Home » Iluy Neshama Pillar » Commemorating Loved Ones Through Yizkor
Yizkor: To
Commemorate
Departed Loved
Ones
Saying the Yizkor prayer for a departed loved one helps elevate their soul’s resting place in Heaven through your commitment to charity and good deeds that will benefit the world on their behalf.
Gift Eternal Merit for the Departed
Choose from one of our dedication packages as an illluy neshama for a loved one.
By doing so, you gift them the merit of bringing blessing to this world by helping those in need.
First Month
Memorial Package
Learning Mishnayos,
Kaddish and Lighting a Candle
Every Day of First Month
$1,000
First Year
Memorial Package
Learning Mishnayos,
Kaddish and Lighting a Candle
Every Day of First Year
$3,600
Annual
Yahrtzeit Package
Learning Mishnayos, Kaddish and Lighting a Candle Every Year on Yahrtzeit
$1,800
First Year Memorial Package & Annual Yahrtzeit Package
Learning Mishnayos, Kaddish and Lighting a Candle Every Day of First Year & Every Year on Yahrtzei
$5,400
Memorial Donation
What is the Yizkor Prayer?
Jewish tradition offers many ways to honor and commemorate the memory of departed loved ones, including the deeply meaningful prayer of Yizkor. Yizkor is the memorial prayer recited by close family members of the departed on four occasions throughout the year: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Shemini Atzeres (Eighth day of Sukkos), Pesach (Passover), and Shavuos (Feast of the Tabernacles.)
On these days, everyone gathers in shul (synagogue) for the prayer services. The Yizkor prayer is recited just before the Mussaf prayer, which is the additional prayer service added on holidays (and Shabbos).
Yizkor was originally instituted to be said on Yom Kippur. Jewish sources explain that Yizkor, commemorating those who have passed on, is a fitting addition to the prayer services on Yom Kippur, which is a day of repentance. Remembering how fleeting human life on this earth is, by mentioning the names of those who have passed on, is a way to arouse a person’s heart to repentance. It’s an additional merit for the departed if their descendants are moved to repentance through their commemoration.
Once Yizkor was instituted on Yom Kippur, its recital was expanded to the other holidays. The Yizkor prayer includes a pledge to donate charity, which was a fitting addition to the holiday prayers since the Torah states that every Jew should donate according to his ability on these holidays.
Before the holidays on which Yizkor is recited, many Jewish people have the custom that anyone who will be reciting Yizkor lights a “Yizkor” candle. This candle is lit on behalf of the deceased before Yom Tov begins, and burns throughout the holiday as a memorial light.
It’s best to make sure to attend shul services on the days that Yizkor is recited in order to say the prayer together with the congregation. However, if you cannot make it to shul, you can and should still say the Yizkor prayer at home to benefit your loved ones. This is unlike Kaddish, which can only be recited in public. That is one answer to the question:
What is the difference between kaddish and Yizkor? Kaddish must always be recited in the presence of a minyan, but Yizkor can be recited at home in times of need.
Although you can say Yizkor for any close relative, such as a sister, grandfather, or spouse, many have the tradition that only those who have already lost a parent remain in the synagogue during the Yizkor prayer. Those with both parents alive leave the synagogue and remain outside while the Yizkor prayer is said.
Those who remain inside, though, will say the Yizkor prayer for their parent(s) as well as for any other relative they’d like.
Commemorate a Loved One with RMBH Memorial Services
- Sign up for Kaddish Prayer Services
- Get Mishnayos Learning for a Shloshim or Yahrzeit
- Schedule a visit to a grave in Israel on your behalf
- Request other memorial services (prayer, Tehillim recital, and more)
Request RMBH Memorial Services
Commemorate a Loved One with RMBH Memorial Services
- Sign up for Kaddish Prayer Services
- Get Mishnayos Learning for a Shloshim or Yahrzeit
- Schedule a visit to a grave in Israel on your behalf
- Request other memorial services (prayer, Tehillim recital, and more)
Request RMBH Memorial Services
What Happens During Yizkor?
What happens during Yizkor, and what does Yizkor mean in English? The word Yizkor simply means “Remember.” The Yizkor prayer is dedicated to commemorating loved ones and bringing merit to their souls through good deeds. In the case of Yizkor, the good deed is a pledge to give charity. In this prayer, we ask Hashem to remember our family members and elevate them in Heaven in the merit of our charity pledge, so that they can have the ultimate pleasure of closeness to Hashem.
When Yizkor is recited in shul, some parts of the prayer will be recited aloud by the leader of the synagogue, starting with the preliminary verses (explained below). Then, everyone reciting Yizkor will say the prayer at the same time, each individual reciting it quietly on their own. This is the main aspect of the prayer: when each person reciting the prayer makes a personal pledge to charity on behalf of their loved one, and requests that it be a merit for their loved one to be bound in the bond of eternal life.
After the individual recital, the prayer of Kel Maleh Rachamim is recited aloud in the congregation by the leader of the prayers, and each individual can say the words quietly from their place. Kel Maleh Rachamim is the traditional Jewish prayer said on behalf of a departed soul on all the occasions of commemoration, including on the shloshim and on the yahrzeit. The words of this prayer are a request that our loved one should rest in peace in the Presence of Hashem, in the merit of the charity that one pledges to donate on their behalf.
After reciting these prayers on behalf of a loved one, many feel a deep connection to their departed family member, to whom they have just given a gift: the powerful merit of Yizkor. Remembering good deeds that the departed fulfilled and undertaking to fulfill them as well brings an extra significance and merit to the recital of this prayer.
What is the Full Yizkor Prayer?
The above description of Yizkor is one that traditionally takes place in all Jewish communities. However, there are different aspects that may be added to the Yizkor prayer depending on the community. For example:
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Charity Before the Yizkor
Often, an appeal for charity is made right before the Yizkor prayer is recited. This appeal may be on behalf of the synagogue or for another worthy cause. Since committing to donate to charity is an essential part of Yizkor, it makes sense to schedule the appeal immediately preceding it, to give those present an opportunity to give to a worthy cause.
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Beginning with Psalms
The congregation may begin the Yizkor service by reciting verses aloud from Psalms that relate to the ideas of Yizkor, regarding the fleeting nature of life and the eternity of the soul.
In many congregations, the recital of the verses from Psalms are followed by the reading of Psalm 91. Psalm 91 is the psalm said at funerals, which affirms our trust in Hashem and our belief that nothing bad will befall those who trust in Hashem. The ending of this psalm contains a prayer for the living, making it appropriate at the time of remembering pain and loss, and taking inspiration to continue living inspired lives. Immediately after this recital of psalm 91, the actual Yizkor prayer is recited.
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Av Harachamim Prayer
In some communities, a second short prayer called Av Harachamim is recited at the end of Yizkor, asking Hashem to remember all those who were killed in sanctification of Hashem’s name, and to avenge all the enemies of the Jews. Throughout centuries of Jewish persecution, including the Holocaust in recent history, so many Jews lost their lives just because they were Jews. They gave up their very lives for Hashem’s sake, and this prayer commemorates them.
Saying Yizkor in English
Even if you don’t know Hebrew, you can still say Yizkor on behalf of departed loved ones. You can either read a Yizkor prayer transliteration to say Yizkor in Hebrew, or you can say Yizkor in English. Saying Yizkor in English and making that donation to charity can be meaningful to you and brings the merit of your good deeds to the departed.
When reciting the Yizkor prayer in English, you should still make sure to recite your parent’s Hebrew name, as just mentioning a departed soul’s Hebrew name in this world has deep significance and an impact on the soul in Heaven.
The following is a Yizkor prayer transliteration of the Hebrew text for one who has lost a father:
“Yizkor Elohim es nishmas avi mori (insert father’s name) ben (insert father’s father’s name) shehalach l’olamo baavur she’bli neder etein tzedakah b’ad hazkaras nishmaso. Bi’schar zeh t’hei nafsho tz’rurah b’tzror ha-chaim im nishmos Avraham, Yitzchak, v’Yaakov, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, v’Leah, v’im she’ar tzaddikim v’tzidkaniyos sheb’Gan Eden, v’nomar Amein.”
The following is a translation of Yizkor in English for one who has lost a father:
“May Hashem remember the soul of my father, my teacher (insert father’s name) son of (insert father’s father’s name) who has gone to his supernal world, because I will – without taking a vow – give charity in memory of his soul. In this merit, may his soul be bound up in the bond of life with the souls of (the Patriarchs) Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, (the Matriarchs) Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah, and with the rest of the righteous men and women that are in the Garden of Eden, and let us say, Amein.”
Once one has said the Yizkor prayer, whether in Hebrew or English, and committed to donating to charity, it’s extremely important not to forget to actually make the donation after the holiday is over, since one isn’t allowed to give charity on the holiday itself. Some rabbis say it is better to give charity for Yizkor before the holiday if one might forget to give it afterwards.
Connection between Yizkor and Charity
When you read the Hebrew or English translation of Yizkor, you may be surprised to see that the actual Yizkor prayer consists almost entirely of
a pledge to give charity, and a request that this merit be counted for our loved one’s sake. You may wonder what the connection is between donating
charity and commemorating a loved one.
The reason charity plays such a central role in the Yizkor prayer, and in so many other Jewish occasions, is because of Judaism’s emphasis on kindness and on making this world a better place. We know that Hashem is full of limitless kindness, and our mission in this world is to follow in Hashem’s ways. When we pledge to give a charitable donation that can brighten the lives of those around us, we make this world a kinder place.
Since Hashem desires that we should do kindness, giving charity is a very great merit. When you pledge to donate to charity on behalf of your loved one during Yizkor, your loved one becomes the catalyst for your charitable donation. Being the cause of your charitable donation is so powerful for your departed loved one that it allows them to soar up in Heaven and to be greatly elevated in the Next World.
By saying Yizkor and donating on behalf of your departed loved one, you give your loved one an immeasurably great gift. Your loved one can no longer do acts of kindness in this world that bring merit. A departed soul is completely dependent on you to do kindness on their behalf as a merit for their soul. When you give your departed loved one this gift, that in itself is a beautiful, ultimate kindness performed with your departed loved one, who benefits greatly from this merit.
Commemorate with RMBH
Part of RMBH’s guiding values is the idea that we are here to make this world a kinder place, to benefit others and to bring them hope and joy. Therefore, our programs are there to support needy families in Israel, sick patients in hospitals, and special-needs children. These programs are the fulfillment of the Jewish mission to make this world a better place, adding light and kindness to the life of truly needy people.
When you donate to RMBH in a loved one’s memory, you and your loved one become partners in RMBH’s mission and gain all the merits of these kind deeds.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yizkor
What is the full Yizkor Prayer?
The actual prayer of Yizkor is short, but it also sometimes includes preliminary verses, the recital of Psalm 91, and after the basic Yizkor text, the prayer Kel Maleh Rachamim. The Yizkor text is a pledge to give charity to add merit for your loved one in Heaven to merit additional closeness to Hashem.
What happens during Yizkor?
During Yizkor recital, anyone who lost a parent remains in the synagogue and recites a prayer in memory of their loved one(s), together with a pledge to donate to charity as merit for the soul of the departed.
What is the difference between Kaddish and Yizkor?
While Kaddish is only said in public, Yizkor can be said in private as well when necessary. Kaddish is praise for Hashem, while Yizkor is a pledge for charity, and each benefits your loved one with different kinds of merits.
What does Yizkor mean in English?
Yizkor means, “Remember.” We say this prayer to ask Hashem to remember our loved ones in the merit of our pledge to charity. When we add merit to our loved one(s)through the kindness of donating charity, our loved one(s) merit to rise higher in Heaven and closer to Hashem, which is its ultimate pleasure.
For over two centuries, RMBH Charities has been a beacon of hope, steadfastly supporting Israel’s needy.
Our mission encompasses a wide range of services, from helping patients in hospitals to supporting struggling new mothers, brides in need, and children with special requirements. Rebbe Meir Baal Haness Charities stands firmly as a bastion of compassion, tirelessly striving to uplift the most vulnerable members of our society. When you choose to contribute to RMBH in memory of your beloved, you join a movement that transforms despair into hope and sorrow into happiness.