The power of Yizkor should not be underestimated. The memorial service is the highlight of the day in many synagogues, and is the draw for many who do not attend synagogue services at other times of the year.
Originally, Yizkor, which means “may [G-d] remember,” was recited only on Yom Kippur. Its primary purpose was to remember the deceased by pledging tzedakah [charity] funds on the theory that the good deeds of the survivors elevate the souls of the departed. Tzedakah also enhances the chances for personal atonement by doing a deed of lovingkindness.
The Torah reading on the last day of the pilgrimage festivals of Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot recalls the pilgrimage of the ancient Israelites to Jerusalem. At that time, Jews made donations to the poor. Perhaps Yizkor was added to these holiday services today to resummon the importance of tzedakah.
On Yom Kippur, however, the act of atoning, owning up to one’s sins, and being accountable not only to G-d and oneself but also to the generations of those who came before, is particularly poignant. The Yizkor service is an inextricable element of the mood, rhythm and process of Yom Kippur. Yizkor fits right in.
Rabbi Menachem Tenenbaum, an outreach rabbi at Aish Denver, in a talk on Rosh Hashanah, outlined three relationships that Jews contemplate during of the Days of Awe: the relationship between a person and G-d, between a person and others, and between a person and himself. The recitation of Yizkor enables the worshipper to address all three of these relationships. Yizkor elevates not only the souls of the departed but of the worshipper in his or her relationships with the living.
Perhaps that explains Yizkor’s power on Yom Kippur.
Copyright © 2012 by the Intermountain Jewish News
