"El Malei Rachamim" (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

: אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, lit., "God full of Mercy", or "Merciful God") is a

Jewish prayer Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the ' ...

for the soul of a person who has died, usually recited at the graveside during the burial service and at memorial services during the year.

Place in the Liturgy

In the Eastern

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

, the prayer is usually chanted by a

chazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...

for the ascension of the souls of the dead on the following occasions: during the funeral; at an unveiling of the tombstone; '' Yizkor'' (Remembrance) service on the four of the Jewish festivals,

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

, Shemini Atzeret, and the last day of

Pesach Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

and

Shavuot (, from ), or (, in some Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi usage), is a Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday, one of the biblically ordained Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan; in the 21st century, it may ...

; on the Yahrzeit on a day when there is public reading from the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

, or the closest date before the Yahrzeit; and on other occasions on which the memory of the dead is recalled. In the Western Ashkenazi liturgy, this prayer is usually not recited, although it has been adopted on various occasions in certain Western Ashkenazic communities (including K'hal Adath Jeshurun in Washington Heights). In the Sephardi liturgy, a similar prayer called ''Hashkavah'' is recited by the reader of the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays. The recitation of the prayer in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi liturgies is usually accompanied by pledges for the donation of charity in memory of the deceased.

Wording of the Prayer

The prayer has a fixed structure, composed of a specific text in which is incorporated the deceased's name (in the case of an individual's commemoration), or a description of the deceased (in the case of the commemoration of a group).

Version for a deceased individual

The text of the mourner's prayer varies slightly depending on the gender of the one for whom is said. If the mourner's prayer is recited on behalf of a woman, the following text is recited: If the mourner's prayer is recited on behalf of a man, the following text is recited: The prayer refers to a charitable pledge by the person saying it, and thus one should give charity

Version for the Remembrance of IDF Soldiers

Version for the Remembrance of Victims of
the Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

Cultural usage

From this prayer, the

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

Yehuda Amichai Yehuda Amichai (; born Ludwig Pfeuffer 3 May 1924 – 22 September 2000) was an Israelis, Israeli poet and author, one of the first to write in colloquial Hebrew language, Hebrew in modern times. Yehuda Amichai, the poet of everyday life, love, ...

wrote his poem "El malei rachamim", starting with the words:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:El Male Rachamim Bereavement in Judaism Jewish prayer and ritual texts Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings