Culture Learning Journal 5/2

[Paige Willis]

Hello - I realize this is a bit short word-count wise, but truthfully I couldn't think of what else to say.

This is probably the hardest cultural learning post to write. As I said, one of my focuses for this course is religious Hebrew. I had a death in the family this past week, so have been familiarizing myself with the mourner’s kaddish (below) as well as other Jewish laws around death and mourning.

 

Mourner’s Kaddish English / Hebrew

Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will. May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon; and say, Amen. May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen. May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen. He who creates peace in His celestial heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

בל: יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא. [קהל: אמן] א בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא כִרְעוּתֵהּ וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵהּ בְּחַיֵּיכון וּבְיומֵיכון וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל בֵּית יִשרָאֵל בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: [קהל: אמן] קהל ואבל: יְהֵא שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא: אבל: יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרומַם וְיִתְנַשּא וְיִתְהַדָּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלָּל שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא. בְּרִיךְ הוּא. [קהל: בריך הוא:] לְעֵלָּא מִן כָּל בִּרְכָתָא בעשי”ת: לְעֵלָּא לְעֵלָּא מִכָּל וְשִׁירָתָא תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחֱמָתָא דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: [קהל: אמן] יְהֵא שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא מִן שְׁמַיָּא וְחַיִּים עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשרָאֵל. וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: [קהל:אמן] עושה שָׁלום בעשי”ת: הַשָּׁלום בִּמְרומָיו הוּא יַעֲשה שָׁלום עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן: [קהל: אמן

 

One thing that attracted me to Judaism as a religion was the lack of a focus on the afterlife as a motivator for action. In Judaism, you’re compelled to be a good person because that’s what you should do, because you’ve been given a responsibility to care for the world and all its blessings, and so what choices you make that impact the good of others and the whole is what’s most important, rather than a threat of punishment if you don’t live up to rules set for you. In my now multiple years of attending regular Shabbos service, the idea of an afterlife hasn’t been mentioned once. Even in the case of the Mourner’s Kaddish, it’s a prayer of praise rather than of true sadness.

 

To that end, I find the Jewish idea of death extremely comforting. The best way to remember those who are now gone is to honor what you learned from them by living a life with the virtues they’d want you to live. It’s encapsulated best in this phrase, which Jewish people say to each other when one has passed: may their memory be a blessing. (זיכרונה לברכה zikh-ron-ah liv-rak-ha).

 

[Vivian Shon]

Paige, 

I'm so sorry for your loss. With that said, I think what you said about the notion of death is very uplifting and I hope you'll find peace knowing that their memory lives on with you. Thanks for sharing and being vulnerable!