https://opensiddur.org/?p=3165קדיש יתום בזמן מלחמה | Mourner’s Ḳaddish in Times of War and Violence, by Arthur Waskow2011-04-17 14:32:09Jews 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 interpretive English translation below may also be appropriate for prayers of mourning and hope in wartime by other spiritual and religious communities. 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.Textthe Open Siddur ProjectArthur WaskowArthur Waskowthe Shalom Centerhttps://opensiddur.org/copyright-policy/Arthur Waskowhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/Conflicts over Sovereignty and DispossessionMourningḲaddishRenewalAlephAbrahamicecumenical prayersinterpretive translation21st century C.E.58th century A.M.Paraliturgical Mourner's Kaddishקדיש יתום Mourner's Ḳaddish
Jews use the Ḳaddish to mourn the dead, though it has in it only one word — נֶחְמָתָא “neḥamata,” 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 (neḥamata) 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 Ḳaddish — שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא “shmeh rabba,” 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 Ḳaddish 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.
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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:Amen)
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, Amen (Cong:Amen)
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!
L’eylah min kol bir’khata v’shir’ata
tush’be’ḥata v’neḥemata,
de’amiran be’alma,
v’imru: Amen
(Cong:Amen)
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.
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: Amen.
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:Amen)
“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 Nakeniשְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי “Who can know all one’s flaws? From hidden errors, correct me” (Psalm 19: 13).
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.
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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