Question: When a son recites Kaddish for his parents, can they hear it? Also when he recites Kaddish, are the souls elevated to a higher place?
Ben Glassman
Answer: Last week we noted that the enormous power of the Mourner’s Kaddish, especially saying “Y’hei shmei rabba m’vorach…,” which can gain one forgiveness for even severe sins. Let us now examine the entirety of Kaddish. First, it behooves us to translate it.
Yitgadeil v’yitkadeish shmei rabbah – Exalted and sanctified be His great name;
B’alma di’vrah – In the world that He created;
Chir’utei – According to His will;
V’yamlich malchutei – And may He rule His kingdom
(V’yatzmach purkanei – May His salvation blossom;
Vi’kareiv meshichei – And bring forth His Messiah);
B’chayeichon, uv’yomeichon – in your lifetime and in your days;
U’vchayei d’chol Beit Yisrael – and in the days of the entire House of Israel;
Ba’agala u’b’zman kariv – swiftly and in the near future;
V’imru Amen – and let us say Amen;
Y’hei shmei rabba m’vorach – May His great name be blessed;
L’olam u’l’olmei almaya – forever and for all eternity;
Yitbarach v’yishtabach – [and be] blessed and praised;
V’yitpa’er v’yitromam v’yitnasei – and glorified, and exalted, and uplifted;
V’yithadar v’yit’aleh v’yithalal – and honored, and elevated, and extolled;
Shmei d’Kud’sha Brich Hu – [be] the Name of the Holy One Blessed is He;
L’eilah – far above [and beyond];
Min kol birchata v’shirata – all the blessings and hymns;
Tushb’chata v’nechemota – praises and consolations;
Da’amiron b’alma, v’imru Amen – that we utter in this world and let us say Amen;
Yehei shlama rabba min shmaya – may there be abundant peace from heaven;
V’chayyim aleinu v’al kol Yisrael – and life for us and all Israel;
V’imru Amen – and let us say Amen;
Oseh shalom bim’romov – He who makes peace in His high heavens;
Hu ya’aseh shalom – May He make peace;
Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael – for us and all Israel;
V’imru Amen – and let us say Amen.
(The additional phrase, “v’yatzmach purkanei vi’kareiv meshichei,” appears in the siddurim of Spanish and Oriental communities we well as those of Ashkenazi Jews who follow Nusach Sefard. It is also found in the Rambam.)
Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukaccinsky (Gesher Hachayim ch. 30:6 based on Tur, Orach Chayim 56 and other sources states: “Since the entire merit of reciting Kaddish comes from the sanctification of the great name of the Holy One Blessed is He, it is imperative that we understand its deeper meaning.”
The first words of Kaddish, “Yitgadeil v’yitkadeish – Exalted and sanctified,” come from Ezekiel 38:23, “V’hitgadalti v’hitkadashti v’nodati l’einei goyim rabim v’yod’u ki Ani Hashem – I will be exalted and I will be sanctified, and I will make Myself known before the eyes of the many nations; then they will know that I am Hashem.”
This passage refers to the future war of Gog and Magog that presages the final redemption after which the name of Hashem will reach its greatest renown, as Zechariah 14:9 states: “V’haya Hashem l’melech al kol ha’aretz bayom ha’hu yih’yeh Hashem echad u’shmo echad – Hashem will be the king over all the land; on that day Hashem will be one and His name will be one.”
The words, “shmei rabbah – His great name,” refer to the fact that His name will be whole when the redemption comes and revenge is taken on Amalek; for so long as Amalek dominates, neither Hashem’s name nor His throne are complete (He deals with this world in hidden ways).
Exodus 17:16 states, “Vayomer ki yad al keis Ka milchama la’Shem ba’Amalek mi’dor dor – For the hand is on the throne of G-d: Hashem maintains a war against Amalek from generation to generation.” The Hebrew word for throne is “kisei,” but in this verse, it appears as “keis” (missing an alef), which indicates that Hashem’s name and throne won’t be complete until the fall of Amalek. At that point, we can say (Psalms 9:7): “Ha’oyeiv tamu charavot la’netzach v’orim na’tashta ovad zichram – The enemy his ruins are forever gone, and the cities that You uprooted, their memory is lost.”
The words “b’alma di’vrah chir’utei – in the world that He created according to His will” remind us that the world was created according the depth of His will, not according to man’s limited understanding. He even created a world where man can defy and anger his Creator by violating His will. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 83) states, “Hashem created worlds and destroyed them, created and destroyed… These please Me, these do not.” We thus see that man has free will.
“B’chayeichon, uv’yomeichon u’vchayei d’chal Beit Yisrael – In your lifetime and in your days and in the days of the entire House of Israel.” Not only are we referring to the future World to Come through the resurrection of the dead but also to those living today who inevitably pass on; they too will arise at the future resurrection.
The Avudraham and other commentaries connect this phrase to the era preceding the Messiah’s arrival. The Gemara (Sanhedrin 98b) says, “In the time preceding the redemption, hardship and murder will abound among our people until many of our sages will proclaim ‘Let [the Messiah] come but let me not see him,’ due to the travails and suffering that will precede his arrival.” We say, “B’chayeichon, uv’yomeichon – in your lifetime and in your days” so that we merit being amongst the survivors. We seek to mitigate these travails and suffering via our praise.
(To be continued)