Kaddish: A Journey of the Soul

by Miriam Metzinger | More from this Blogger

01 May 2009 06:47 AM

My husband often meets some first-time or first-in-a long time shul goers in Israel and in his trips to America. Often these men have something in common, they are saying Kaddish (the prayer for the deceased) for a loved one. Kaddish is a prayer said three times a day with a congregation to appeal to Hashem to have mercy on the soul of the deceased. It is said for an entire year, and it is quite an impressive undertaking; one must go to a synagogue with at least ten men in attendance three times a day to say the prayer. Non-relatives can also say Kaddish for someone who has passed away.

Needless to say, the commitment to say Kaddish is a huge responsibility and an important mitzvah. Many people who say Kaddish have not stepped into a synagogue since they became bar mitzvah and end up going on a journey back to their roots, and in some cases, even back in time (well virtually). A painter by the name of Max Miller did a series of 50 watercolors which depicted his experience traveling to shuls across the country to say Kaddish for 333 days for his father, Morris Miller (of blessed memory). One day, he was on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and stepped into a chassidic shul his grandfather had prayed in 100 years earlier. He described a feeling of a world opening up to him, one he had once felt had been closed off, remote and foreign.

His paintings, which are on display at Yeshiva University in Manhattan, depict the diversity of shuls and venues, from old synagogues which are barely standing, to ornately designed grand yet modern shuls with stained glass windows to simple Hillel societies designed primarily for comfort and to appeal to college students. He recalls being stuck in Berlington Vermont when it was 20 degrees below zero and being welcomed by the Chabad emissaries there with warm tea and inspiring words. Max Miller happened to walk into a synagogue in Ohio founded by a friend of his parents and found out much more about himself and his family during his year-long-journey.

I remember when my husband said Kaddish for his father, he felt a special connection with his father's soul, like he was participating in a journey together with him. And once that journey is over, the soul goes to a higher world where it feels no anguish.

But let's hope G-d will send the ultimate Leader to the world (Moshiach) so we can see our deceased loved ones again. I hope by the time you are reading this, Moshiach will have come.

Learn more about Miriam Metzinger

Miriam is a freelance writer, a work-at-home mom and lives in Jerusalem with her two sons, Schneur Zalman (3), Yosef Yitzchak (6 months and counting) and her husband, Yehoshua, who is a rabbi and i...

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger