Torah

Question: Two mourners are reciting Kaddish at different speeds. How should you answer Amen to their Kaddish?

 Short Answer: Although others disagree, the Mishnah B’rurah rules that if the two mourners are within “toch k’dei dibur” – three or four words from each other – then you may answer Amen to whichever mourner you want, and this will count for both of them. However, if they are more than three or four words apart, then you should answer Amen separately to both of them.

Question: When a parent tells his/her child that he/she does not want Kaddish recited for them, should the child listen?

Short Answer: While the simple understanding is that the child should obey the parent’s request and not recite Kaddish, many Acharonim limit this ruling to specific situations. In most cases, the child should probably recite Kaddish against his parent’s wishes.

Question: Should the person reciting Kaddish recite the words of Y’hei sh’mei rabba out loud together with the congregation?

Question: Should a son say Kaddish for his parent who was a rasha (a wicked person)?

 Short Answer: Yes. According to most poskim, a son should recite Kaddish for a wicked parent. According to some, this Kaddish may be recited all twelve months. Similarly, a convert may recite Kaddish for a parent.

Question: Should a Sefardi who is saying Kaddish in an Ashkenazi shul recite the Kaddish nusach for Sefardim or the nusach of the Ashkenazi shul? The same question applies in the reverse case – an Ashkenazi davening in a Sefardi shul?

Question: May a child say Kaddish for both parents who died within the same year or must he hire someone else to say Kaddish for one of his parents (and for no other individual simultaneously)?