Knowing about the mourner’s special connection to Kaddish raises questions: Which mourners recites the Kaddish? When is Kaddish recited? What is the difference between the Kaddish yatom (“orphan’s Kaddish”), Kaddish shalem (the “full Kaddish”), and the Kaddish hagadol (“burial Kaddish”), and when is each recited by a mourner?
Answering these questions involves understanding the process of grief – and ultimate consolation – prescribed for the mourner’s journey through the Torah’s infinite wisdom.

The Burial Kaddish
During the burial of a deceased parent, bereaved children recite the mourner’s Kaddish prayer, thus fulfilling the ancient custom dating back to the times of the Geonim in the first millenia.
The text of this “Kaddish Hagadol” – the burial Kaddish written in Aramaic – is recited by mourners only at the graveside. It powerfully affirms belief in an era to come: An era when the world will be renewed, and when all those who once lived upon its earth will be recalled to life. It’s a declaration of faith in G-d, Who directs our lives and cares for us in moments of both joy and loss. Through this Jewish prayer for the dead, the bereaved ask that their future reunion with all those who have left this world come speedily.

Kaddish the First Year
The mourner’s obligation to recite the Kaddish does not stop following the funeral: For eleven months following the passing of a parent, sons of the departed person have an obligation to recite Kaddish in memory of their parent, during the 3 daily prayers. But understanding what that involves means understanding what the Kaddish’s function is in the daily prayer services.
Simply put, Kaddish is a prayer recited at various points throughout the daily prayer order. Since it is intended to mark the conclusion of a segment in davening, there are a few different texts of the Kaddish, which are each used at a different point in the services, and which should all preferably be recited by a mourner on behalf of his departed loved one:

• Kaddish Shalem – the Kaddish with the longest text – is recited following Shemoneh Esrei, the silent prayer that constitutes the climax of the daily service.
• At other points, shorter versions of that Kaddish, such as the Chatzi Kaddish (“half Kaddish”) and Kaddish D’rabanan (“Kaddish of the Rabbis” – so named because it includes a prayer for thewellbeing of our spiritual teachers), are said instead. Typically speaking, these prayers are recited by the chazan, the leader of the synagogal service.
• There is, however, one Kaddish reserved for mourners only – the Kaddish Yatom (“orphan’s Kaddish” or “mourner’s Kaddish”), which concludes the prayer service in its entirety.

Since saying Kaddish elevates the soul of the deceased, it is ideal for a mourner to serve as the actual chazan throughout those first eleven months following the passing of a parent. That way, the child can say not just the mourner’s Kaddish, but every version of the Jewish Kaddish said throughout the service. If that is not possible, the mourner can just recite the Kaddish yatom, the mourner’s Kaddish.

Sign up to have the Mourner’s Kaddish Prayer Recited
Mourners who can not pray in a formal minyan (a prayer service of ten men) customarily hire an emissary to fulfill the obligation for them, since Kaddish can only be recited in the presence of ten men.
Children and other relatives of the deceased who cannot commit to attending minyan three times a day, often hire someone else to recite the kaddish yatom on their parent’s behalf. Rebbe Meir Baal Haness Charities can designate someone to recite the Kaddish prayer in honor of your loved ones, ensuring that the merit of the Kaddish prayer accompanies the departed soul as it journeys towards its eternal reward.

Kaddish for Yahrzeit: The Mourner’s Kaddish Prayer & Anniversary of Death
Jewish tradition teaches that the soul retains an emotional-spiritual connection to its physical body for the first year after death. After the first year, that connection largely breaks – but on the yahrzeit (the anniversary of death), the soul once again becomes aware of the place where its body lies. On the yahrzeit, the soul is also judged anew: If its legacy in this world caused positive change, it ascends ever higher in Gan Eden, it’s eternal resting place. Whenever possible, therefore, descendants try to visit the gravesite on that day to recite Tehillim (Psalms) in memory of the departed. Yet even children living far from a parent’s burial place can still help bring merit to their deceased father or mother on the yahrzeit day through saying kaddish and fulfilling other customs (see below).
On that day, each year, male children once again have an obligation to say the mourner’s Kaddish prayer. Those who cannot do so may instead hire a substitute to say the mourner’s Kaddish, a service that Rebbe Meir Baal Haness Charities also offers.

Sign up to have the Mourner’s Kaddish Prayer Recited

The Yahrtzeit Anniversary
Another custom that descendants, relatives, and friends of the departed can fulfill is to complete a tractate or Order of Mishnah in time for the yahrzeit. The reason for this practice stretches back to the great codifier of Jewish law, R. Yosef Karo, who explained that the letters of the word “Mishnah” are identical with those of “Neshama” (soul). Through the learning of the holy words of Mishnayos, a ladder of sorts is formed for the soul to climb to ever higher spiritual heights. In this area as well, Rebbe Meir Baal Haness Charities can help by arranging for Torah scholars to complete Mishnayos on the yahrtzeit of a loved one.