Please join us in person as Rabbi Meeka leads a special memorial service to recite the Yizkor prayers for our dearly departed loved ones.

Yizkor means "remembrance" in Hebrew. It refers to memorial prayer-services held four times a year: during pilgrimage holidays (also known as Festivals) Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot. Festivals are the 4 pilgrimage holidays mentioned specifically in our Torah. One example: it says in Leviticus 23:23-25 the following, “God spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month (Tishrei. Remember that in Torah times, first month was Nissan, thus 7th month was Tishrei), on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall bring an offering by fire to God”.

We, as Jewish people, believe in the eternity of the soul. It has been a common belief that by saying Yizkor, remembering a loved one and giving charity in a loved one's name – this helps his or her soul gain merit from our good deeds. Jewish literature has always focused intently on “remembering.” Yizkor in its different forms appears in the Bible 228 times, referring to such diverse elements as Shabbat, with זכור את יום השבת לקדשו or Amalek’s attack on the Israelites, זכור את אשר עשה לך העמלק , and other such references, intended to remind us to Never Forget.

The Torah’s repeated foundation, “because you were slaves in Egypt,” draws on collective memory to promote moral and ethical behavior among all of us: “do not enslave, or treat others poorly, as you must remember how YOU were treated before God freed you out of Egypt.” This suggests that all Jews are bound as One in a shared autobiographical and historical experiences.

Lechayim, to life and health, Rabbi Meeka