Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s Kol Nidrei

This 6 minute long audio recording features Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach singing a moving rendition of Kol Nidrei, the opening services on the eve of Yom Kippur, in which any oaths made to God for the coming year are proactively annulled in order to preemptively avoid the sin of breaking vows which are not upheld. Kol Nidrei is preceded by an affirmation that it is permitted to pray in a congregation together with sinners. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925-1994), also known as the “Singing Rabbi,” composed thousands of melodies and recorded over 25 albums. Although his roots lay in Orthodox traditions, he branched out to create his own style, combining warmth and personal interaction, public concerts, and song-filled synagogue services. Credited with being a pioneer in the Ba’al Teshuva movement, he encouraged secular men and women to reconnect with Judaism through song and story telling. To this day you can find minyanim, or prayer quorums, all over the world that pray in a “Carlebach style.”