Kaddish

“Magnified, sanctified, be Thy holy name...” These words, from Leonard Cohen’s You Want it Darker are taken directly from the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. No mention is made of death; it is simply a prayer of praise. Written in the 13th century in Aramaic, the Kaddish is said during every traditional prayer service where a quorum of 10 is present. And so, after World War ll was over, as if the horrors of the Holocaust weren’t enough, the public recitation of the Kaddish was outlawed in countries the Soviets controlled, no doubt to prevent Jews from gathering. My piece is the first four words of the Kaddish expressing continuance following tragedy.