Why, then, is Kaddish recited by mourners?
After a great loss like the death of a parent, you might expect a person to lose faith in G-d, or to cry out against G-d's injustice. Instead, Judaism requires a mourner to stand up every day, publicly (i.e., in front of a minyan, a quorum of 10 adult men), and reaffirm faith in G-d despite this loss. To do so inures to the merit of the deceased in the eyes of G-d, because the deceased must have been a very good parent to raise a child who could express such faith in the face of personal loss.
Untitled - Yehuda AmichaiAnd every person is a dam between past and future.When he dies the dam bursts, the past breaks into the future,And there is no before or after. All time becomes one time,like our God: our time is one.Blessed be the memory of the dam.
Opening of 'Kaddish' - Allen Ginsburg
Allen Ginsberg was one of the leading icons of the Beat movement. This long poem was Ginsberg's attempt to mourn his mother, Naomi, but also reflects his sense of loss at his estrangement from his born religion.*note the reading below is an earlier draft*Strange now to think of you, gone without corsets & eyes, while I walk on the sunny pavement of Greenwich Village.downtown Manhattan, clear winter noon, and I’ve been up all night, talking, talking, reading the Kaddish aloud, listening to Ray Charles blues shout blind on the phonographthe rhythm the rhythm—and your memory in my head three years after—And read Adonais’ last triumphant stanzas aloud—wept, realizing how we suffer—And how Death is that remedy all singers dream of, sing, remember, prophesy as in the Hebrew Anthem, or the Buddhist Book of Answers—and my own imagination of a withered leaf—at dawn—
Five Kinds of KaddishMourner's Kaddish (Kaddish Yatom), traditionally said by mourners––that is, those who have lost a parent during the previous eleven months or a child, sibling, or spuce during the last thirty days––and by those observing the anniversary of the death of those close relatives. The Mourner's Kaddish omits lines 7 and 8 of the Full Kaddish that asks God to answer our prayers because, presumably, God did not grant the mourner's prayers that the relative recover and live.
Full Kaddish (Kaddish Shalem), is said upon the conclusion of the main section a prayer unit, typically the one that includes Shemoneh Esrei. This form of Kaddish is the only one that includes the phrase “titkabeil tzlot’hon u’va’us’hon d’chol beit Yisrael” – “accept the prayer and the supplication of the entire Jewish people.” Accordingly, it is sometimes referred to as “Kaddish Titkabeil.” This Kaddish may be recited immediatly after the Shemoneh Esrei.
Half Kaddish (Chatzi Kaddish), which omits the last two sentences of Mourner's Kaddish, and consists of only the first two paragraphs and the response ("May his great name be blessed forever and for all eternity")
Rabbi's Kaddish(Kaddish D'Rabbanan), which inserts a paragraph asking god's blessing on those who teach and study Torah. It is typically inserted either after Torah study or a section of prayer which features Torah study.
Burial Kaddish, is recited on two special occasions: when completing a tractate of Talmud or an order of Mishna, and at a funeral. These two occasions are radically different, but there is something in common. The theme of this Kaddish is that, in the merit of Torah study, the world will be renewed, including the eventual revival of the dead. Therefore, it is said for both a siyum (recognizing as it does the rewards of Torah study) and a funeral (as it contains within it the consolation that those who have passed on will someday return to us).All five require the presence of a minyan.
1) Which Kaddish is said after Torah study? Why would this be a good time to say a Kaddish?
2) Which Kaddish do you think it is most important to know?
לְמֵימְרָא דִּמְבָרֵךְ עֲדִיף מִמַּאן דְּעָנֵי ״אָמֵן״? וְהָתַנְיָא רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: גָּדוֹל הָעוֹנֶה ״אָמֵן״ יוֹתֵר מִן הַמְבָרֵךְ.
The Gemara asks: Is that to say that one who recites a blessing is preferable to one who answers amen? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei says: The reward of the one who answers amen is greater than the reward of the one who recites the blessing?
ואלא עלמא אמאי קא מקיים אקדושה דסידרא ואיהא שמיה רבא דאגדתא שנא' (איוב י, כב) ארץ עפתה כמו אופל צלמות ולא סדרים הא יש סדרים תופיע מאופל
The Gemara poses a question: But if everything is deteriorating, why does the world continue to exist? The Gemara answers: By the sanctification that is said in the order of prayers, after the passage that begins: And a redeemer shall come to Israel, which includes the recitation and translation of the sanctification said by the angels, and by the response: Let His great name be blessed, etc., which is recited after the study of aggada. As it is stated: “A land of thick darkness, as darkness itself; a land of the shadow of death, without any order” (Job 10:22). Therefore, it can be inferred from this verse that if there are orders of prayer and study, the land shall appear from amidst the darkness.
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: מֵת שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מְנַחֲמִין — הוֹלְכִין עֲשָׂרָה בְּנֵי אָדָם וְיוֹשְׁבִין בִּמְקוֹמוֹ. הָהוּא דִּשְׁכֵיב בְּשִׁבָבוּתֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוּדָה, לֹא הָיוּ לוֹ מְנַחֲמִין, כׇּל יוֹמָא הֲוָה דָּבַר רַב יְהוּדָה בֵּי עַשְׂרָה, וְיָתְבִי בְּדוּכְתֵּיהּ. לְאַחַר שִׁבְעָה יָמִים אִיתְחֲזִי לֵיהּ בְּחֶילְמֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוּדָה, וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ: תָּנוּחַ דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁהִנַּחְתָּ אֶת דַּעְתִּי.
Rav Yehuda said: In the case of a deceased person who has no comforters, i.e., he has nobody to mourn for him, ten people should go and sit in his place and accept condolences. The Gemara relates the story of a certain person who died in Rav Yehuda’s neighborhood and who did not have any comforters, i.e., mourners; every day of the seven-day mourning period, Rav Yehuda would take ten people and they would sit in his place, in the house of the deceased. After seven days had passed the deceased appeared to Rav Yehuda in his dream and said to him: Put your mind to rest, for you have put my mind to rest.
ועונין יהא שמיה הגדול מבורך - מכאן יש לסתור מה שפי' במחזור ויטרי יהא שמיה רבא שזו תפילה שאנו מתפללין שימלא שמו, כדכתיב (שמות י״ז:ט״ז) 'כי יד על כס יה' שלא יהא שמו וכסאו שלם עד שימחה זרעו של עמלק. ופירושו כך: יהא שמי"ה שם יה רבא, כלומר שאנו מתפללין שיהא שמו גדול ושלם, ומבורך לעולם הוי תפילה אחרת כלומר מבורך לעולם הבא. וזה לא נראה, מדקאמר הכא יהא שמיה הגדול ומבורך משמע דתפילה אחת היא ואינו רוצה לומר שיהא שמו גדול ושלם אלא יהא שמו הגדול מבורך. וגם מה שאומרים העולם, לכך אומרים קדיש בלשון ארמית לפי שתפילה נאה ושבח גדול הוא על כן נתקן בלשון התרגום, שלא יבינו המלאכים ויהיו מתקנאין בנו - וזה אינו נראה שהרי כמה תפילות יפות שהם בלשון עברי, אלא נראה כדאמרינן בסוף סוטה (דף מט.) 'אין העולם מתקיים אלא סדרא דקדושתא ואיהא שמיה רבא דבתר אגדתא' שהיו רגילין לומר קדיש אחר הדרשה ושם היו עמי הארצות ולא היו מבינים כלום לשון הקודש לכך תקנוהו בלשון תרגום שהיו הכל מבינים שזה היה לשונם :
Thus, one says Kadish in Aramaic. Since the prayer is so fitting and such great praise, it was established in the language of the Targum [the vernacular], so that the angels would not understand and become jealous. It is not that there are not other beautiful prayers in Hebrew, but is its apparent, as it is said in Sota 49a that the world only continues to exist because of the Kedusha d'Sidra and the response Yehei Shmei Rabba after agada. The people were accustomed to say Kaddish after a derasha, and, being ordinary folk, they did not understand the Holy [Hebrew] Tongue at all, so it was fixed in the vernacular which everyone understood.
הָעוֹנֶה ״יְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ״ — מוּבְטָח לוֹ שֶׁהוּא בֶּן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. הַקּוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע — רָאוּי שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה עָלָיו שְׁכִינָה, אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵין דּוֹרוֹ זַכַּאי לְכָךְ.
One who answers in a dream: May His great name be blessed from kaddishis assured that he is one who has a place in the World-to-Come. One who sees himself reciting Shema in a dream is worthy of having the Divine Presence rest upon him, but his generation is unworthy, and, therefore, the Divine Presence does not actually rest upon him.
2) What is the implied reward for recitation of Kaddish?
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: כׇּל הָעוֹנֶה ״אָמֵן יְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ״ בְּכׇל כֹּחוֹ, קוֹרְעִין לוֹ גְּזַר דִּינוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בִּפְרוֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהִתְנַדֵּב עָם בָּרְכוּ ה׳״. מַאי טַעְמָא ״בִּפְרוֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת״ — מִשּׁוּם דְּ״בָרְכוּ ה׳״. רַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אַבָּא אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: אֲפִילּוּ יֵשׁ בּוֹ שֶׁמֶץ שֶׁל עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה — מוֹחֲלִין לוֹ. כְּתִיב הָכָא: ״בִּפְרוֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת״, וּכְתִיב הָתָם: ״כִּי פָרוּעַ הוּא״. אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: כָּל הָעוֹנֶה ״אָמֵן״ בְּכׇל כֹּחוֹ פּוֹתְחִין לוֹ שַׁעֲרֵי גַן עֵדֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״פִּתְחוּ שְׁעָרִים וְיָבֹא גוֹי צַדִּיק שׁוֹמֵר אֱמוּנִים״, אַל תִּיקְרֵי ״שׁוֹמֵר אֱמוּנִים״ אֶלָּא: ״שֶׁאוֹמְרִים אָמֵן״. מַאי ״אָמֵן״? אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: ״אֵל מֶלֶךְ נֶאֱמָן״.
Apropos the reward for honoring Shabbat, the Gemara cites statements about the reward for answering amen. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said that anyone who answers: Amen, may His great name be blessed, wholeheartedly, with all his might, they rip his sentence, as it is stated: “When punishments are annulled in Israel, when the people offer themselves, bless the Lord” (Judges 5:2). What is the reason for when punishments are annulled? Because the Jewish people blessed God. When one recites: Amen, may His great name be blessed, and blesses God, his punishment is annulled. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Even if one has within him a trace of idolatry, when he answers amen he is forgiven. It is written here, in the verse above: “When punishments [pera’ot] are annulled.” And it is written there, with regard to the sin of the Golden Calf: “And Moses saw that the nation was wild [paru’a], for Aaron had let them loose for anyone who might rise against them” (Exodus 32:25). Even one with the wildness of idolatry is forgiven. Reish Lakish said: One who answers amen with all his strength, they open the gates of the Garden of Eden before him, as it is stated: “Open the gates, and a righteous nation shall come who keeps the faith” (Isaiah 26:2). Do not read: Who keeps [shomer] the faith [emunim], but rather: Who say [she’omerim] amen. What is the allusion of the word amen? Rabbi Ḥanina said: It is an acronym of the words: God, faithful King [El Melekh ne’eman].
2) Though we cannot have minyanim in this period - what can we do to affect our fate for the upcoming year?
The Text of Kaddish
קדיש שלם
יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא. אמן: בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא כִרְעוּתֵהּ וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵהּ בְּחַיֵּיכון וּבְיומֵיכון וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: קו"ח - יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא: חזן - יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרומַם וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא וְיִתְהַדָּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלָּל שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא. בְּרִיךְ הוּא. אמן: לְעֵלָּא מִן כָּל בִּרְכָתָא וְשִׁירָתָא תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחֱמָתָא דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: קהל - קַבֵּל בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצון אֶת תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ: חזן - תִּתְקַבַּל צְלותְהון וּבָעוּתְהון דְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל קֳדָם אֲבוּהון דִּי בִשְׁמַיָּא, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: קהל - יְהִי שֵׁם יהוה מְברָךְ מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עולָם: חזן - יְהֵא שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא מִן שְׁמַיָּא וְחַיִּים עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: קהל - עֶזְרִי מֵעִם יהוה עשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ: חזן - עושֶׂה שָׁלום בעשי"ת הַשָּׁלום בִּמְרומָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלום עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן:
(Mourner) Yitgadal v'yitkadash sh'mei raba.(Cong.) Amen.B'alma di v'ra chirutei, v'yamlich malchutei,b'chayeichon uv'yomeichon uv'chayei d'chol beit Yisrael, baagala uviz'man kariv. V'im'ru: (Congregation) Amen.(Mourner and Congregation) Y'hei sh'mei raba m'varach l'alam ul'almei almaya.(Mourner) Yitbarach v'yishtabach v'yitpaar v'yitromam v'yitnasei, v'yit'hadar v'yitaleh v'yit'halal sh'mei d'kud'sha b'rich hu, l'eila min kol birchata v'shirata, tushb'chata v'nechemata,daamiran b'alma.V'imru: (Congregation) Amen.Y'hei sh'lama raba min sh'maya, v'chayim aleinu v'al kol Yisrael. V'imru:(Congregation) Amen.Oseh shalom bimromav, Hu yaaseh shalom aleinu, v'al kol Yisrael. V'imru:(Congregation) Amen.