My mother's yahrzeit

Can you believe that it's been five years since my mother passed away?  Wow.

But she died Feb 21, 2010, so there you go.

In some Jewish traditions, the death of a family member is observed as a yahrzeit.  The Kaddush, the memorial prayer, is done at the end of every Shabbat service.  At the end of the prayer, the names of those commemorated are read.  The rabbi usually encourages congregation members to call out names of others.

We will go to a local reform congregation.  We are not members.  However I called the office and asked for my mothers name to be read.  I then will give a monetary donation, not necessary but customary.  My mother would want me to do that.  She always gave money to the rabbi's discretionary fund.  I don't know why.

Sometimes, a yarzeit is also observed by a special kind of candle (pictured) though I don't think I've done that.  Really, it should have been done last week but I had some treatment that day.  My brother and sister were together in the Bay Area, I thought they might do it, but they didn't.  So I will observe it this evening accompanied by my husband, my daughter Susanna and maybe Megan.

I've done it for my mother these last years.  My father died 8 years ago on April 19.  I'm conflicted with that as it's my birthday.  I don't think there was a particular reason or intention that his death happened that day, it just did.  I should probably do it for him also.

New rabbi over at Beth Am.  I would go there occasionally.  They used to have a dynamic married couple as rabbis.  I liked them; I didn't realize how much they added until last I went and they weren't there.  They now have a new rabbi.  Music has always been very important to this congregation.  They have an early acoustic music shabbat....6:15.  The idea is that families would attend a short shabbat service and then go home and have shabbat dinner at home.  That's not going to quite work but an interesting idea.