FROM
THE DESK OF RABBI
SANDBERG
rabbisandberg@bellsouth.net

From the Desk of Rabbi Sandberg…
YIZKOR
The Yizkor memorial prayers are
well known to many of our congregants. On the days that Yizkor
is recited we get a somewhat larger than usual turn out for services.
Often, though, I am surprised that we do not get more. I think
that there are many of our members who do not fully understand
what Yizkor is all about. First a little history:
Yizkor is the
opening word of a memorial prayer whose full title is Hazkarat
N'shamot: "The mentioning of souls". The word Yizkor
means "may
He remember" and refers to our hope that God will remember the souls of
our loved ones. The origins of this prayer may go back to the days of the Maccabees,
when Judah offered prayers in memory of his fallen soldiers. These prayers did
not gain wide acceptance, though, until after the Crusades and the persecutions
of the Middle Ages. Then it became customary for communities to remember those
who had died in the pogroms at annual prayers on Yom Kippur. Soon these prayers
were expanded to the three pilgrimage festivals as well: Pesach, Shavuot and
Sukkot. Also, the Yizkor prayer was opened to everyone to remember their departed
and not just prayers for martyrs.
Today, we recite the Yizkor prayers four time each year: Yom Kippur,
Shemini Atzeret (the last day of Sukkot), the 8th day of Pesach
and the 2nd day of Shavuot. It is customary to light memorial candles
at home, just as we would do for a Yahrzeit. In the synagogue we
recite the Yizkor prayer for all relatives and friends whom we
wish to memorialize. We also read a Yizkor prayer for Jewish martyrs,
who are remembered by us all. We chant the El Moleh Rachamim prayer
in memory of all departed and then we recited Kaddish as a congregation.
While
in many older communities it was customary for children whose parents
are living to leave the synagogue during Yizkor, today we are all
encouraged to remain to say Yizkor for the martyrs of the Holocaust.
There are millions of Jews who died, leaving no surviving relatives
and no one to say Yizkor for them. We may all memorialize them
by remaining for Yizkor.
Yizkor is important. It is important
not for the deceased but for the living. Those who have gone
before us will receive their reward from God based on the deeds
they performed while living. They do not need us to intercede
on their behalf. But we, the present generation need to be reminded
to those who lived before us. It is they who made us what we
are. It is to them we owe much of what we have in our lives.
It is proper for us to pause, a few times a year, to remember
who we are and where we came from. All of us should take the
short amount of time needed to attend services and recite Yizkor.
It helps us to appreciate the contributions of generations past.
We will be reciting Yizkor prayers on the last (8th) day of Passover,
Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at our holidays services, 9:30 AM. I am
sending this to you now, with our March newsletter and Passover
supplement, so that you can plan ahead to be with us.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Rabbi
Martin I. Sandberg
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