Yahrtzeit
In Jewish tradition, when the year of mourning is over, mourners are expected to return to a fully normal life. There are several occasions each year when our loved ones who have passed on are memorialized. The most significant of these is yahrzeit, the anniversary of the death, which is observed according to the Hebrew calendar. As is the case in all Jewish holy days, yahrzeit observance begins at night. A 24-hour candle is lit and one may attend synagogue to recite the Kaddish [the memorial prayer]. It is customary to give tzedakah [charity] on the yahrzeit in memory of a loved one.
Email us at office@templebethor.org and we will assist members with the following:
- Adding your loved one’s name to your yahrzeit list
- Determining yahrzeit dates (both Hebrew and secular)
- Purchasing a yahrzeit plaque (if interested)
Anyone attending services is welcome to add the name of a loved one just before Kaddish [the memorial prayer] is said.
Upon hearing about a death in the congregation, we encourage members to send a card of condolence, attend the funeral, or attend a shiva minyan. Often we may not be sure what to say to support our friends. One simple and caring response is “May you be comforted among all the mourners of Israel.”
To learn more about Jewish mourning rituals, please visit: https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/lifecycle-rituals/death-mourning
Mourner’s Kaddish
Yit-ga-dal v’-yit-ka-dash sh’-mei ra-ba,
b’-al-ma di-v’-ra chi-ru-tei, v’-yam-lich mal-chu-tei
b’-chai-yei-chon uv’-yo-mei-chon
uv’-chai-yei d’-chol-beit Yis-ra-eil,
ba-a-ga-la u-viz-man ka-riv,
v’-im’-ru: A-mein.
Y’-hei sh’-mei ra-ba m’-va-rach
l’-a-lam ul’-al-mei al-ma-ya.
Yit-ba-rach v’-yish-ta-bach,
v’-yit-pa-ar v-‘yit-ro-mam v’-yit-na-sei,
v’-yit-ha-dar v’-yit-a-leh v’-yit-ha-lal, sh’-mei d’-ku-d’-sha, b’-rich hu,
l’-ei-la min kol bir-cha-ta v’-shi-ra-ta,
tush-b’-cha-ta v’-ne-che-ma-ta, da-a-mi-ran b’-al-ma,
v’-im’ru: A-mein.
Y’-hei sh’-la-ma ra-ba min sh’-ma-ya,
v’-cha-yim, a-lei-nu v’-al kol-Yis-ra-eil,
v’-im’-ru: A-mein.
O-seh sha-lom bim-ro-mav,
hu ya-a-seh sha-lom a-lei-nu v’-al kol-Yis-ra-eil,
v’-im’-ru: A-mein.
Let the glory of God be extolled, let God’s great Name be hallowed, in all creation. May the reign of God soon prevail in our own day, our own lives, and the life of all Israel, and let us say: Amen.
Let God’s great Name be blessed forever and ever .
Let the name of the Holy One, blessed is God, be glorified, exalted, and honored, though God is beyond all the praises, songs, and adorations that we can utter, and let us say: Amen.
For us and for all Israel, may the blessing of peace and the promise of life come true, and let us say: Amen.
May God who causes peace to reign in the high heavens, let peace descend on us, on all Israel, and all the world, and let us say: Amen.
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