April 27, 2016

We all have memories that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Some may seem more significant than others, but all find their way into a grand reservoir which gives shape and meaning to our lives and influences the ways in which we understand the world.

During holidays, our memories of loved ones who are no longer with us come alive. Through the sacred gift of memory, these loved ones are with us in spirit, even as their absence from our celebrations always weighs heavily on the heart.

It is for this reason that Judaism has a custom of setting aside sacred time for the remembrance of our loved ones during all the major holidays. This sacred time is called Yizkor (which means remembrance). We are most familiar with the Yizkor service on Yom Kippur afternoon, but Yizkor is associated with Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot as well.

This Friday night we will set aside sacred time for Yizkor during our Shabbat service, as we pray that the memory of our loved ones will always remain a blessing to us and those who were privileged to have known them.