A Journey Through the Kaddish

Wednesdays, November 15, 22, 29, December 6, 13, 20, 2023

12-1:30 p.m. EST

“Yitgadal v’Yitkadash…” The opening words of the Kaddish are familiar and also complex. An essential part of the prayer service, the Kaddish arrives in different forms and serves a variety of needs during the service. What does it mean to understand it fully, to own the words and the meaning – and even to write your own?

1. “Pshat” Kaddish: Focused on God’s name, we explore how God accompanies us through our religious services and our lives.
2. Praise in the Kaddish: What does it mean to praise God? Are there alternate ways to understand this awareness and or understanding of God?
3. Kaddish D’Rabbinan: Explore learning as a act of connection, mindfulness and a primal Jewish obligation.
4. Hatzi Kaddish: Examine the concept of Holy Separation and the function of the Kaddish in separating rubrics in the service.
5. Kaddish Shaleim: What is Holy Wholeness? How does divine Completion manifest itself for us?
6. Mourner’s Kaddish: Deepen your understanding of mourning with the Divine at your side in sorrow and recovery.

Whether you’ve said the Kaddish many times before or haven’t recited it yet, this Immersion will offer you the opportunity to dive deep into the prayer and offer your own versions.

All sessions will be recorded and sent to participants. We encourage live attendance for you to get the most out of the experience.

Trisha Arlin is a liturgist, writer, performer, and student of prayer in Brooklyn, NY. She has served as a liturgist, scholar, and artist in residence and taught for venues including the National Havurah Committee’s Summer Institute, Ritualwell.org, Haggadot.com, and for synagogues around the country. She is a builder of Bayit’s Liturgical Arts project. Trisha received a BA in Theater from Antioch College in 1975 and an MFA in Film (Screenwriting) in 1997 from Columbia University. In 2009/2010, Trisha was an Arts Fellow at the Drisha Institute. In 2011, she graduated from the sixth cohort of the Davennen Leadership Training Institute (DLTI). Trisha’s liturgy has been used in services, for ritual occasions, and at venues of many denominations nationwide. She is the author of Place Yourself: Words of Poetry and Intention (a collection of liturgy and kavannot). Her work has appeared in a variety of journals, siddurim, and collections of liturgy and can be found online at TrishaArlin.com, Ritualwell.org, and opensiddur.org.