The mourning practice of Kaddish for Judaism provides a sense of unity for the society and also respect and reverence to the deceased and God. Kaddish is a prayer that shows devotion to God and a longing for the establishment of God’s kingdom on Earth. The emotions that are put forward into this prayer is what binds the society together. All the mourners recite the Kaddish in unison and to do so while standing. To me, this shows how they take funeral processes seriously and how the deceased is someone who was important no matter what social status they were. In addition, it shows the relationship between the mourners and the deceased even if there were blood ties or not. Sure, the son are required to say the Kaddish for 11 months after the death of a parent, however the prayer can also be said by the daughter and even an adoptive child. The bonds between the deceased and the mourner grows as they come together in the final remembrance at a funeral.
In Judaism, one must attest that God is an absolute being, who is the creator of all. This is true in Kaddish, since the central idea was that God is great and holy by praising him and sanctifying His name. It is ritualized in Judaism to ingrain this idea/thought that God is incomprehensible and powerful since it is He that brought the universe into existence. From normal prayers to mourning prayers, it is ritualized that God must be praised and revered upon. In Kaddish, by sanctifying God’s name in public, the mourners can increased the merit of the deceased person. Although the Kaddish has no relation to death, the reason may be that when the person has passed, the mourners want their loved ones to be accepted into God’s embrace so they won’t be rejected from the afterlife they were meant to have. They want to believe that something is there for them in the afterlife if they praise to God and keep him in their mind, body, and soul.
The narratives is what makes the social connections in the community. Imagine the grieving and mournings during a funeral process, at this time the emotions are heightened and everyone begins to come together and understand each other. It allows the people to remember the past, horrible or great, and make the connection and allow the healing process as a whole instead of by themselves. Not only that, it keeps the old tradition alive and beating. For example, in the past the vernacular language was Aramaic and since till now, the Kaddish is still said in Aramaic. In addition, the Kaddish was first said by rabbis after studying the midrash, called the Rabbinical Kaddish, and in modern times, it is still said along with the Mourning Kaddish. Old and new are intertwinable and the past is kept up with the present.
Interesting! You offered great examples and explanations for how Kaddish represents the emotions of the society, and how it brings people together. Just a thought after reading your post: when people are alive and well, there is bias and prejudice against certain groups of people based on their social status, economic and financial stability, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Yet, when people die, they are treated almost equally -- it depends on the religion and its traditions -- but most of the time, the dead are seen as one collective group of people. The irony.. We treat people alive differently from those who are dead, but why?
ReplyDeleteYou make a similar point when you mention the importance of the funeral practices. Do you think that the deceased should be treated as they were when they were alive?
Good post, good comment, and good question! Death has been referred to as the great equalizer. What do you think Betty?
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