This fourth volume in the Jewish Lights Prayers of Awe series is edited by Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman who has served for more than three decades as professor of liturgy at Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. His work combines research in Jewish ritual, worship, and spirituality with a passion for the spiritual renewal of contemporary Judaism.
In this scholarly collection of essays, commentaries and introductions, Hoffman has put together a history of the ideas behind Yizkor (the Jewish memorial service) and a testament to Jewish piety. The more than 30 contributions are from ancient and modern scholars, rabbis, theologians, and authors, representing all Jewish denominations. They share their ideas and ideals about the art of memorializing within Judaism and the importance of the High Holy Day liturgy.
Perhaps Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso (one of our favorite writers of children's books) best explains the plea of the worshipping community in the Yizkor prayers: "I believe that when we say in our Yizkor prayers, 'May God remember the soul of my beloved,' we are doing just that. The prayers are mirrors through which we see more clearly the soft glow of our loved ones. We call forth the many ways they have changed us, not just how they have touched our hearts, but also how they have literally altered our brains, the very people we are."
The sacred messages of the Yizkor service are in sync with the emphasis of Yom Kippur, which Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur explains is the day when Jews "face our own mortality and dive into our deaths by playing the dead."
