The Yizkor Service

 

Dear JCCP/CBT Family,

This Shabbat, which is also the last day of Sukkot and Shimini Atzeret, is one of the four times of the year we recite the series of prayers called the Yizkor service. Yizkor (Hebrew, literally "remember") is a mourning service recited by those who have lost a parent or a loved one. Yizkor is recited on Yom Kippur, on the eighth day of Sukkot (Shimini Atzeret), on the last day of Passover, and on the second day of Shavuot.
 
The earliest source for Yizkor is in the Midrash Tanchuma, which cites the custom of remembering the departed and pledging charity on their behalf on Yom Kippur. The Ashkenazi custom of reciting Yizkor on the festivals began during the Crusades when massacres wiped out many Jewish communities.
 
The central part of Yizkor is the paragraph beginning with the words Yizkor Elohim (may God remember). Our prayer books have individualized paragraphs to be recited for a deceased mother, father, male relative (including husband, son, and brother), female relative (including wife, daughter, and sister), extended family and martyrs. These paragraphs have a space in which to include the name of those you are remembering at the service. After the individuals recite the Yizkor prayers quietly, Cantor Weiss recites the prayer beginning with the words El malei rahamim (God, full of compassion). This prayer is said on behalf of all those we recall as a community.
 
During the Yizkor service, we also add prayers to remember victims of the Holocaust, those who died in defense of the State of Israel, and Jewish martyrs. 

We will observe Yizkor at our Friday evening service tonight. Please plan to participate in this important and meaningful observance. See below for more information and a link to download the Yizkor prayer service.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and Chag Sameach.

Rabbi Arthur Weiner

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