The Kaddish (, 'holy' or 'sanctification'), also transliterated as Qaddish, is a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

praising

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of

's name. In the liturgy, different versions of the Kaddish are functionally chanted or sung as separators of the different sections of the service. The term ''Kaddish'' is often used to refer specifically to the Mourner's Kaddish, which is chanted as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in all prayer services, as well as at funerals (other than at the gravesite) and memorials; for 11 Hebrew months after the death of a parent; and in some communities for 30 days after the death of a spouse, sibling, or child. A person is described as "saying Kaddish" if they are carrying out these rituals of mourning. Mourners recite Kaddish to show that despite the loss they still praise God. Along with the Shema Yisrael and the

Amidah The ''Amidah'' (, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' during each of the three services prayed on week ...

, the Kaddish is one of the most important and central elements in the Jewish liturgy. Kaddish is traditionally only recited with a minyan - a quorum of ten adult

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Variant forms

The various versions of the Kaddish are as follows. Each one generally has a descriptive name and an alternative name which points to a word which appears in that version of Kaddish. * ''Chatzi Kaddish'' (חֲצִי קַדִּישׁ 'Half Kaddish'), ''Kaddish L'eila'' (קַדִּישׁ לְעֵלָּא), or ''Reader's Kaddish''. This is used as a divider to punctuate between different sections of prayer, such as between '' Pesukei dezimra'' and the '' Barechu'' in the morning prayer, and before the ''

'' in the afternoon and evening prayers. * ''Kaddish Yatom'' (קַדִּישׁ יָתוֹם 'Orphan's Kaddish') or ''Kaddish Yehe Shlama Rabba'' (קַדִּישׁ יְהֵא שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא), commonly referred to as , the 'Mourner's Kaddish'. Recited by a mourner at the end of a prayer service and after a memorial prayer. * ''Kaddish Shalem'' (קַדִּישׁ שָׁלֵם 'Complete Kaddish') or ''Kaddish Titkabbal'' (קַדִּישׁ תִּתְקַבֵּל). Originally used to mark the end of a service, although in later times extra passages and hymns were added to follow it. * ''Kaddish Derabbanan'' (קַדִּישׁ דְּרַבָּנַן 'Kaddish of the Rabbis') or ''Qaddish ʿal Yisraʾel'' (קַדִּישׁ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל). This used after any part of the service that includes extracts from the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

or the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

, as its original purpose was to close a study session. * ''Kaddish achar Hakevura'' (קַדִּישׁ אַחַר הַקְּבוּרָה 'Kaddish after the Burial'), also called ''Kaddish de'itchadata'' (קַדִּישׁ דְּאִתְחַדְתָּא), recited during a funeral. It is also said at a '' siyum'' following the completion of a tractate of the

, where it is referred to as ''Kaddish achar Hashlamat Masechet'' (קַדִּישׁ אַחַר הַשְׁלָמַת מַסֶּכֶת 'Kaddish after the completion of a tractate'). As this version is the longest form of Kaddish it is also referred to as ''Kaddish Hagadol'' (קַדִּישׁ הַגָּדוֹל 'the Great Kaddish'). All versions of the Kaddish begin with the text of the ''Chatzi Kaddish'' (in the case of the Great Kaddish, with an extra passage inserted). The other versions contain additional paragraphs, and are often named after distinctive words in those paragraphs. Historically there existed another type of Kaddish, called ''Kaddish Yachid'' ("Individual's Kaddish"). This is included in the '' Siddur of Amram Gaon'', but is a meditation taking the place of Kaddish rather than a Kaddish in the normal sense. It had not been recited in modern times until the COVID-19 pandemic, which made coming together to form a minyan difficult. Some communities began reciting the ''Kaddish Yachid'', or a portion thereof, in lieu of the Mourner's Kaddish.

Text

The following includes the Half, Complete, Mourner's and Rabbis' Kaddish. The variant lines of the Great Kaddish are given below, as well as variants used by some Jewish communities.

Text of the burial kaddish

In the burial kaddish, and that after a siyum according to Ashkenazim,ⁱ, lines 2- 3 are replaced by:

Recent changes to Oseh Shalom

In some recent non-Orthodox prayerbooks, for example, the American Reform Machzor, line 36 is replaced with: This effort to extend the reach of Oseh Shalom to non-Jews is said to have been started by the British Liberal Jewish movement in 1967, with the introduction of ''v'al kol bnei Adam'' ("and upon all humans"); these words continue to be used by some in the UK.

Notes

* Bracketed text varies according to personal or communal traditions. *

(A) The congregation responds with "amen" (אָמֵן) after lines 1, 4, 7, 12, 15, 18, 27, 33, 36. In the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

tradition, the response to line 12 is "Blessed be he" (בְּרִיךְ הוּא ''b'rikh hu''), and in some communities the congregation says "Blessed be He" before the chazzan says it, rendering the next phrase "''brikh hu le'eilah''" (Blessed be He above) (see Darke Moshe OC 56:3).

(B) On line 1, some say ''Yitgaddeyl veyitqaddeysh'' rather than ''Yitgaddal veyitqaddash'', because the roots of these two words are Hebrew and not Aramaic (the Aramaic equivalent would be ''Yitrabay veyitkadash''), some authorities (but not others) felt that both words should be rendered in pure Hebrew pronunciation.

(C) Line 13: in the Ashkenazi tradition the repeated "le'ela" is used only during the Ten Days of Repentance, or on the High Holiday themselves in the German tradition. In the Sephardi tradition it is never used. In the Yemenite and Italian traditions it is the invariable wording. The phrase "''le'ela le'ela''" is the Aramaic translation in Targum Onkelos of the Hebrew phrase "ma'la ma'la" (Deuteronomy 28:43).

(D) Lines 4 and 30–32 are not present in the Ashkenazi or Italian tradition. "Revaḥ vehatzala" is said aloud by the congregation.

(E) Line 26: some Sephardi Jews say ''malka'' r ''maram'' or ''mareh''''di-shmaya ve-ar'a'' (the King r Masterof Heaven and Earth) instead of ''avuhon de-vi-shmaya'' (their Father in Heaven); De Sola Pool uses ''mara''; the London Spanish and Portuguese Jews use the same text as the Ashkenazim.

(F) During the "complete kaddish" some include the following congregational responses, which are not regarded as part of the text:

** Before line 16, "accept our prayer with mercy and favour" ** Before line 28, "May the name of God be blessed, from now and forever" ** Before line 34, "My help is from God, creator of heaven and earth" *

(G) Line 35: "b'rahamav" is used by

Sephardim Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendan ...

in all versions of kaddish; by some Ashkenazim only in "Kaddish deRabbanan" and by others never.

(H) Line 36: "ammo" is used by most

, but not by some of the

Spanish and Portuguese Jews Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the fe ...

Ashkenazim Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...

(I) Lines 37 to 45: these lines are also recited by Yemenite Jews as part of every Kaddish DeRabbanan.

(Z) In line 22, the bracketed word is added in many communities in the Land of Israel.

* In line 1, as noted in (a), the congregation responds "Amen", even though this commonly is not printed in most prayerbooks. This longstanding and widespread tradition introduces a break in the verse which leads to varying opinions regarding whether the phrase "according to His will" applies to "which he created" or to "Magnified and sanctified". * It is common that the entire congregation recites lines 8 and 9 with the leader, and it is also common that the congregation will include in its collective recitation the first word of the next line (line 10), ''Yitbarakh''. This is commonly thought to be done to prevent any interruption before the next line (which begins with ''Yitbarakh'') is recited by the leader. But this inclusion of ''Yitbarakh'' is subject to a major dispute among the Rishonim (medieval authorities).

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

and the Tur did not include it in the congregation's recitation; Amram Gaon, the Vilna Gaon, and the

Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulhan Arukh'' ( ),, often called "the Code of Jewish Law", is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in the city of Safed in what is now Israel by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in ...

include it. In some communities, the congregation recites in an undertone through and including the words "da'amiran beʻalma" (middle of line 15).

Analysis of the text

The opening words of the Kaddish are inspired by the vision in Ezekiel 38:23 of God becoming great in the eyes of all the nations. The central line of the Kaddish is the congregation's response: (''Yehei shmeih rabba mevarakh lealam ulealemai alemaya'', "May His great name be blessed for ever, and to all eternity"), a public declaration of God's greatness and eternality. This response is similar to the wording of Daniel 2:20. It is also parallel to the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

"" ('Blessed be the name is His glorious kingdom forever and ever, which is commonly recited after the first verse of the Shema. Aramaic versions of both wordings appear in the various versions of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan to Genesis 49:2 and Deuteronomy 6:4. The Mourner's, Rabbis' and Complete Kaddish end with a supplication for peace ("Oseh Shalom..."), which is in Hebrew, and is somewhat similar to the

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

gematria In numerology, gematria (; or , plural or ) is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word, or phrase by reading it as a number, or sometimes by using an alphanumeric cipher. The letters of the alphabets involved have standar ...

'' (numerological value) of the

Tetragrammaton The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliteration, transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from ...

, and the Kaddish text proves that from the very beginning with words ''"May His great name be exalted and sanctified"''.

Customs

Kaddish may be spoken or chanted. In services on certain special occasions, it may be sung to special melodies. There are different melodies in different Jewish traditions, and within each tradition the melody can change according to the version, the day it is said and even the position in the service. Many mourners recite Kaddish slowly and contemplatively. In Sephardi synagogues the whole congregation sits for Kaddish, except: * During the Half Kaddish immediately before the Amidah, where everyone stands; * During the Mourner's Kaddish, where those reciting it stand and everyone else sits. In

synagogues, the custom varies. Very commonly, in both Orthodox and Reform congregations, everyone stands for the Mourner's Kaddish; but in some (especially many

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

and Sephardic) synagogues, most of the congregants sit. Sometimes, a distinction is made between the different forms of Kaddish, or each congregant stands or sits according to his or her own custom. The Mourner's Kaddish is often treated differently from the other variations of Kaddish in the service, as is the Half Kaddish after a morning Torah reading. Those standing to recite Kaddish bow, by widespread tradition, at various places. This generally includes the first word of the prayer, at each ''Amen'', at ''Yitbarakh'', at ''Brikh hu'', and for the last verse ''Oseh shalom''. For ''Oseh shalom'' it is customary to take three steps back then bow to one's left, then to one's right, and finally bow forward, as if taking leave of the presence of a king, in the same way as when the same words are used as the concluding line of the Amidah. According to the original Ashkenazic custom, as well as the Yemenite custom, one mourner recites each Kaddish, and the Halachic authorities set down extensive rules to determine who has priority for each kaddish. Most (but not all) Ashkenazic communities have adopted the Sephardic custom to allow multiple mourners to recite Kaddish together.

Minyan requirement

''Masekhet Soferim'', an eighth-century compilation of Jewish laws regarding the preparation of holy books and public reading, states in 10:7 that Kaddish may be recited only in the presence of a minyan - a quorum of ten. The traditional view is that "If ''kaddish'' is said in private, then by definition it is not ''kaddish'',". However some alternatives have been suggested, including the ''Kaddish l'yachid'' "Kaddish for an individual", attributed to the ninth-century Amram Gaon, and the use of kavanah prayer, asking heavenly beings to join with the individual "to make a minyan of both Earth and heaven". In some Reform congregations, a minyan is not required for recitation of the Kaddish, but other Reform congregations disagree and believe that the Kaddish should be said publicly.

History and background

David de Silva Pool describes the origin of Kaddish as "a closing doxology to an

Aggadic Aggadah (, or ; ; 'tales', 'legend', 'lore') is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporat ...

discourse."Pool, D. de S., ''The Kaddish'', Sivan Press, Ltd, Jerusalem, 1909, (3rd printing, 1964). (see David de Sola Pool) Most of it is written in Aramaic which, at the time of its original composition, was the

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

of the Jewish people. It is not composed in the vernacular Aramaic, however, but rather in a "literary, jargon Aramaic" that was used in the academies, and is identical to the dialect of the Targumim. Professor , however, argues that the Kaddish was originally written in Hebrew, and later translated to Aramaic to be better understood by the masses. He notes that quotations from the Kaddish in the

and Sifrei are in Hebrew, and that even today some of the words are Hebrew rather than Aramaic. The oldest version of the Kaddish is found in the '' Siddur of Rab Amram Gaon'', c. 900. "The first mention of mourners reciting Kaddish at the end of the service is in a thirteenth century halakhic writing called the Or Zarua. The Kaddish at the end of the service became designated as Kaddish Yatom or Mourner's Kaddish (literally, "Orphan's Kaddish")." The Kaddish was not always recited by mourners and instead became a prayer for mourners sometime between the 12th and 13th centuries when it started to be associated with a medieval legend about Rabbi Akiva who meets a dead man seeking redemption in the afterlife.

Hebrew reconstruction

Elitzur made an attempt at reconstructing the theorized original Hebrew version of Kaddish: : יִתְגַּדֵּל וְיִתְקַדֵּשׁ שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל : בָּעוֹלָם שֶׁבָּרָא כִּרְצוֹנוֹ : וְתִמלוֹךְ מַלְכוּתוֹ בְּחַיֵּיכֶם וּבִימֵיכֶם וּבְחַיֵּיהֶם שֶׁל כֹּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּמְהֵרָה וּבִזְמַן קָרוֹב : יְהִי שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל מְבוֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָם וּלְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים

Mourner's Kaddish

Mourner's Kaddish is said in most communities at all prayer services and certain other occasions. It is written in

Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...

. It is traditionally recited several times, most prominently at or towards the end of the service, after the Aleinu, closing

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament. The book is an anthology of B ...

or, on the Sabbath, following the ''Anim Zemirot'' hymn. In most communities, Kaddish is recited during the eleven months after the death of a parent, and then at every anniversary of the death (the Yahrzeit). Technically, there is no obligation to recite Kaddish for other relatives, even though there is an obligation to mourn for them. Customs for reciting the Mourner's Kaddish vary markedly among various communities. In Sephardi synagogues, the custom is that all the mourners stand and chant the Kaddish together. In

synagogues before the 19th century, one mourner was chosen to lead the prayer on behalf of the rest, but gradually over the last two centuries, most (but certainly not all) communities have adopted the Sephardi custom. In many Reform synagogues, the entire congregation recites the Mourner's Kaddish together. This is sometimes said to be for those victims of the Holocaust who have no one left to recite the Mourner's Kaddish on their behalf and in support of the mourners. In some congregations (especially Reform and Conservative ones), the Rabbi reads a list of the deceased who have a Yahrzeit on that day (or who have died within the past month), and then ask the congregants to name any people they are mourning for. Some synagogues, especially Orthodox and Conservative ones, multiply the number of times that the Mourner's Kaddish is recited, for example by reciting a separate Mourner's Kaddish after both Aleinu and then each closing Psalm. Other synagogues limit themselves to one Mourner's Kaddish at the end of the service. And still in other communities where they preserve the original custom to only allow one person to recite each Kaddish, the number of Kaddishim recited depends on how many mourners are present. Notably, the Mourner's Kaddish does not mention death at all, but instead praises God. Though the Kaddish is often popularly referred to as the "Jewish Prayer for the Dead," that designation more accurately belongs to the prayer called " El Malei Rachamim", which specifically prays for the soul of the deceased. The Mourner's Kaddish can be more accurately represented as an expression of "justification for judgment" by the mourners on their loved ones' behalf. It is believed that mourners adopted this version of the Kaddish around the 13th century during harsh persecution of Jews by crusaders in Germany because of the opening messianic line about God bringing the dead back to life, although this line is no longer said in the Ashkenazi rite.

Women and the Mourner's Kaddish

There is evidence of some women saying the Mourner's Kaddish for their parents at the grave, during

shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, and in daily prayers since the 17th century. Rabbi Yair Bacharach concluded that technically a woman can recite the Mourner's Kaddish, but since this is not the common practice, it should be discouraged. As such, women reciting kaddish is controversial in some Orthodox communities, and it is almost unheard of in Haredi communities. Nevertheless, Rabbi Aharon Soloveichik ruled that in our time, we should permit women to say Kaddish, and this is a common (but not universal) practice in Modern Orthodox circles. In 2013, the Israeli Orthodox rabbinical organization Beit Hillel issued a halachic ruling that women may say the Kaddish in memory of their deceased parents (in presence of a male minyan). In Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist Judaism, the Mourner's Kaddish is traditionally said by women who are there also counted in the minyan.

In the arts

The Kaddish has been a particularly common theme and reference point in the arts, including the following:

In literature and publications

(Alphabetical by author) * In Shai Afsai's "The Kaddish" (2010), a poignant short story that could happen in almost any town with a small Jewish community, a group of elderly men trying to form a minyan in order to recite the Kaddish confront the differences between Judaism's denominations. * In the first chapter of

Sholem Aleichem Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (; May 13, 1916), better known under his pen name Sholem Aleichem (Yiddish language, Yiddish and , also spelled in Yiddish orthography#Reform and standardization, Soviet Yiddish, ; Russian language, Russian and ), ...

's novel '' Motl, Peysi the Cantor's Son'' the boy narrator, whose father just died, needs to quickly learn by heart the Kaddish - which he would have to recite - and struggling with the incomprehensible Aramaic words. * ''Kaddish'' is a poem, divided into 21 sections and of almost 700 pages length, by German poet Paulus Böhmer. The first ten sections appeared in 2002, the remaining eleven in 2007. It celebrates the world, through mourning its demise. * ''Kaddish in Dublin'' (1990) crime novel by John Brady where an Irish Jew is involved with a plot to subvert the Irish government. * Nathan Englander's third novel, ''Kaddish.com'' (2019), is about a grieving son who discovers a website that for a fee will match dead relatives with pious students who will recite the Mourner's Kaddish thrice daily on their behalf. In this manner, he outsources his obligation to recite kaddish for his father. * In Nathan Englander's novel set during the Dirty Wars in Argentina, ''The Ministry of Special Cases'', the protagonist is an Argentinian Jew named Kaddish. * In '' Torch Song Trilogy'' (1982), written by Harvey Fierstein, the main character Arnold Beckoff says the Mourner's Kaddish for his murdered lover, Alan, much to the horror of his homophobic mother. * In Frederick Forsyth's novel '' The Odessa File'', a Jew who commits suicide in 1960s Germany requests in his diary/suicide note that someone say Kaddish for him in Israel. At the end of the novel, a

Mossad The Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations (), popularly known as Mossad ( , ), is the national intelligence agency of the Israel, State of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with M ...

agent involved in the plot, who comes into possession of the diary, fulfils the dead man's wish. * '' Kaddish'' is one of the most celebrated poems by the beat poet Allen Ginsberg. It appeared in ''Kaddish and Other Poems'', a collection he published in 1961. The poem was dedicated to his mother, Naomi Ginsberg (1894–1956). * '' Kaddish'', a novel by Yehiel De-Nur, in which he explores actual, semi-fictional, and fictional stories relating to

struggles during

the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

. * '' Kaddish for an Unborn Child'' is a novel by the Hungarian Nobel Laureate Imre Kertész. * "Who Will Say Kaddish?: A Search for Jewish Identity in Contemporary Poland," text by Larry N Mayer with photographs by Gary Gelb (Syracuse University Press, 2002) * In the September 20, 1998 Nickolodeon's ''Rugrats'' comic strip, the character Grandpa Boris recites the Mourner's Kaddish in the synagogue. This particular strip led to controversy with the Anti-Defamation League. * The Mystery of Kaddish. Rav "DovBer Pinson". Explains and explores the Kabbalistic and deeper meaning of the Kaddish. * In Philip Roth's novel '' The Human Stain'', the narrator states that the Mourner's Kaddish signifies that "a Jew is dead. Another Jew is dead. As though death were not a consequence of life but a consequence of having been a Jew." * “Kaddish” is the penultimate and longest piece in poet Sam Sax's chapbook ''STRAIGHT'', in which he tells the story of the death of the speaker's first love due to an overdose, following narratives of the speaker's own addiction. In August 2016, Sax performed this poem at the Rustbelt Regional Poetry Slam. * Zadie Smith's novel, '' The Autograph Man'', revolves around Alex-Li Tandem, a dealer in autograph memorabilia whose father's Yahrzeit is approaching. The epilogue of the novel features a scene in which Alex-Li recites Kaddish with a minyan. * Several references to the Mourner's Kaddish are made in ''

Night Night, or nighttime, is the period of darkness when the Sun is below the horizon. Sunlight illuminates one side of the Earth, leaving the other in darkness. The opposite of nighttime is daytime. Earth's rotation causes the appearance of ...

'' by Elie Wiesel. Though the prayer is never directly said, references to it are common, including to times when it is customarily recited, but omitted. * Leon Wieseltier's ''Kaddish'' (1998) is a book length hybrid of memoirs (of the author's year of mourning after the death of his father), history, historiography and philosophical reflection, all centered on the mourner's Kaddish.

In music

(Alphabetical by creator) * Matthew J. Armstrong quotes the final lines ('oseh shalom bimromav...) in his work ''"Elegy for Dachau"'' (2009). * ''Kaddish'' is the name of Symphony No. 3 by

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

, a dramatic work for orchestra, mixed chorus, boys' choir, speaker and soprano solo dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy who was assassinated on November 22, 1963, just weeks before the first performance of this symphony. The symphony is centered on the Kaddish text. * The Kaddish is spoken in Part V of the Avodath Hakodesh (Sacred Service) by the composer Ernest Bloch (1933). * Canadian poet/songwriter/artist Leonard Cohen uses words from the Kaddish in his 2016 final album entitled " You Want It Darker", specifically in the title song, during the chorus. * ''Kaddish'' is a work for cello and orchestra by David Diamond. * The Israeli rapper Dudu Faruk has mentioned the kaddish in the lyrics of his 2018 song, "Eliran Sabag" * Kaddish is a track by Gina X Performance. * "Kaddish" is the 34th movement in '' La Pasión según San Marcos'' by composer Osvaldo Golijov. * "Kaddish" is a song by Ofra Haza from her album '' Desert Wind''. * Nili Isenberg put the words of kaddish to the tune of Hello (Adele song) while reciting kaddish for her father. * ''Kaddish'' is the title of a 1979 composition for solo horn by the Russian-Israeli composer Lev Kogan (1927-2007). * ''Kaddish'' is the title for a work by W. Francis McBeth for a concert band, based on the chant of the prayer. McBeth composed this work as a memorial for his teacher J. Clifton Williams. * ''Kaddish (ladder) canon'' is the final piece on the album "These are the Generations" by Larry Polansky. It is an elegy for friends recently lost. * The French composer Maurice Ravel composed a song for voice and piano using part of the Kaddish. It was commissioned in 1914 by Alvina Alvi as part of a set of two songs: " Deux mélodies hébraïques" and was first performed in June 1914 by Alvi with Ravel at the piano. * ''Kaddish Shalem'' is a musical work by Salamone Rossi (1570–c. 1628), composed for five voices in homophonic style, the very first polyphonic setting of this text, in his "Hashirim Asher L'Shlomo", The Song of Solomon. * ''Inspired by Kaddish'' is a fifteen-movement musical composition by Lawrence Siegel. One of the movements is the prayer itself; the remaining fourteen are stories of the experiences of a number of Holocaust survivors Lawrence interviewed. It was debuted by the

Keene State College Keene State College is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Keene, New Hampshire. It is part of the University System of New Hampshire. Founded in 1909 as a teacher's college (originally, Ke ...

Chamber Singers in 2008. * Mieczysław Weinberg's Symphony No. 21 is subtitled "Kaddish". The symphony, composed in 1991, is dedicated to Holocaust victims from the Warsaw Ghetto. * Concept album '' Kaddish'' (1993) created by Richard Wolfson with Andy Saunders using the band name Towering Inferno. * The song "Israel" by Ween on the album Shinola, Vol. 1 is a recitation of the mourner's Kaddish.

In visual arts

(Alphabetical by creator) * Clay artist Steven Branfman threw chawan (Japanese style tea bowls) every day for a year in honor of his departed son Jared who passed away from brain cancer in 2005 at the age of 23. For a year, they were the only pots he made. One chawan each day, no matter where he was. He and his family said Kaddish every day for a year. His daily chawan made at his potter's wheel was his own personal Kaddish. Ten years later, an exhibition displaying all 365 Kaddish Chawan titled ''A Father's Kaddish'' was held in the Thayer Academy Gallery. The online presentation of the exhibition can be seen on the website of The Potters Shop & School. Subsequently, an award winning documentary of the same title was made by Spencer Films Jennifer Kaplan Producer/Director. The exhibition is also included in ''The Teabowl: East and West'', by Bonnie Kemske. * Artist Mauricio Lasansky, familiar with Kaddish from his background, produced his Kaddish series of eight intaglio prints, ten years after his Nazi Drawings, his statement of Nazi destruction and degradation. In 1978, the Argentine-born 62 year-old Lasansky completed his answer of peace and survival, his Kaddish prints. * Artist Max Miller traveled from synagogue to synagogue throughout New York and beyond, reciting the daily prayer in memory of his father and then painting a

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

study of the synagogue in which he recited it. * Following the deaths of both her parents within one week of one another, artist Wendy Meg Siegel created a

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

with a focus on the Kaddish, as part of her

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

on canvas "text-tures" series, which explores methods of combining text and canvas in a somewhat “sculptural” manner.

Online

(Alphabetical by creator) * Mira Z. Amiras and Erin L. Vang have taken the Kaddish as a starting point for a yearlong

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

titled, "Kaddish in Two-Part Harmony", consisting of a jointly written

blog A blog (a Clipping (morphology), truncation of "weblog") is an informational website consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries also known as posts. Posts are typically displayed in Reverse chronology, reverse chronologic ...

and daily

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

recording of Lev Kogan's "Kaddish" for solo horn. * David Bogomolny

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

d his yearlong recitation of kaddish in honor of his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

Dr. Alexander Bogomolny, originally on The Times of Israel

s, in a series titled, "The skeptic's kaddish for the atheist", consisting of

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

sources,

religious text Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

analysis, modern interpretations and expressions of kaddish,

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

eschatology Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of Contemporary era, present age, human history, or the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic and non-Abrah ...

, creative writing, and the personal reflections;

memories Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is Encoding (memory), encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future Action (philosophy), action. I ...

; and experiences of a son in mourning. * From 2016-2017 Rabbi Ariana Katz recorded a

called "Kaddish" focused on mourning

ritual A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...

and

customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...

, featuring first person

storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...

and

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

s, using

to contextualize and deepen themes of the show, and holding space at the intersection of

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

and

death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

. "Kaddish" covered topics including mourning chosen

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

, reproductive loss, illness, ritual

writing Writing is the act of creating a persistent representation of language. A writing system includes a particular set of symbols called a ''script'', as well as the rules by which they encode a particular spoken language. Every written language ...

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

burial, tattoos and conversion status, and state violence. Featured guests shared their personal and professional

expert An expert is somebody who has a broad and deep understanding and competence in terms of knowledge, skill and experience through practice and education in a particular field or area of study. Informally, an expert is someone widely recognized ...

ise and story.

Onscreen, in film

(Chronological) * In the 1973 film ''

Les aventures de Rabbi Jacob ''The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob'' (, ) is a 1973 French-Italian comedy film directed by Gérard Oury, starring Louis de Funès and Claude Giraud. It follows a bigoted businessman and a kidnapped revolutionist who disguise themselves as rabbis ...

'' ('' The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob''), it is chanted at the end of the Bar-Mitzvah service. * In the film '' The Passover Plot'' (1976), a revived Jesus dies finally and is mourned with a Kaddish recitation by a disciple. * In the film '' Mikey and Nicky'' (1976), while an inebriated Nicky ( John Cassavetes) is laughing in front of his mother's grave, the disquieted Mikey (

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo on the NBC/American Broadcasting Company, ABC series ''Columbo'' (196 ...

) attempts to recite the Kaddish despite the distractions from his friend. * In the 1980 film '' The Jazz Singer'' starring Neil Diamond, character Cantor Rabinovitch ( Laurence Olivier) says the Kaddish while disowning his son. The Kaddish helps bring forth the power needed to evoke the emotion of loss. * In '' Rocky III'' (1982), Rocky Balboa recites the Mourner's Kaddish for Mickey. * In the film '' Yentl'' (1983), at Yentl's father's burial, the rabbi asks who will say Kaddish (Kaddish is traditionally said by a son). Yentl replies that she will and, to the horror of those assembled, grabs the siddur and starts saying Kaddish. * Steve Brand's feature documentary ''Kaddish'' (1984), about Yossi Klein Halevi's growing up as the child of his Holocaust survivor father, was named by the New York-based Village Voice as one of the ten best films of the year. It won the Special Jury Prize at the 1985

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. * In '' Torch Song Trilogy'' (1988), Arnold (portrayed by playwright Harvey Fierstein) says the Mourner's Kaddish for his murdered lover, Alan, and Arnold's mother (portrayed by Anne Bancroft) strongly protests. * The Kaddish is recited in the film '' Schindler's List'' (1993), in the last scene at the factory. * Film ''Saying the Kaddish'' (1999) by Dan Frazer * Konstantin Fam's ''Kaddish'' (2019) centers on the testament of a former concentration camp prisoner who confronts and turns the lives of two young people from different worlds around, shedding light on the tragic history of their family. * The Kaddish as a form of religious excommunication (when recited for someone still alive) appears in the fantasy-documentary A Kaddish For Bernie Madoff (2021), created by musician/poet Alicia Jo Rabins and directed by Alicia J. Rose. The film tells the story of Madoff and the system that allowed him to function for decades through the eyes of Rabins, who watches the financial crash from her 9th floor studio in an abandoned office building on Wall Street.

Onscreen, in television

(Alphabetical by program title) * In the television series ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tel ...

'', Lt. Comdr. Susan Ivanova finally decides to sit Shiva and recite the Mourner's Kaddish at the end of episode "TKO" (Season 1, Ep. 14), for her father with an old family friend, Rabbi Koslov, who has come to the station to urge her to mourn. * In the television series '' Drawn Together'', Toot Braunstein recites the Mourner's Kaddish in the episode " A Very Special Drawn Together Afterschool Special", after saying that her son was (metaphorically) dead. * In the television show '' Everwood'', Ephram Brown recites the Mourner's Kaddish at his mother's unveiling. * In the second-season finale of Homeland, The Choice, CIA agent Saul Berenson ( Mandy Patinkin) recites the Mourner's Kaddish while standing over the corpses of victims of a terrorist attack. * " Kaddish" is the title of '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' episode 5.17, in which detective John Munch ( Richard Belzer), who is Jewish, investigates the rape and murder of his childhood sweetheart. * '' Kaddish For Uncle Manny''", episode 4.22 of '' Northern Exposure'' (first aired 5-3-93) relates to Joel's (Rob Morrow) seeking out of ten Jews in remote Alaska to join him for Kaddish in memory of his recently departed Uncle Manny in New York City. Joel eventually decides, though, that saying Kaddish for his uncle is best accomplished in the presence of his new Cicely family, who although Gentile, are most near and dear to him. * In the television show '' The Patient'', episode 1.7, Dr. Strauss recites the Kaddish for his recently deceased wife. * The second season of the series Quantico, FBI Special Agent Nimah Amin, herself a Muslim, recites the Mourner's Kaddish at Simon Asher's unveiling. * The fictional character Dan Turpin was killed by

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...

in '' Superman: The Animated Series'', and a Rabbi said Kaddish at his funeral. An onscreen, post-episode message dedicated the episode to

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

, a Jewish comic book artist, who influenced much of the comic book community. * In the series '' Touched by an Angel'', episode 3.5 (season 3, episode 5), Henry Moskowitz, a proud archaeologist on a dig at a Navajo excavation site, receives a surprise visit from zayda (grandfather). Sam hopes to reconcile with his grandson and Jewish family faith by asking him to say kaddish."Written in Dust"
tv.com * " Kaddish" is the title of ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...

'' episode 4.15 (season 4, episode 15), in which a

Golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...

is avenging a murder.

Onstage, in dance, theater and musicals

* In

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...

's play '' Angels in America'', the characters of Louis Ironson and Ethel Rosenberg say the Kaddish over Roy Cohn's dead body. Louis, a non-practicing Jew, mistakenly identifies the Kaddish as being written in Hebrew. * ''Kaddish'' is a female dance solo choreographed by Anna Sokolow to music by Maurice Ravel. * The Mourner's Kaddish can be heard being recited by Collins and Roger during the song " La Vie Boheme" in the musical '' Rent''. * A brief portion of the Mourner's Kaddish (lines 34-36 above) is recited during the song "Prayer" in the musical '' Come from Away''.

External links

* David De Sola Pool
The Kaddish
inaugural dissertation. Leipzig 1909.

References

; Notes ; Bibliography * Cyrus Adler, et al
"Kaddish"
. Jewish Encyclopedia, 1906. pp. 401–403. * Yesodot Tefillah, Rabbi Eliezer Levi, published by Abraham Zioni Publishing House, Israel 1977. P173 * Kaddish is a female dance solo choreographed by Anna Sokolow to Maurice Ravel. * De Sola Pool, Kaddish (1909
The Kaddish

External links

Jewish Virtual Library - Jewish Prayers: The Mourner's Kaddish

Neirot Foundation: The Importance of Kaddish

myKaddish.com

The Kaddish Foundation
: A non-profit whose member recite the Kaddish every day for eleven months following the death of a Jewish relative, loved-one or friend.
Birkat Hamazon: Kaddish
{{The Jazz Singer Aramaic words and phrases Aramaic words and phrases in Jewish law Aramaic words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings Bereavement in Judaism Jewish life cycle Jewish prayer and ritual texts Jewish theology

Variant forms

Text

Text of the burial kaddish

Recent changes to Oseh Shalom

Notes

Analysis of the text

Customs

Minyan requirement

History and background

Hebrew reconstruction

Mourner's Kaddish

Women and the Mourner's Kaddish

In the arts

In literature and publications

In music

In visual arts

Online

Onscreen, in film

Onscreen, in television

Onstage, in dance, theater and musicals

See also

External links

References

External links