelt promises are difficult to keep? Kol Nidre absolves us in advance of any vows or promises we are making in the coming year. How do we hold this practice in tension with the transformations of the spiritual work we do on this day? Explore these questions and more with our reflective guide to Kol Nidre.