Memorial and Yizkor Prayers
Here’s a list of memorial and yizkor prayers — as well meditations and prayers on grief and mourning — with brief descriptions and links to each prayer. Some are written in the form of traditional yizkor prayers and focus on classic themes of mourning. Others address modern social issues, such as organ donation and death by violence. Here’s a link to prayers for Yom HaShoah. To read a particular prayer, click on the title.
Yizkor Prayers
- In Memory of an Organ Donor – For an organ donor
- At the Hand of Violence – For one who dies by violence
- Yizkor for a Lone Soldier – For a Lone Soldier in the IDF
- After a Sudden Death – When death comes out of the blue
- At the Hand of Anti-Semitism – For those who die as the result of anti-Semitism
- Yizkor for First Responders – To be said for first responders, particularly those died in the line of duty; part of “A Liturgy for 9-11”
Memorial Prayers
- On Lighting a Memorial Candle – A meditation
- At the Hand of Terror – For all who died as a result of 9-11
- Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders – For 9-11 first responders
- At the Hand of Terror II – A 9-11 memorial
- In Memorium: Sandy Hook – A memorial prayer
- For the Children of Newtown – For victims and survivors
- After a Deadly Anti-Semetic Attack – A memorial prayer
- Bombing at the Boston Marathon – For victims and survivors
- Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer – A memorial
- The Soldiers on this Mountain – Har Hertzl welcomes new heroes
Grief
- After Shiva – For healing in the quiet after a shiva ends
- For the Bereaved – A prayer for healing from grief after a death
- For Bereaved Children – For children facing a loved-one’s death
- Meditation on the Burial of a Young Child – A moment of sorrow
- This Wound – Seeking G-d’s help to heal
- Shall I Cry? – Love is a thing of this earth
- For Healing the Spirit – A call to heal
- Regarding Old Wounds – Let go of the past
- R’fuat HaNefesh – Healing the soul
- Private Meditation of the Death of a Beloved Public Figure – For scholars, teachers and others
Meditations Near the End of Life
- Near the End: A Meditation – On reaching the end
- Angel of Rest – When the angel of death arrives
- Things Break – On the fragility of life
- Every Beginning – Every beginning brings an ending
- Dwelling Place – This is my dying place
- Gather Me – My bones will not be left behind
- Season of Sorrow – A season for every emotion
- On the Journey to My Child’s Passing – A parent’s prayer
Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.