And your prayers for a dog truly would be a wonderful find.Thank you for the wonderful article and for reaching out to my site after losing my dog.
You might check out the Humane Association. And while it is not my place to say so, I admit I see nothing wrong with saying the Kaddish for a beloved pet.I agree with you on saying Kaddish for dogs, now I juts have to convince my rabbi…Pawsome stone doghouse! i openly cried because yes, my heart ached. I went to evening mass on Saturday, the day after my dogs diagnosis. You think and feel deeply about the subject. It’s such a lovely ritual, I think.I am VERY late reading this Rach, as I am overloaded with work atm. The church I attended for many years as an adult and where my kids were raised was quite liberal. That’s the primary ingredient for proper mourning: love and respect for the passed on one. For me, they were fresh and new.Libby sounds like one of the women I’ve become close to at my synagogue. Thank you. I have lost dogs, but there is no ritual of Jewish mourning for a dog. The other part of your entry that resonated strongly is Judiasm and what meaning you have taken from your faith. The mourners kaddish is a fabulous tool, but so is lighting candles, chanting verses you love over and over again until the verses bring healing.I would be willing to share some ideas with you offline if you want to reach out.Rituals help you become more grounded, but you can use verses, song, or specific traditions that you create or use. I’ve lost four important souls in the past three years…one human and three canine. She had wonderful stories for me because I was one of the few people who hadn’t heard them countless times already. Do Catholic saints have any pull in the Jewish religion? I miss him so much.I had a very good Jewish friend many years ago who was much older than me. The Mourners Kaddish is not actually about death, it is about reiterating faith in God.

Hope you are having a good weekend xx RowenaHi and thanks for looking at my blog.

I don’t think God judges us on our human traditions, it’s the heart that He’s looking in at.I agree, but I seem to struggle with writing prayers. Until then, they will speak the words with the community, be part of and apart from them, and know that they are seen and that they are not alone.Most of Jewish ritual is meant to be practical.
May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon; and say, Amen. To accept, visit this link: Beautiful post. I think the truth is likely a little of each. Maybe that’s blasphemy…but I feel that you would write a lovely prayer of mourning for dogs.

I wish I had a prayer for you, the closest I can get is the sound of Butterfly snoring.Rachel, you ask a very good question about why our faith does not have prayers for other types of losses. The emotional reactions inspired by the Kaddish come from the circumstances in which it is said: it is recited at funerals and by mourners, and sons are required to say Kaddish for eleven months after the death of a parent. It was always so comforting to hear my dad’s name read aloud.No longer a practicing catholic yet very spiritual (yes, I’ve always been a typical “cafeteria catholic”) there are many things I don’t agree with about formal religion. I am so incredibly moved by your entry for a plethora of reasons. I never studied ancient Aramaic, so I only really understand this prayer because of the English translation. And, if I was still a regular attendee at my church I;m pretty sure everyone would be ok with Bailey’s name (Bailey was my previous golden retriever who passed away six years ago) being in the book and being read each Sunday during the Litany. I can write about mourning, but I can’t seem to find the words to mourn with.Thank you for this post Rachel. As for pets, well, animals are not considered fit companions for humans in the Torah. But I’ll have to ask him about that. I agree–we have no rituals for some very important losses, and I’ve come to think the ritual is an important step in our healing! Maybe one day there will be an excavation of a little town outside of Jerusalem, and inside of an ancient stone dog house they will find the lost book of prayers for how to mourn a beloved dog. The paganism enshrined in all religions fascinate me. My nephew took a class in the rules of ritual slaughter last year and he never mentioned prayers said for the life of the animal. I think God would want us to honour and respect all living things, as in the Garden of Eden. Your post and reference to the Mourner’s Kaddish reminds me a bit of the Litany of Saints in the catholic church. All Rights Reserved