A Psychological Midrash on “The ‘Four Worlds’ of the Mourner’s Kaddish with Dr. Robert Winer, psychoanalyst.

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Traditionally, one says Kaddish at least seven times daily, for 11 months while in mourning, and yearly thereafter at the beloved’s Yahrtzeit. In the morning service, before the first Kaddish, I find a curious phase in an introduction to a rather intimate prayer, “Ribbon kal ha’o’la’meem,” literally, “Master of all worlds” (plural). Similar wording echoes in the Aramaic of the first line of the Kaddish said jointly by the mourner and the congregation, “Y’hei sh’meih raba m’var’akh l’a’lam ul’al’meih al’ma’ya,” and typically translated as: “May his great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.” I found that a more literal rendering seems to be behind some of the more mystically-minded Hasidic translations, such as “May his great name be blessed through the four world’s of existence.” This class aims to give attendees an understanding for the basis of the translation “four worlds” and suggests ways for future meaningful and heart-felt personal engagement with it.