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Yom Kippur: Kol Nidre
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Theology and Themes: The overarching theme of Yom Kippur is repentance. During the holiday all thoughts are supposed to be centered on this theme. From Kol nidrei to the repeated Viddui to Neilah, the day revolves around the theme of communal repentance for sins committed during the past year, in order that both the community and the individual be inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year.
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On the eve of Yom Kippur the community joins at the Synagogue. Men put on prayer shawls (not usually worn in the evening). Then as the night falls the cantor begins the “Kol Nidre”, it is repeated 3 times, each time in a louder voice. The Kol Nidre emphasizes the importance of keeping vows, as violating an oath is one of the worst sins.
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Yom Kippur services begin in the evening with the Kol Nidre prayer, which casts the congregation as petitioners in a court seeking to have their vows of the preceding year — unheedingly made and imperfectly fulfilled — annulled. Such is the consciousness of the human inability to live up to stated goals that in most versions of this prayer, a preemptive annulment of vows that will be undertaken during the coming year is requested as well.
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A series of prayers is said during Yom Kippur. The Kol Nidrei is the first prayer, and should be recited before sunset. It is written in Aramaic, an ancient language. The Maariv is an evening service and includes the viddui.
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Many married men wear a kittel, a white robe-like garment for evening prayers on Yom Kippur. They ... wear a tallis, the only evening service of the year in which this is done. Prayer services begin with the prayer known as "Kol Nidre," which must be recited before sunset, and follows with the evening prayers (ma'ariv or arvith), which includes an extended Selichot service.
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