The Or HaChaim Hakadosh wrote in a letter, "A wealthy person bought me the honor to take out the sefer Torah for Kol Nidrei. When I opened the aron kodesh, a bright light filled the beis knesses. It was like the gates of Gan Eden opened up."
Klal Yisrael says Kol Nidrei with awe and passion. They know that this is one of the high moments of Yom Kippur. But many wonder: What is so special about Kol Nidrei that it profoundly touches people's hearts? Kol Nidrei is essentially hataras nedarim, annulling vows. We make hataras nedarim on erev Rosh Hashanah, too, but then it isn't recited with the awe of Kol Nidrei. What is its significance?
1) The Zohar's Teaching
The Zohar teaches that by saying Kol Nidrei, we annul Hashem's oaths. It is possible that Hashem decreed a harsh decree due to our sins. Even if we do teshuvah and succeed in rousing Hashem's compassion, what do we do with the oath? Hashem's oath is annulled with the Kol Nidrei. We aren't only annulling our vows but also nullifying Hashem's vows so that He can give us a good year. This is why Yidden are inspired when they say it.
2) Rebbe Pinchas of Koritz
Rebbe Pinchas of Koritz zt'l (Imrei Pinchas, Yom Kippur ז"תקל) says, "Before Kol Nidrei, malachim and neshamos come down from their place in heaven. There is no place in the world that can host the malachim and the neshamos other than within the tears we shed before Hashem." Malachim and neshamos don't want to be among sinners. Therefore, we begin Yom Kippur with thoughts of teshuvah, which enable us to daven together with the malachim and holy neshamos.
3) The Baal Shem Tov's Insight
The Baal Shem Tov zy'a offered another glimpse into Klal Yisrael’s inspiration at Kol Nidrei. It is because Klal Yisrael knows (in their subconscious souls) that as they recite Kol Nidrei, the Satan is trying to cause them to sin so the Satan can testify against them. This is why everyone is inspired at this time. They do teshuvah to be protected from the Satan.
The explanation is as follows: The Gemara (Yoma 20.) says, "השטן is gematriya 364, because the Satan has permission to incite people to do aveiros and prosecute 364 days a year. On Yom Kippur, which is the 365th day, he must be silent." The Satan knows that he can't prosecute on Yom Kippur; therefore, when we say Kol Nidrei, moments before Yom Kippur arrives, it is Satan's last chance to slander the Jewish nation or cause them to sin. Klal Yisrael senses the danger, and they do teshuvah. This is why we are inspired to teshuvah when we say Kol Nidrei.
The Tune
Shulchan Aruch (619:1) states, "One should not change the custom of his city, not even with the nigunim or the piyutim they say." The Mishnah Berurah explains, מתבלבל זה ידי על כי הקהל דעת, "This confuses the community." Furthermore, the holy sefarim teach that the traditional tunes of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have the power to remove the harsh judgment. One of the translations of the word זמירות is to prune, so (Tehillim 47), זמרו לאלקים means the harsh judgment is pruned away with song.
There was once a king whose young son had gone insane and was sent to a mental asylum. The asylum profited from hosting this royal patient because the king upgraded the services of the asylum so his son would receive the best care. The prince’s condition improved with time, but the institution’s directors, not wanting to lose the king's ongoing financial support, did not inform the king of his progress. The prince tried to escape and go home, but the doors were always locked. The prince wrote letters to his parents, describing that he was better and wanted to go home, but those letters were discarded and never sent.
Once, the king's son scribbled on a page and gave it to one of the directors, asking him to send it to his father. The director was glad to comply because this letter proved that his son still needed help. What normal child of his age sends a scribbled paper to his father? The directors didn't realize that the prince concealed a hidden message within the illegible message. When the king received the letter, he was disappointed that his son had fallen to such a state, but then he studied it from all angles and picked up on the hidden message. He came to the asylum and brought his son home.
This parable explains why we use the specific tunes and melodies on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We say many tefillos to the King, our Father in heaven, but the angels intercept our tefillos and don't let the requests ascend to heaven. Therefore, we sing melodies. The malachim don't understand their importance, so they allow the songs to go up. Concealed within these tunes are our yearnings, repentances, and requests for the upcoming year. Hashem understands our hidden messages and grants us a good year.
