Yom Kippur Prayer Service

Kol Nidrei is both the opening prayer and the name for the evening service that begins Yom Kippur. Kol Nidrei means "All Vows." In this prayer we ask God to annul all vows we may make to God (not to people) in the next year. The prayer is in Aramaic because that was the language of its composers. This prayer should be recited before sunset because vows should not be annulled on Shabbat or holidays. The Kol Nidrei prayer is recited three times. Each time it is recited, the chazan's (cantor's) voice gets louder as if he is respectfully approaching a King with a request. The fact that Kol Nidrei opens the Yom Kippur prayer service, and not the fact that it is an annulment of vows, makes the Kol Nidrei service so meaningful.