Kaddish קדיש
Said in the synagogue with a minyan (ten adult men) at set points of the service; mourners say it for eleven months after a parent's death and on the yahrzeit.
What it means
A praise of God's great name, asking that His kingship be revealed soon, in our lifetime, and that great peace and good life come upon us and all Israel. It does not mention death.
Summary (our own explanation, not a translation)
Notes
- Kaddish requires a minyan; without ten men it is not said.
- The congregation answers “Amen, yehe shemeh raba…” – the central response.
- There are several forms: half Kaddish, full Kaddish, Kaddish deRabbanan and the mourner's Kaddish.
Hebrew text
הציבור אומרים כאן קדיש "יהא שלמא"
יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵהּ רַבָּא. [אָמֵן] בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא, כִּרְעוּתֵה, וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵה, וְיַצְמַח פֻּרְקָנֵה, וִיקָרֵב מְשִׁיחֵהּ. [אָמֵן] בְּחַיֵּיכוֹן וּבְיוֹמֵיכוֹן וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן. [אָמֵן - יהא שמיה רבה ...] יְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח. וְיִתְפָּאַר. וְיִתְרוֹמַם. וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא. וְיִתְהַדָּר. וְיִתְעַלֶּה. וְיִתְהַלָּל שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא, בְּרִיךְ הוּא. [אָמֵן] לְעֵלָּא מִן כָּל בִּרְכָתָא ְשִׁירָתָא, תֻּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחֱמָתָא, דַּאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן. [אָמֵן]
Transliteration (Sephardic pronunciation)
Generated automatically from the vocalized Hebrew (Sephardic / modern Israeli pronunciation); it is an aid to reading and may differ slightly from your community's pronunciation.
Veyitkadash shemeh raba. Be'alma di vera, kirute, veyamlich malchute, veyatzmach purkane, vikarev meshicheh. Bechayeichon uveyomeichon uvechayei dechal beit yisra'el, ba'agala uvizman kariv, ve'imru amen. Yehe shemeih raba mevarach le'alam ule'almei almaya yitbarach. Veyishtabach. Veyitpa'ar. Veyitromam. Veyitnase. Veyithadar. Veyitale. Veyithalal shemeh dekudsha, berich hu. Le'ela min kol birchata shirata, tushbechata venechemata, da'amiran be'alma, ve'imru amen.
English translation
The translation is of the Mourner's Kaddish (Siddur Ashkenaz); the Hebrew text is the Edot HaMizrach version, which has a few additional words.
May God's great name be exalted and hallowed throughout the created world, as is God's wish. May God's sovereignty soon be established, in your lifetime and in your days, and in the days of all the house of Israel. And we say: Amen.
May God's great name be acknowledged forever and ever!
May the name of the Holy One be acknowledged and celebrated, lauded and worshipped, exalted and honored, extolled and acclaimed -- though God, who is blessed b'rich hu is truly beyond all acknowledgement and praise, or any expressions of gratitude or consolation ever spoken in the world. And we say: Amen.
May Heaven bestow on us, and on all Israel, life and abundant and lasting peace. And we say: Amen.
May the One who creates peace on high bring peace to us and to all Israel. And we say: Amen
Frequently asked questions
- Can Kaddish be said without a minyan?
- No. Kaddish is a davar shebikdusha and requires ten adult men.
- Why is the mourner's Kaddish said for eleven months?
- The custom is to stop before twelve months; a child honours the parent by praising God in public. Customs differ between communities; for practical questions ask your rabbi.
- Can a woman say Kaddish?
- Practice varies between communities; ask your rabbi.
Sources and licences
- Hebrew text: סידור עדות המזרח, מהדורת תורת אמת (Torat Emet 357), כפי שהועלה לספריא (Sefaria) – נחלת הכלל (Public Domain).
- Translation: Siddur Ashkenaz – Sefaria Community Translation – CC0.
- Transliteration: generated automatically by this site.
- Introduction, notes, summary and FAQ: original text of this site.
This prayer on our Hebrew site · All prayers
For learning and general information only. Customs differ between communities; for halachic questions ask your rabbi.