Shalom:
I am happy to announce that our shul has begun reciting the names of our beloved relatives during the week of their corres-ponding Yahrzeits. Yahrzeit is the Yiddish term denoting the time of death. There are several customs surrounding a Yahrzeit. As a child I remember Yahrzeit as a happy time. During the Yahrzeit of my paternal grandfather Yechezkel Zionce our family would gather at my Bubbi’s home to pray and eat together. It was our family’s way of celebrating the life of someone dear to us. We would then go to shul together where my father and uncle would recite Kaddish.
The Kaddish prayer is an affirmation that G-d is the sole ruler of the world, and the ultimate source of all salvation. It is not intrinsically a memorial prayer and contains no reference to death or to the deceased. However, reciting Kaddish has become the single most significant act that a surviving family member performs as part of Jewish traditions of remembrance.
The idea behind saying Kaddish is that every human being has the responsibility to conduct his/her life in such a way that will ever be a glory to G-d. Inevitably, throughout our lives, we all do things that fall somewhat short of that goal, and these misdeeds detract from that glory.
Part of the power of the Kaddish lies in the fact that it is always recited in the presence of a congregation of at least ten adults (a minyan), thereby ensuring that the declarations contained in the prayer are made in public. Each time a mourner recites Kaddish, which provokes the congregation to respond with the words Yehey sh'mey raba mevorach le'olam u'le'olmey olmaya - May G-d’s illustrious name be blessed always and forever - the negative effect of any misdeed is counteracted, and the soul of the departed is elevated to ever-higher celestial realms.
The origin of the practice is not easy to find. It seems to derive from a tradition which tells how Rabbi Akiva once met up with the soul of a dishonest tax collector. The soul was deeply depressed, since he was suffering for the sins that he'd committed while on earth, and he told Rabbi Akiva that his suffering would cease if one of his sons would recite Kaddish, so causing the congregation to respond by praising G-d's name.
Rabbi Akiva taught the son what to say, and we are told that the son's recitation of Kaddish did, indeed, relieve his father's soul from torment.
However obscure its origins, the Kaddish prayer is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and evocative pieces of Jewish liturgy. Reciting the mourner's Kaddish links those that are alive today with all previous generations, in a continuum of faith and hope that has helped the Jewish people to survive and flourish, despite all attempts at their annihilation.
I strongly encourage you to be present while the name of your loved one is announced prior to the final Kaddish at Shabbat services both on Friday night and Saturday following the Yahrtzeit date. I am confident that you will find comfort and solace in the practice of our tradition.
May the souls of our loved ones be a blessing to all who remember them and be bound up in the bonds of eternal life.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Chezi Zionce