Have you ever stood at a relatives open grave? Have you ever felt the dignity, the terror, and serenity of death? Have you ever heard a voice of a broken heart, of a crushed soul - recite: Yitgadal viyitkadesh shmeh rabah?

Have you ever wondered what these mystical words mean-if they are a sad lamentation for the dead, or a cryptic message from the point of no return?

Have you wondered why even a faithless Jew who has driven G-dliness from his life, who has spurned our traditions- why even he will find the way back to the synagogue, to satisfy a secret longing?

What is the magical mystique of Kaddish that holds the heart? Why the anxiety of parents to have a Kaddish, to pronounce the strange Aramaic words after they pass on?

It is not just the specific words being recited, but the broader concept of Kaddish that touches a Jews essence. Kaddish represents continuity, the golden chain of tradition from Sinai to our time that spans the ages. Regardless of an individuals ability to see it, it is an invisible historic bond that ties our fates together. Whether we fully realize it or not, it lies deep within our subconscious, and surfaces at critical points in our lives, especially where one link comes full circle, and the next link takes over.

This bond survived weary wandering from shore to shore, going astray in the wilderness of life, with human beasts of prey howling wild cries into panicky ears. It survived blind hatred, bigotry and hypocrisy. It is a Divine light amid the muck of human folly.

As the Jew founded his home, this became his undying Ner tamid/ eternal light. As he saw his years roll by, this was his greatest concern. As G-d blessed him with children; as he saw the babes develop into boys and girls; as he felt his own powers grow weaker and their energies extend and increase, this was his main care-that they become flesh of his flesh and soul of his soul; that they assume his supreme duty to feel personally for the Kiddush Hashem of their days.

As he felt his days numbered, his last moments were filled with anxiety.

Will my child remain a good Jew? Not one who uses the name as a mere flag. But one who will carry my name, my work, my fruits. Will they prove true children of Israel, or pursuers after the idols of the multitude? His last tears were as his first prayers, his last hope as his first care:May the Almighty bless my child, that happiness and health be his lot; but, above all, may He give him joy of life and strength and plenty; may He give him eyes to see, a heart to feel where glory lies, where duty is honor. May He open his heart and strengthen his mind; to be and remain a Jew. With this wish he closed his eyes.

The fathers heart beat no more. His kindly eye was closed forever. No more were son and father to meet. The son had stepped into the parents shoes.

He had undertaken the responsibilities for the honor of his house. And there at the open grave, at the last terrible meeting with his beloved he stood in the presence of friends and strangers, and there at the saddest moment of his life he recalled neither his sorrow nor his loss, but his duty.

As a Jew he knew the holiness of the moment, and he framed his resolution in the words holiest to Jewish hearts; there he opened his lips and made a pledge, a holy promise: Yitgadal veyitkadash shmeh rabba, L-rd G-d, I do not murmur against Your decree, I am a Jewish child. G-d, hear my voice at this moment. As my father was dedicated to Your glory and Name, so do I declare Yitgadal veyitkadash. So do I undertake to remember his fidelity, and not forget my duty.

That was the meaning of Kaddish in earlier generations. That is the meaning of the words today. Not a prayer for the dead, but a pledge from the living; not a superstitious phrase, but a mans motto of life. We continue where our parents ceased; we do not allow the heritage of Israel to dissipate in a thoughtless world.

Kaddish is the eternal appeal to the divine spark in a Jewish soul. It is the river of light, the stream of idealism. From its fire the historical body of our people draws the secret of its eternity. The Kaddish is the living consciousness of our obligation to add assets to those acquired by the generations before us.

The great Remember! calls from the dawn of history; Our Father in heaven. We have remembered. We remember our task; the glory of our mission.

Yitgadal veyitkadash shmeh rabba - Sanctified and magnified be Your great name.