Kaddish is written in the lingua franca of the rabbinic period (when we lived under the Greeks and Romans); presumably so that every person would understand the prayer. Today most Jews don't understand Aramaic (or Yiddish/Ladino/Amharic/Arabic or German) the linguae franca of our most recent historical periods) and the cadence of Kaddish has taken on the quality of a mantra.
Its rhythmic, repetitive quality holds a deep, sacred comforting place in the life-cycle practices of our people. There are many types of Kaddishes - Kaddish Shalem (whole kaddish), Hatzi Kaddish (abbreviated kaddish), Yaddish Yatom (Mourner's Kaddish) and Kaddish D'rabbanan (Scholar's Kaddish) are the most well know. A rendition of the meaning I find in the words is listed below the Aramaic transliteration.
Kaddish is written in the lingua franca of the rabbinic period (when we lived under the Greeks and Romans); presumably so that every person would understand the prayer. Today most Jews don't understand Aramaic (or Yiddish/Ladino/Amharic/Arabic or German) the linguae franca of our most recent historical periods) and the cadence of Kaddish has taken on the quality of a mantra.
Its rhythmic, repetitive quality holds a deep, sacred comforting place in the life-cycle practices of our people. A rendition of the meaning I find in the words is listed below the Aramaic transliteration.
Yitgadal v'yitkadash shemi rabbah
V'almah divrah khirutei v'yamlikh malkhutei
V'khayeh-khon u'v'yoh-mey-khon u'v'kheyey d'khol beyt Yisrael
Ba-ah gah lah u'vizman kah-riv v'yimru ah-meyn.
Y'hey shmei rabbah m'vorakh, l'olam u'l'awl-mey almaya yitbarakh
Yitbarakh v'yishtabakh v'yitbah-ahr v'yit-roh-mam v'yitnahseh
V'yithadar, v'yitah-leh, v'yitha-lal shmei d'kud'shah brikh hu.
L'aylah min kal birkhatah v'shee-rah-tah
Tooshb'khata v'neh-khe-mata ba-ahmeeran b'almah v'imru ah meyn
Y'hei slhama raba min shamaya v'khayiim alyenu
v'al kol Yisrael v'imru ameyn.
Oseh shalom bim-roe-mahv hu yah-ah-seh shalom
aleynu v'al kol Yisrael v'al
kol yoshvei teyvel. V'imru ameyn.
Interpretive Translation of Kaddish by Rabbi Goldie Milgram:
Ever evolving and increasing in holiness is the Great Name of G*d (yud hey vav hey, the tetragrammaton) within this intentionally created world. May awareness of this governing principle be in effect for the days of each life and the lives of all our people in a time that is quickly approaching.
Let us affirm this faithful God.
May the Great Name (it's implications) be blessed in all the dimensions and even more dimensions.....
Blessed, praised, transcendently wondrous, ever trying harder and ever more glorious, going up to new levels, praiseful is this Holy Consciousness. Blessed be. Above and beyond all blessings and songs and praises and sweetness that could be spoken in any dimension.
Let us affirm this faithful God.
May there be increasing peace from cosmic intention and life for us and all our people.
Let us affirm this faithful God.
May the one who makes cosmic harmony make this for us, our people and all residents of this planet.
Let us affirm this faithful God.
The El Maleh is the central prayer of the Jewish funeral.
El malei rachamim God Who is Full of Compassion
Shokhein ba-m'roemim Who dwells beyond
(ed. note, I think of this as the God aspect which is like the eggshell is to the egg)
Ha'm'tzei m'nukha n'khona Locate a true rest
(ed. note, customized experience where the issues they bore on the embodied plane are no longer operative)
Al kanfei HaShekhinah on the wings of the Shekhinah (Ed. note: I sense our sages saw this as image of baby eagles warmly nestled together under a mother eagle's wing...........meaning properly parented, which often wasn't a person's case in embodied life.)
B'ma-alot k'doshim u'tohorim may this soul rise to the level of the holy, purest of intentioned beings
k'zohar ha-rakeeyah mzheerim who shimmer like the sky at its most stunning moments
Et nishmat................her first name Hebrew if possible or English
(For the soul of .........................)bat ...........................her mother and father's first names
(daughter of ................and ........................)
Sheh halkhah et olama who is on the path to her next world of being
B-ah-vore she anahnu mitpah-l'lim b'ad hazkarat nishmatah
for whom we are praying so that her soul will become a sacred memory
B'gan Ayden T'hay mnukhatah let her rest be Edenic
La-kheyn baal ha Rachamim therefore, Compassionate-Womb-like One
Yastireyha b'seyter knahfayv l'olamim secret her into the world beneath your wings
V'yitzror beet-tzror ha-hayim et nishmahtah keep her soul-ties alive ed. note, let her/us remain in touch
Adonai hi nakhalatah That Which is Becoming What It is Becoming is her inheritance .. (ed note, she is within Creation's process, as are we all.........ongoingly important are we to the Source)
V'tahnu-ahk b'shalom al mishkavah May she be resting in completion/peace .........(ie., may her soul not be restless and it accept this moving on)
V'nomar ameyn. And let us say, amen.........[amen can be seen as an acronym for El (God) Melekh (rules/continues) ne-eman (faithfully) ed note, i.e. trust the Process.........all is connecting and unfolding and we are loved and part of this, even when we can't figure it out because we are limited by being human.)
- Kaddish [2]