קדיש יתום בזמן מלחמה | Mourner’s Ḳaddish in Times of War and Violence, by Arthur Waskow

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י״ד בניסן ה׳תשע״א (2011-04-17) under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, Mourning, Ḳaddish

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Renewal, Aleph, Abrahamic, ecumenical prayers, interpretive translation, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Paraliturgical Mourner's Kaddish, קדיש יתום Mourner's Ḳaddish

Jews use the Kaddish to mourn the dead, though it has in it only one word — “nechamata,” consolations – which hints at mourning. And this word itself is used in a puzzling way, once we look at it with care. As we will see below, it may be especially appropriate in time of war.

The English also suggests why in the midst of saying we cannot praise, celebrate, or sing to God enough to meet the Reality, we also say we cannot CONSOLE (nechamata) God enough. Why we need to praise God and why we cannot give sufficient praise are clear enough; but why do we need to console God, and why can we not give God consolation enough? We suggest that for the killing of one human, bearing the Image of God, by another –- for this, God is inconsolable.

In this version, changes in the traditional last line of the Hebrew text specifically include not only peace for the people Israel (as in the traditional version) but also for the children of Abraham and Hagar through Ishmael (Arabs and Muslims) and for all the life-forms who dwell upon this planet. The interpretive English addresses the meaning of the Name God is given in most of the Kaddish — “shmei rabbah,” the “Great Name.” It is understood as that Name which includes all the names of all beings in the universe and which is also present within all beings. The Kaddish also prays first with concern for the peaceful life of the Jewish “family,” the people Israel, and then in this version expands that concern to include our cousins the children of Abraham through Ishmael and all who dwell upon the earth.

The interpretive English translation below may be appropriate for prayers of mourning and hope in wartime by other spiritual and religious communities.

Aramaic	Translation (English)
יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא (קהל: אָמֵן)‏	Yitgadal V’yit’kadash Shmei Rabah — May the Great Name, through our expanding awareness and our fuller action, lift Itself to become still higher and more holy; May all the Names of all the beings in the universe, including those whom we can no longer touch but who have touched our hearts and lives, and including our own names, live within the Great Name; May the names of all who have died in violence and war be kept alight in our sight and in the Great Name, with sorrow that we were not yet able to shape a world in which they would have lived. May the Great Name, bearing ALL these names, live within each one of us; (Cong: Amein)
בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא כִרְעוּתֵהּ וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵהּ בְּחַיֵּיכוֹן וּבְיוֹמֵיכוֹן וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן. (קהל: אָמֵן)‏	B’alma di vra chi’rooteh v’yamlich malchuteh b’chayeichun, u’v’yomeichun, u’v’chayei d’chol beit yisrael, b’agalah u’vzman kariv, v’imru Amein: — May Your Great Name lift Itself still higher and more holy throughout the world that You have offered us, a world of majestic peaceful order that gives life to the Godwrestling folk through time and through eternity –- And let’s say, Amein (Cong: Amein)
יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא	Y’hei sh’mei rabbah me’vorach l’olam almei almaya. So therefore may the Great Name be blessed, through every Mystery and Mastery of every universe.
ִיִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרוֹמַם וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא וְיִתְהַדַּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלַּל שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא (קהל: בְּרִיךְ הוּא)‏	Yitbarach, v’yishtabach, v’yitpa’ar, v’yitromam, v’yitnasei, v’yithadar, v’yit’aleh, v’yithalal — Shmei di’kudshah, — Brikh hu, (Cong: Brikh Hu) May the Great Name be blessed and celebrated, Its beauty honored and raised high; may It be lifted and carried, may Its radiance be praised in all Its Holiness –— Blessed be!
לְעֵלָּא מִן כָּל־בִּרְכָתָא וְשִׁירָתָא תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחְמָתָא דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן. (קהל: אָמֵן)‏	L’eylah min kol bir’chatah v’shir’atah tush’be’chatah v’nechematah, de’amiran be’alma, v’imru: Amein (Cong: Amein) Even though we cannot give You enough blessing, enough song, enough praise, enough consolation to match what we wish to lay before You –- And though we know that today there is no way to console You when among us some who bear Your Image in our being are slaughtering others who bear Your Image in our being.
יְהֵא שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא מִן שְׁמַיָּא וְחַיִּים עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן. (קהל: אָמֵן)‏	Yehei Shlama Rabah min Shemaya v’chayyim aleinu v’al kol Yisrael, v’imru Amein. Still we beseech that from the unity of Your Great Name flow great harmony and joyful life for the Godwrestling folk; (Cong: Amein)
עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל כָּל יִשְׁמָאֵל וְעַל כָּל יוֺשְׁבֵי תֵבֶל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן. (קהל: אָמֵן)‏	Oseh Shalom bi’m’romav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu v’al kol yisrael v’al kol yishmael v’al kol yoshvei tevel — v’imru: Amein. You who make harmony in the ultimate reaches of the universe, teach us to make harmony within ourselves, among ourselves — and peace for all the children of Abraham, through Hagar and through Sarah — the children of Israel; the children of Ishmael; and for all who dwell upon this planet. (Cong: Amein)

“Mourners Kaddish in Time of War and Violence” by Rabbi Waskow was first written in 2006 and posted at The Shalom Center, here. For many additional explorations by Rabbi Waskow into prayer, Jewish and beyond, find http://www.theshalomcenter.org/treasury/8. The liturgical Hebrew of the Kaddish to accompany Rabbi Waskow’s transliterations and interpretive translation was added by Aharon Varady for the Open Siddur Project. All errors are his own. Shgiyot mi yavin, Ministarot Nakeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי “Who can know all one’s flaws? From hidden errors, correct me” (Psalm 19: 13).

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“קדיש יתום בזמן מלחמה | Mourner’s Ḳaddish in Times of War and Violence, by Arthur Waskow” is shared by the contributors with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Arthur Waskow

Rabbi Arthur Waskow is the director of The Shalom Center. In 2013, Rabbi Waskow received T’ruah’s first Lifetime Achievement Award as a “Human Rights Hero.” His chapter, “Jewish Environmental Ethics: Adam and Adamah,” appears in Oxford Handbook of Jewish Ethics and Morality (Dorff & Crane, eds.; Oxford Univ. Press, 2013). Rabbi Waskow is the author of 22 books including Godwrestling, Seasons of Our Joy (JPS, 2012), and Down-to-Earth Judaism: Food, Money, Sex, and the Rest of Life. With Sister Joan Chittister and Murshid Saadi Shakur Chisht he co-authored The Tent of Abraham: Stories of Hope and Peace for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and with with Rabbi Phyllis Berman wrote Freedom Journeys: Exodus & Wilderness Across Millennia (Jewish Lts, 2011). He edited Torah of the Earth (two volumes, eco-Jewish thought from earliest Torah to our own generation). These pioneering books on eco-Judaism are available at discount from “Shouk Shalom,” The Shalom center's online bookstore.

the Shalom Center

Founded by Arthur Waskow, the Shalom Center equips activists and spiritual leaders with awareness and skills needed to lead in shaping a transformed and transformative Judaism that can help create a world of peace, justice, healing for the earth, and respect for the interconnectedness of all life.

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“Kaddish” adapted from the cover art for Allen Ginsberg’s “Kaddish for Naomi Ginsberg (1894-1956)”

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established."–Psalms 90:17