My kaddish year

Kaddish is a hymn of praises (doxology) about God found in Jewish prayer services. The term “Kaddish” is often used to refer specifically to “The Mourner’s Kaddish”, said as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in all prayer services. Following the death of a child, spouse, or sibling it is customary to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish for thirty days, or for eleven months in the case of a parent, and then on every anniversary of the death.

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  1. Aug. 9, 2018 – 30 days after burying Papa
  2. Aug. 19, 2018 – On returning to Jerusalem after shiva
  3. Aug. 26, 2018 – Attending another person’s shiva (the rabbi’s daughter)
  4. Sept. 3, 2018 – Would Papa have wanted me to do this?
  5. Sept. 7, 2018 – Struggling with prayer and belief; kaddish with my daughter
  6. Sept. 14, 2018 – What authority does religion have?
  7. Sept. 18, 2018 – Reflection & Repentance
  8. Oct. 2, 2018 – My Babushka’s death; my Papa’s Judaism
  9. Oct. 5, 2018 – Mama’s perspective in contrast with mine
  10. Oct. 14, 2018 – Papa’s and my Jewish identities
  11. Oct. 21, 2018 – Theology of kaddish vis-à-vis Papa
  12. Oct. 25, 2018 – Relating rationally to Jewish religious beliefs
  13. Oct. 29, 2018 – Kaddish doesn’t make mention of death
  14. Nov. 6, 2018 – Women and kaddish
  15. Nov. 11, 2018 – On coming home for the funeral; Papa’s personal effects
  16. Nov. 18, 2018 – Gray fire
  17. Nov. 25, 2018 – Eschatology
  18. Dec. 3, 2018 – Religion versus religiosity
  19. Dec. 11, 2018 – The evolution of my grief
  20. Dec. 15, 2018 – Rav B. Lau’s prayer; keva versus kavanah
  21. Dec. 21, 2018 – Kaddish just one form of mourning; 11 versus 12 months
  22. Dec. 31, 2018 – Papa as a grandfather; my first cry
  23. Jan. 4, 2019 – Letter to Papa on his birthday
  24. Jan. 10, 2019 – Kaddish after Shabbat
  25. Jan. 12, 2019 – Struggling; who is the kaddish for?
  26. Jan. 16, 2019 – Being judgmental of Papa (and of myself)
  27. Jan. 18, 2019 – Forgetting Papa died; Blogging as a memoir
  28. Jan. 27, 2019 – We are all nefesh; ‘gathered unto his ancestors’
  29. Feb. 4, 2019 – Kaddish maggidim
  30. Feb. 11, 2019 – Bridge over the abyss of despair
  31. Feb. 17, 2019 – Ps. 119:1-8 (א); I am inclined towards tradition
  32. Feb. 24, 2019 – Ps. 119:89-96 (ל); A year of 13 months
  33. Mar. 3, 2019 – Ps. 119:81-88 (כ); Selfless love
  34. Mar. 10, 2019 – Ps. 119:113-120 (ס); Honest grieving
  35. Mar. 15, 2019 – Ps. 119:105-112 (נ); Death of a neighbor
  36. Mar. 20, 2019 – Ps. 119:25-32 (ד); Kaddish with my daughter
  37. Mar. 27, 2019 – Ps. 119:153-160 (ר); Too much prayer
  38. Apr. 2, 2019 – Ps. 119:9-16 (ב); Wandering
  39. Apr. 8, 2019 – Ps. 119:97-104 (מ); Immortality systems
  40. Apr. 15, 2019 – Ps. 119:161-168 (ש); Inherently meaningful?
  41. Apr. 22, 2019 – Ps. 119:33-40 (ה); Proud of my commentary
  42. May 1, 2019 – The Virtual Mourner’s Kaddish (Lab/Shul)
  43. May 13, 2019 – El Malei Rachamim prayer 
  44. May 24, 2019 – Unveiling the tombstone
  45. May 30, 2019 – Completing 11 months of kaddish
  46. Jun. 11, 2019 – Helping make minyan; I missed one day of kaddish
  47. Jun. 23, 2019 – Humility
  48. Jul. 7, 2019 – Yahrzeit is approaching; dying on Shabbat
  49. Jul. 16, 2019 – Reflection upon parenting during mourning
  50. Aug. 5, 2019 – Yahrzeit kiddush
  51. Aug. 13, 2019 – Fin.