I learn so much about the Jewish faith from reading your blog, but this one was also very insightful into the nature of grief, and the role that both faith and community play in helping us cope with grief. Thank you. And for the record, I think saying kaddish for a pet is appropriate and comforting. I wish I had a prayer for you, the closest I can get is the sound of Butterfly snoring.Rachel, you ask a very good question about why our faith does not have prayers for other types of losses. The mourners kaddish is a fabulous tool, but so is lighting candles, chanting verses you love over and over again until the verses bring healing.I would be willing to share some ideas with you offline if you want to reach out.Rituals help you become more grounded, but you can use verses, song, or specific traditions that you create or use. So I wonder what the ancient rabbis meant by leaving other losses unritualized and unmourned. The rules and antiquated mind-set of the Holy See (although the current Pope is certainly shaking things up!)
I was waiting for the moment that you would bring the four-paw theme to your writing. Our Presbytery is much too conservative for prayers and services for Dogs, which is quite sad, but I believe we had a minister once who would say a prayer and hold a small service for children who lost pets – but nothing for adults. One of my beloved dogs was dx just last Friday with lymphoma ~ she’s having a full oncological workup tomorrow after which I’ll have a better understanding of the decision(s) that are ahead, most importantly, making the one that is best for HER. To accept, visit this link: Beautiful post. When it’s not practical, it is either out of date for its original purpose, or the practical purpose is a little more hidden and requires some time and repetition to discover. You think and feel deeply about the subject. Those rituals can give the feeling a beginning and an end that nature doesn’t really offer. And, if I was still a regular attendee at my church I;m pretty sure everyone would be ok with Bailey’s name (Bailey was my previous golden retriever who passed away six years ago) being in the book and being read each Sunday during the Litany. But I’ll have to ask him about that. Maybe some of the prayers just didn’t make it into the canon, or were lost along the way. It’s almost like the words have magic because of their otherness, as if secrets are hidden within them.My favorite line of the prayer is a long list of the types of praise we offer. Thank you!I have been thinking this week about the power of lists, and your description of some of the prayer in the Kaddish service underscores that! Saying Tehillim has often been my ritual when seeking comfort at a lossOne year, instead of lighting a traditional Yarzheit candle for my grandfather, my mom found a scented candle he would have loved, and lit that instead.Great post. So, yes, we are being reminded to have faith in God at our lowest moment, when we might feel as if God has forsaken us, but for me, it is a moment to acknowledge the love we still feel for the person we have lost, and for the people we still have.The Mourner’s Kaddish can only be said with a quorum (ten Jews, some congregations still count only men) as part of the service. For me, they were fresh and new.Libby sounds like one of the women I’ve become close to at my synagogue.
That the loss of a human loved one is the greatest loss one can endure and therefore is worthy of prayers and rituals to the exclusion of any type of lesser loss; or 2. Growing up catholic I always found this prayer to be very cleansing, meditative, and mindful of not only the the holy trinity and Mary, and other founding saints but also all those loved ones who have passed away. In our sjul we same the names of the beloved ones out loud (but only if you want to). The prayer traditionally recited for the dead, in Aramaic, transliteration and English translation.My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your helpv’yitnaseh, v’yithadar v’yit’aleh v’yit’halal sh’meiGlorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the worldMay He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days,May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored,May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for usPronounced: KAH-dish, Origin: Hebrew, usually referring to the Mourner’s Kaddish, the Jewish prayer recited in memory of the dead.Pronounced: shah-LOME, Origin: Hebrew, peace, or hello or goodbye.The prayer does not praise (or even name) God. Rachel, this is so beautiful. Those puppy dog eyes work overtime. I like the idea of a mourning prayer, it keeps our focus on God the giver and taker of life. In Judaism, as in every faith, there is a lot of “pick and choose,” much of which seems rather arbitrary.What an interesting idea!