El Malei Rachamim
El Malei Rachamim, “God, full of mercy”, is said at the funeral, at the azkara, at the unveiling and on the yahrzeit. Type the name and the prayer appears in the right form for a man or a woman, in Hebrew, in transliteration and in English, ready to print.
The father’s name is customary; some families use the mother’s. Use the Hebrew name, not necessarily the everyday one: Baruch rather than Bernard. Without Hebrew letters, the Hebrew text leaves a blank to fill in by hand.
אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, שׁוֹכֵן בַּמְּרוֹמִים, הַמְצֵא מְנוּחָה נְכוֹנָה עַל כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה, בְּמַעֲלוֹת קְדוֹשִׁים וּטְהוֹרִים כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ מַזְהִירִים, אֶת נִשְׁמַת ______ שֶׁהָלַךְ לְעוֹלָמוֹ, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁנָּדְבוּ צְדָקָה בְּעַד הַזְכָּרַת נִשְׁמָתוֹ. לָכֵן בַּעַל הָרַחֲמִים יַסְתִּירֵהוּ בְּסֵתֶר כְּנָפָיו לְעוֹלָמִים, וְיִצְרֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֶת נִשְׁמָתוֹ. ה׳ הוּא נַחֲלָתוֹ, וְיָנוּחַ בְּשָׁלוֹם עַל מִשְׁכָּבוֹ, וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן.
Transliteration
El malei rachamim, shochen bam’romim, ham’tzei m’nucha n’chona al kanfei haSh’chinah, b’ma’alot k’doshim ut’horim k’zohar harakia mazhirim, et nishmat ______ shehalach l’olamo, ba’avur shenadvu tz’dakah b’ad hazkarat nishmato. Lachen ba’al harachamim yastireihu b’seter k’nafav l’olamim, v’yitzror bitzror hachayim et nishmato. Adonai hu nachalato, v’yanuach b’shalom al mishkavo, v’nomar: Amen.
In English
God, full of mercy, who dwells on high: grant perfect rest upon the wings of the Divine Presence, among the holy and the pure who shine like the brightness of the sky, to the soul of ______, who has gone to his eternal home, for charity has been given in remembrance of his soul. May the Master of mercy shelter him in the shadow of His wings for ever, and bind his soul in the bond of life. The Lord is his inheritance; may he rest in peace in his resting place. And let us say: Amen.
The text contains a name of God. Many who print it keep the page and later put it in a genizah rather than throw it away.
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When is El Malei Rachamim said?
At the funeral, at the azkara on the shloshim and the yahrzeit, and at the headstone unveiling. It is usually chanted by the cantor or read by a family member, followed by the Mourner’s Kaddish when there is a minyan. It is also part of the Yizkor service on Yom Kippur and the festivals.
Apart from Yizkor, many communities do not say El Malei Rachamim on days when Tachanun is not said, such as Rosh Chodesh, the month of Nisan and the festivals. When the yahrzeit falls on such a day, communities differ on when to say it instead; ask the synagogue.
Why does it speak of charity?
The prayer says that charity has been given in remembrance of the soul, so the family pledges charity in the person’s memory. Many add “bli neder”, “without a vow”, so that the promise is not a binding vow, and give it afterwards.
In Sephardi communities: the Hashkavah
El Malei Rachamim comes from the Ashkenazi tradition. Many Sephardi and Mizrahi communities say the Hashkavah instead. It is a different prayer in the same spirit, read from the prayer book.
About the text
This is the common wording. Some communities say “beneath the wings” (tachat kanfei) instead of “upon the wings”, and some add “b’gan eden t’hei m’nuchato”, “may his rest be in the Garden of Eden”. In the Hebrew, God’s four-letter name is abbreviated (ה׳), but the first word of the prayer, אֵל (El), is itself a name of God. The note under the prayer says what many do with the printed page.
When is the yahrzeit?
The calculator finds the Hebrew date of death and the yahrzeit for the next ten years.
Common questions
Does El Malei Rachamim need a minyan?
No, it can be said without one. The Kaddish that follows it is what needs a minyan.
Father’s name or mother’s name?
Usually the father’s (“ben” for a son, “bat” for a daughter). Some families do otherwise, so use the name your family uses.
What is said after it?
The Mourner’s Kaddish, if there is a minyan. The verses of Psalm 119 by the letters of the name usually come before it, with the other psalms.