![]() ![]() You may want to check with the synagogue office to spare yourself the unease of the name missing when you expect it to be on the list. If someone dies during the year, the names are generally added as a matter of course, unless the synagogue publishes one book for use throughout the year. Most congregations ask their members to list those who are to be remembered in the coming year as part of the yearly membership survey when you join or renew your affiliation. How do I get names listed in the Yizkor book? Therefore, the memorial paragraphs can be said privately if you cannot get to the synagogue. Since the Kaddish is not recited as part of Yizkor, there is no technical requirement for a minyan. Questions About Yizkor Can I say Yizkor privately? Ultimately, it is a matter of personal and family decision-making as to your practice. But, as with much of the folk religion, this custom is sure to continue in many communities. In fact, many rabbis today suggest that everyone stay for Yizkor so that the entire congregation can offer the prayers for the martyrs of the Jewish people and offer moral support to friends and family who may be deeply touched by the memorial service. There is no legal requirement for those whose parents are alive to leave the service. These superstitions are just that - superstitions, bubbemeises (Yiddish for old wives’ tales). So, during the 20 minutes or so of Yizkor, the “fortunate” people whose parents were alive sat outside chatting, while the majority of the congregation who had sustained a loss participated in the service. God forbid, you should sit down while virtually everyone else was standing for the Yizkor prayers, somehow making the mourners feel bad. God forbid, you should tempt the ayin ha-ra,the evil eye, by hearing and seeing others mourn for their departed. A powerful superstition pervaded the community: If your parents were alive, you didn’t stay for Yizkor. It was also break time for those of us who were shooed out of the synagogue by our parents. There was something about this mysterious, awe-inspiring service that drew people. The shul was crowded with people all day long, but it was packed at Yizkor time. When I was a kid in Omaha, Yizkor always seemed to be the climax of Yom Kippur day. Some also add Psalm 23.Īlthough in its traditional structure Yizkor does not include the recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish, many congregations do add this as the climax of the Yizkor service. A special prayer, Av HaRahamim (Ancestor of Mercies), probably composed as a eulogy for communities destroyed in the Crusades of 1096, is recited by the congregation as a memorial for all Jewish martyrs. ![]() This is essentially the same prayer said at Jewish funerals.Ĥ. The memorial prayer for the deceased, the El Male Rahamim is chanted. During the service, each person reads the appropriate paragraph(s).ģ. There are paragraphs for a father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, other relatives and friends, and Jewish martyrs. Paragraphs that individuals read silently recalling the deceased. A series of readings and prayers, recited and chanted, that sets the mood for the solemn service.Ģ. In addition, the lights on all the memorial tablets in the synagogue are turned on.ġ. Today, most synagogues publish lists of those who are remembered by congregants, which are distributed at the Yizkor services. The practice was eventually expanded to include the names of other members of the community who had died. It was the custom in medieval Germany for each community to read a list of its martyrs at the Yizkor service. Since the Torah reading on the last day of the pilgrimage festivals mentions the importance of donations, Yizkor was added to these holiday services as well. It also enhanced the chances for personal atonement by doing a deed of lovingkindness. Its primary purpose was to honor the deceased by committing to giving tzedakah in their memory, on the theory that the good deeds of the survivors elevate the souls of the departed. ![]() Originally, Yizkor was recited only on Yom Kippur. In Israel, it is recited on the combined Simchat Torah/Shemini Atzeret, the seventh day of Passover, and on the only day of Shavuot. It is recited four times a year in the synagogue: on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret, the eighth day of Passover, and the second day of Shavuot. Yizkor means “may remember,” from the Hebrew root zachor. Yizkor is the public observance for the community of bereaved. When we visit a grave or observe a yahrzeit, we generally do so in private. Jewish mourning is both private and public. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help Donate ![]()
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