Kaddish  

קדיש 

In most communities, all mourners in the synagogue recite Kaddish together. It is advisable for them to maintain a uniform pace, so that the congregation can answer “Amen” to all of them at the same time. For this reason, in some communities all those saying Kaddish gather together in a particular area of the synagogue. In some Ashkenazic communities it is customary for only one person to recite Kaddish, and the sexton of the synagogue establishes a rotation for who will recite which Kaddish and when, based on priorities established by halakha.

One recites Kaddish while standing. As for the rest of the congregation, the Sephardic practice is for them to listen and respond while sitting, while the general Ashkenazic custom is to stand. 

Some instances of Kaddish during prayer are recited by the prayer leader and not specifically by a mourner, although a mourner often serves as prayer leader. Kaddish is recited at the following times during the prayer service: The Rabbis’ Kaddish is recited by the mourners in the synagogue between the passage beginning Rabbi Yishmael omer and the beginning of Pesukei DeZimra. If there are no mourners present, the prayer leader should say it. According to the nusah Ashkenaz tradition, between the first passage of Pesukei DeZimra (Psalms 30) and Barukh She’amer (“Blessed is He who spoke”), the mourners recite the Mourner’s Kaddish. If there are no mourners, this Kaddish is not recited.

At the end of Pesukei DeZimra, the prayer leader says Half Kaddish. After Tahanun the prayer leader again says Half Kaddish. Following the Torah reading, Half Kaddish is recited, generally by the Torah reader. At the end of Uva LeTzion the prayer leader says Full Kaddish. Then, according to the nusah Sepharad tradition, after the Song of the Day the mourners recite the Mourner’s Kaddish. If there are no mourners present, a member of the congregation who has no parents should say Kaddish. If there is no one in the congregation who can say Kaddish, it is not recited.

At the end of Pitum haKetoret (“the incense mixture”), the mourners say the Rabbis’ Kaddish. If there are no mourners, it is recited by the prayer leader. After this Kaddish, someone, generally one of the mourners, says Barekhu. After the Aleinu prayer the mourners recite the Mourner’s Kaddish. The order of the passages and recitation of Kaddish in the Sephardic tradition is similar to that of nusah Sefarad.

Further reading: For more on the structure of the daily prayers, see the chapter on prayers, p. ﻿483.

In the nusah Ashkenaz tradition, the order is somewhat different, but Kaddish is recited the same number of times. After Aleinu the mourners say the Mourner’s Kaddish; then the congregation says the Song of the Day; then the mourners recite the Mourner’s Kaddish. In Israel, it is customary for congregations that use the nusah Ashkenaz format to then recite Pitum haKetoret, following which the mourners or the prayer leader recite the Rabbis’ Kaddish; and then Barekhu is said on days when there is no Torah reading.

There are synagogues in which it is customary to hold a short Torah study session (of Mishna or halakha) or to recite chapters of Psalms after the prayer service, to give the mourners the opportunity to recite an additional Rabbis’ Kaddish.

In the afternoon service, the prayer leader recites the Half Kaddish after Ashrei and mourners recite the Mourner’s Kaddish after Aleinu. According to the Sephardic tradition, the Kaddish is recited before Aleinu, after the recitation of Psalms 67.

In the evening service according to the nusah Sefarad prayer format, the mourners recite the Mourner’s Kaddish after the Shir HaMa’alot that precedes Aleinu, and at the end of Kaddish one of the mourners says Barekhu. According to the nusah Ashkenaz prayer format, mourners say the Mourner’s Kaddish after Aleinu. In Israel it is customary to say Barekhu following the Kaddish.

This is a general review of the recitations of Kaddish in the daily prayers. On Shabbat, festivals, and holidays there are changes to the order of the prayers and the recitation of Kaddish. 

In many synagogues it is customary that at the completion of public Torah study attended by at least ten men, one of those present recites the Rabbis’ Kaddish. In order to ensure that the conditions for reciting the Rabbis’ Kaddish are properly fulfilled, one of the men first reads aloud the following mishna:  

“Rabbi Hananya ben Akashya says: The Holy One, blessed be He, sought to confer merit upon the Jewish people; therefore, He increased for them Torah and mitzvot, as it is stated (Isaiah 42:21): ‘It pleased the Lord for the sake of His righteousness to make the Torah great and glorious’” (Makkot 3:16).

One reason for reciting this mishna is that it consists of aggada (a rabbinic statement that does not deal with matters of halakha), and the Rabbis’ Kaddish is recited after matters of aggada but not halakha. Another reason is that while the study session is ongoing, people often come in and out, and therefore it is not always clear that ten men actually heard and participated in the class. Consequently, this mishna is read aloud to ensure that all those present are paying attention. This particular mishna was chosen from the many passages of aggada, as its content, praise of the Torah and its commandments, is particularly relevant.

In most communities, all mourners in the synagogue recite Kaddish together. It is advisable for them to maintain a uniform pace, so that the congregation can answer “Amen” to all of them at the same time. For this reason, in some communities all those saying Kaddish gather together in a particular a