Hatarat Nedarim
/ha.taˈʁat ne.daˈʁim/noun
A Jewish ritual procedure for annulling or releasing personal vows, traditionally performed before Rosh Hashanah and sometimes on Yom Kippur eve.
Did you know?Hatarat nedarim is based on the rabbinic principle that a vow may be annulled when a person recognizes circumstances or consequences they would not have accepted when making it.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
נֶדֶר (neder)
“A vow or solemn promise made to God”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
נָדַר (nadar)
“To vow or pledge”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
הֶתֵּר (heter)
“Permission, dispensation, or legal release”
Late Antiquity
Rabbinic Hebrew
הַתָּרַת נְדָרִים (hatarat nedarim)
“The release or annulment of vows through a rabbinic procedure”
Medieval Jewish tradition
Hebrew
הַתָּרַת נְדָרִים
“A customary pre–New Year ceremony involving a petitioner and a panel of three men”
Modern English Jewish usage
English
hatarat nedarim
“The ritual annulment of vows, commonly observed before Rosh Hashanah”