Mishnayot by the letters of the name

When are Mishnayot learned for the soul?

During the shiva, friends and relatives learn in the house of mourning, since the mourners themselves do not study Torah during shiva. Many divide the six orders of the Mishnah between them and finish by the shloshim. Learning continues through the twelve months, and each year on the yahrzeit, before the azkara or in synagogue.

How are the chapters chosen?

• By the first name (one or two names), without the surname. Some add the letters of the father’s or mother’s name.
• A final letter counts as the ordinary letter. When a letter repeats, its chapter is learned again.
• After the letters of the name come the mishnayot of נשמה: chapter 7 of Mikvaot, whose mishnayot 4–7 open with the words nafal, sheloshah, mikveh, hitbil. Some learn the whole chapter.

There is no single binding list. The chapters here follow the list Chabad publishes; other lists choose other chapters, and any chapter that opens with the letter is fitting. Some learn one mishnah per letter instead of a whole chapter.

Learning with understanding

Learning Mishnah means understanding it. A little with understanding (with a commentary, or with someone who knows the material) is better than a lot read without it. Learning in pairs, or in a group that meets at the shiva, is also a way of talking about the person.

After the learning

With a minyan, Kaddish d’Rabbanan is said. Many also say a prayer for the soul, “Ana Hashem malei rachamim”, printed in prayer books and study booklets for mourners. At an azkara, El Malei Rachamim or the Hashkavah follows.