Yizkor Chants

Jewish tradition invites us to formally remember our loved ones 4 times a year in community; Once for the Yizkor service on Yom Kippur and then 3 times on each of the 3 Pilgrimage festival; On the last day of Passover and Sukkot, and on the 2nd day of Shavuot. A 5th time is when the actual yahrzeit marks the date of their passing.

There are two aspects to remembering:

  1. Let them know we remember their souls, which if you believe, may still be in heaven.
  2. Ask for their blessings and for their help. Many of us believe, myself included, that our loved ones on the “other side” want to express their continuing love for us by helping us and blessing us. It is my belief that they can only do this if we specifically ask them for help and even name what we need help with in our lives here on earth. It is my understanding that like us, they like to be well-deployed- well used, and our asking for help is a blessing for them as well.

These practices can be used when one lights a yarzheit in the privacy of their own home /or at a formal communal yizkor service or at home on holiday yizkor times. Both are taken from the Yizkor service.

The first is from the private readings we do in synagogue for fathers, mothers, etc. You can do this by itself. The words for the second prayer come from the El Melei Rachamim for all the dead: May the the One who is full of compassion. Do the first chant to remember the loved one, and then do the second chant.

Remember

Yizkor Elohim
Yizkor Elohim
Yizkor Elohim et Nishmat (the name of your loved one)
Rabbi Shefa Gold shared this with me many years ago as a way to deepen the Yizkor service that we observe and to remember our ancestors. The words are taken from the Yizkor service of “may we remember”.
 

To download the audio file, right-click (or Control-click) the following link and choose the option to save/download the file: Download Link »

Ask for Blessings and Help

S’hizcarnu Hayom L’vracah
S’hizcarnu Hayom L’ezrah*
We remember today to ask for blessings
We remember today to ask for help*
from El Melei Rachamim by Rav Shoshana Mitrani Knapp

  • * I added l’ezrah (help) to the prayer so that the blessing becomes specific in asking for help for something needed.

To download the audio file, right-click (or Control-click) the following link and choose the option to save/download the file: Download Link »