The Kaddish's Day In
Court
The case of a wealthy American Jew who passed away and left
a large inheritance to his son came before an American court.
The father stipulated in his will that the son may only claim
his inheritance on the condition that he observes the recitation
of Kaddish upon his passing. If his son refuses to say Kaddish
every penny of the monies are to go to the charities listed in
the will.
The son, being irreligious, refused to observe the recitation of
Kaddish claiming that the stipulation of Kaddish was religious
coercion and felt that Kaddish was a Jewish religious obligation
and as such should not have any validity. The Judge would not
rule on this case without understanding the significance of the
Kaddish. “I can’t judge this case without understanding its
basic details. Bring me a copy of the text in English and then
I’ll decide”.
A copy of the text in English was dispatched to the judge. Upon
review of the translated text, the Judge exclaimed, “How
impudent is this son to claim that belief in the eternity of the
soul is a matter of religious coercion and that reciting the
Kaddish is practicing religion. Why, there is not even one word
contained in this text that relates to raising the soul of the
deceased in Heaven! It is only a declaration of the moral values
of God; of elevating the lofty principles of justice contained
in the Bible and of spreading the ideals of peace throughout the
world – “May there be abundant peace from heaven”. These are
simply the fundamental principles taught in the Bible that are
accepted throughout the civilized world!”
The Judge refused to grant the heir the inheritance without
fulfilling the original stipulation of reciting the Kaddish.
(Adapted from in Tuvcha Yabi’u, by Rav Yitzchak
Zilbershtein Vol. 2, Parshas Re’ay and Serenade The King,
Feldheim Publishers, New York)
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