Book of the Upright: On Kol Nidre

In this excerpt from his Book of the Upright (Sefer ha-yashar), Jacob ben Meir tackles the grammatical and legal meaning of the controversial prayer called Kol Nidre (“All Vows”). This prayer annuls the vows taken by members of the community, and until around Jacob’s time, it seems, the prayer had referred to the vows taken in the previous year. Drawing on his linguistic and halakhic expertise, Jacob posits that the text should instead refer to vows for the upcoming year. Jacob asserts that his father, Meir ben Samuel, originally made that change.