Nizakher Venikatev: A Reflective Guide for Kol Nidre

Often we make promises with the best of intentions, only later to find ourselves coming up short. Why do we have trouble keeping even the promises we most want to fulfill?

What promises have we failed to keep as a community, as a city, and as a nation?

The melody of Kol Nidre is one of the most famous tunes in the Jewish world. What stirs you about this melody?

Kol Nidre is the beginning of the spiritual journey of Yom Kippur. Take a moment to set a quiet intention: What is the work you want to be doing these next twenty-five hours? Where do you need to go?

Have there been any promises made to you this year that have been broken?

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 transformative spiritual work we do on this day?

Think back to last year’s Kol Nidre evening: What was it that you wished to atone for? Where have you grown? What work remains to be done?

This has been a year unlike any other. Reflect for a moment on how you have conducted yourself while facing the unimaginable. Where did you fail? What are you most proud of?

For Families:

Have you ever made a promise that was difficult to keep? What did you do when you realized you could not keep your promise?