When someone close to us dies, the grief can be so overwhelming it can be impossible to articulate how we feel. But when Jews are bereaved, they turn to a prayer called the Mourner’s Kaddish.
- Iyov and Hobbins mention Kaddish very briefly.
- Wikipedia article including text of the Kaddish with translation and transliteration.
- Kaddish was featured on the X Files
Kaddish is recited at festivals and also in remembrance of the holocaust. This practice was unknown to me. I found the theory on Kaddish’s origin in a medieval ghost tale to be intriguing. Also, the role of Kaddish in processing grief. Women reciting Kaddish is discussed and its attending blessings and challenges.
The strongest community ties are asserted during times of death. As Americans living in Africa we feel our failure to integrate most deeply because of our isolation from funeral rites.
Here’s a rather surprising assertion in the Wikipedia article:
The Lord’s Prayer in Christianity has its roots in the Kaddish and shares similar themes.
If the theory espoused in the BBC program is correct then it is more likely the other way around. (I’m trying to provoke certain blog friends to comment…)
Are you isolated from funeral rites by your choice or by the Africans’? Where I was working I joined in with the basic local funeral rites by at least sometimes attending mourning rituals for those close to the team I was working with, although avoiding times when prayers of other religions were said. This helped me to be part of the community. Or were you not accepted enough to do that?