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Temini Kaddish
We have a Temini expert out there someone.
Query: I read that the Teminim did not say mourners' kaddish in Teman. When did they start?
Query: I read that the Teminim did not say mourners' kaddish in Teman. When did they start?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Ben-Abraham on
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Rav Aryeh,
I will check the answer to your question and get back with you. I didn't mean to be rude, but I've been quite busy lately. - David
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My dear friend, Rabbi Aryeh,
As to your question, there must have been some confusion. This past Sabbath I was able to learn that the Kaddish was, indeed, said by the Yemenites during the burial ceremonies of their dead. Rabbi Yoseph Qafih, in his book "Halikhoth Teiman," mentions their saying the Kaddish while standing about twenty cubits (Heb. amoth) from the gravesite, and again in the home of the deceased during the seven days of mourning, and where the Morning Prayer was usually made following the burial.
Rather, what you had in mind was the "Mourners' Benediction" (Heb. Birkas avelim) as prescribed by Maimonides, this was not always said by the Yemenites.
Rambam wrote (Hilchos Avel 13: 2-3) that, when comforting the mourners following the burial of their dead, the mourners stand on the left-hand side of the comforters, while the comforters form themselves in rows of no less than ten people to each row when conveying their condolences.
In Yemen, the practice was not to follow the order as prescribed, here, by Rambam, but rather, the mourners would stand at a short distance outside of the graveyard, while the comforters would pass by one after another, in single file, but not necessarily in rows of ten. The comforters were not particular whether the mourners were actually standing on the left-hand side of the comforters, or were standing on their right-hand side. Wherefore, the Yemenites did not always say the "Mourners' Benediction" as prescribed by Maimonides. (However, when sitting within their homes, where it was possible for the mourners to sit on the left-hand side of those that enter inside to convey their condolences, they would do so. Even so, it was not seen as being absolutely essential.). Thus writes Rabbi Hayim Kessar in his Questions & Responsa "Hahayim wehashalom," Orach Chaim, responsum # 85 (beth), pp. 28-29, as being the practice followed in Yemen. It would seem here that the "Mourners' Benediction" was never seen as an absolute essential practice. It depended upon their seating arrangement.
By the way, this is not the only thing the Yemenites had as a practice which was different from that of Maimonides (Rambam). For example:
Rambam wrote (Hilchos Avel 4: 1) that after a person dies, they prepare his body for burial, Viz., first, they close his eyelids, and if his mouth were to fall open, they shut it by tying his jaws. They also plug the orifices (e.g. the nostrils, ears, etc.).
In Yemen, there was no such custom to plug the orifices of the dead with cotton, or with anything else. Rather, after the body had been laid upon a mat on the floor, they would wash the body with lukewarm water, douse it with perfume, and shave his head with a razor (leaving only his side-locks and beard). Afterwards, they would cover his body with a white sheet, and then take him into a room where they would dress the dead in his Sabbath clothes and in his hat. Afterwards, they would wrap him up entirely in a white burial shroud, which shroud is bound to the clothed corpse by a strip of cloth that is wrapped around the body from head to foot. This strip of cloth has the width of about 4.5 cm. They leave only his head unwrapped until his immediate family members can pay their last respects by viewing his face before burial, after which, the face is also covered.
Rambam wrote (Hilchos Avel 4: 3) that the pallbearers that carry the bier in a funeral procession are not to walk with their feet shod in sandals, lest one of their straps should break, and they be forced to delay the procession on that account.
In Yemen, the custom was to wear shoes, or sandals, while carrying the bier, since those that carried the bier took turns with others, ever so often, with whosoever followed along with them, in order to relieve them if one of the pallbearers should grow faint or encountered some other mishap along the way.
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Rambam wrote (Hilchos Avel 4: 4) that the corpse is to be buried in a wooden coffin.
In Yemen, there was no such custom to bury their dead in wooden coffins. Rather, the corpse, after being wrapped in burial shrouds, was laid upon a bier, and carried in this way to the gravesite, where it was then laid in its grave, face-up, without the bier, and with the feet of the corpse facing towards Jerusalem.
Sincerely,
David
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Permalink Reply by Aryeh Shore on
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Well I assumed that the Temini said the special kaddish in the Rambam to be said at the gravesite. (It is the same Kaddish said at a siyum?) The practice of saying the birchat avelim and the addition to the bircat hamazon has fallen into general disuse but I see that the Art Scroll people do include it in their siddur. My question is when did Teminim start saying Kaddish Yatom in the synagogue for the eleven or twelth months like the Sephardim and Askenazim. My impression is that is was not done in Teman. It really gets confusing since we have mixed minyans and you never know when the Teminim are go to say a Kaddish. Sometimes everyone just walks out after Aleinu leaving the Askenazim wondering what to do.
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Aryeh Shore said:Well I assumed that the Temini said the special kaddish in the Rambam to be said at the gravesite. (It is the same Kaddish said at a siyum?) The practice of saying the birchat avelim and the addition to the bircat hamazon has fallen into general disuse but I see that the Art Scroll people do include it in their siddur. My question is when did Teminim start saying Kaddish Yatom in the synagogue for the eleven or twelth months like the Sephardim and Askenazim. My impression is that is was not done in Teman. It really gets confusing since we have mixed minyans and you never know when the Teminim are go to say a Kaddish. Sometimes everyone just walks out after Aleinu leaving the Askenazim wondering what to do.
Rav Aryeh,
Again, I will have to check this. At least now, you're being more specific.
Though not directly related to your question, I saw in Rabbi Yitzhaq Yosef's "Yilqut Yosef" (Halachos Aveilim) the reason why the Sephardim and the Ashkenazim will all say the Kaddish together simultaneously. It was established far after the redaction of the Talmud, so as not to embarrass the man who does not know how to cite the Kaddish by rote memory, meaning he could hear the others and repeat their words after them. But then he goes on to write that when the Kaddish is said in concert, one should make every effort to cite it in complete harmony - without one going before the other, or lagging behind. This last statement seems, in my humble opinion, to be contradictory. If a man does not know how to cite the Kaddish by himself and must rely on his fellow who stands beside him, how can he ever say the Kaddish in complete harmony with the others!? He doesn't even know the Kaddish!
Of course, this presents no problem for the Yemenites, since on all occasions, only ONE PERSON says the Kaddish at any given time; never two or three persons together.
Again, this is not related to your question. As for the Kaddish Yatom I will check into it today.
David
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Rebbe Aryeh, Shalom!
I just got off the phone with Rabbi Pinchas Korach of Benei Barak, an expert on Yemenite Jewish tradition. He told me that the original custom in Yemen was to say the Kaddish Yatom for the entire year (12 months), without breaking off from one's saying the Kaddish over one's parents during the eleventh month, or a week before the end of the 12th month. In short, the Yemenites did not fear that opinion which said that whoever cites the Kaddish over his parents for twelve consecutive months reckons his father or mother to be wicked persons - seeing that the judgment of the wicked in gehinnom lasts for twelve months.
The Rabbi went on to say that when the Yemenites made Aliyah, some began to practise like the rest of the people of Israel, while others still held on to their former practice.
David
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David Ben-Abraham said:It would seem here that the "Mourners' Benediction" was never seen as an absolute essential practice. It depended upon their seating arrangement.
CORRECTION:
R. Hayyim Kessar thinks to say that since there was never a Yemenite tradition to say the Mourners' Benediction (Heb. Birkas avelim), they also broke away from strictly adhering to the standing arrangement prescribed for the mourners (vis-a-vis the comforters who pass by them to give them their condolences).
David
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Rebbe Aryeh,
I just received a personal e-mail in response to my post and have decided to paste it here:
"C'mon David (smile)! We all know that there is no such thing as a Yemenite Kaddish Yatom. What you are referring to is 'Kaddish DeRabanan' or 'Kaddish DeA'atid'. The Mourner's Kaddish is just a modern advent and didn't enter the Yemenite community with all of its symbolism until a short while ago. True, that those synagogues that instituted it did have the mourner say it for a year and not eleven months. What's more, and demonstrates even more lack of validity as a custom in Yemen, is that only one person would say it at any given prayer (nothing said by all mourners in unison) and if there were several people in their year of mourning they would take turns thereby not reciting it every day.
I'm surprised at Harav Korah, he is well aware of all of this yet when it suits him to document an old custom he will and other times will bend and twist and turn to ignore what the original custom was. His declaration regarding Mizmor LeDavid prior to all Kiddushim is almost comical and certainly unfounded. If someone wants to make a claim simply demonstrate that it is written in the Takalil (Yemenite Baladi-rite Prayer Books) but unfortunately he can't."
End Quote.
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Aryeh,
My reply to the above e-mail was this:
My dear friend...,
Upon second considerations of this subject, and as I recall correctly what was practised in our Yeshiva in Jerusalem – under such great stalwarts as Benaya (Amir), Alsheikh, Nadaf, Saleh (Tzadok), Yamini, Najjar and others, whenever the time had come to say Kaddish deRabbanan (or what some will call Kaddish Yatom) towards the end of the Morning Prayer (before 'Aleinu), there were some who would say it as a requirement given for those whose parent/s had passed away within the last year, yet this was always done by one person – as in all the Yemenite Kaddishes which are said only by one individual, but never by two or more persons together. Yet, there were still others who knew the ancient custom in this regard, and would say the Kaddish deRabbanam although they were not mourners. This is because Maimonides says explicitly that the Kaddish deRabbanam was established to be said in the company of ten or more adult Jewish males who had either studied Halacha together, or recited Torah together.
Rabbi Pinchas Korach acknowledges that it was not a bona fide Jewish custom in Yemen for a person who lost a parent within the last year to say it, and never did he insinuate that the custom was for more than one person to say the Kaddish at any given time. However, it would seem that he IS insinuating that there were some of our good natured Jewish brothers in Yemen who took into account what Maharitz had to write about the Kaddish Yatom in his commentary "Etz Hayyim" on the Tiklal (Yemenite Baladi-rite Prayer Book). If I might quote somewhat from his commentary, this is what he had to say:
...ואם יש יתום על אביו ועל אמו אומר הוא קדיש זה (קדוש דרבנן) והוא נקרא קדיש יתום לפי שנהגו להניחו ליתומים לאמרו וכן מפורש להאר"י ז"ל הובא בספר מח"ס וז"ל ואח"כ יאמר קדיש יתום וברכו ואח"כ עלינו לשבח וכו' ע"ש. וכן כתב בספר מ"י דף ק"נ ע"א ובזוהר פ' נח בתוספתא דף ע"ב ז"ל ובכל זמנין דאמרין ישראל אמן יהא שמיה רבא, קודשא בריך הוא אתמלי רחמין וחייס על כולא ורמיז למלאכא דממנא על תרעי דגיהנם וכו' ע"ש. ורווחין לון שעתא ופלגא וכו' ע"ש. וכתב בעל זהרי חמה שמדרכו וסגולתו של הקדיש להוציא הרשעים מגיהנם ולכן נוהגים לומר קדיש בשביל אביו ואמו ולא תפלה או קדושה או קריאת ס"ת וכיוצא וכו'.
There, Maharitz continues with his long explanation on the value and importance of the Kaddish Yatom. (You'll find it in Shimon Tzalach's second edition of the Tiklal Etz Hayim, published in 1971, vol. I, p. 167). Although, I would say one thing here, and that is: In the very last explanation quoted by me above, one might find therein a very good reason for the Yemenites NOT to say the Kaddish Yatom! For by saying it, he would have acknowledged thereby that his parents had been wicked and that their souls were in gehinnom. In Yemen, where the community was all G-d fearing (אין כל נפתל ועיקש) , this would have been taken as an insult.
With all due respect
David
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