What do you say to mourners at shiva?
Christopher Anderson
Published Mar 20, 2026
What do you say to mourners at shiva?
He has these suggestions for what to say to mourners:
- “I am very sorry for your loss.” (Simple is sometimes the best)
- “May his memory be a blessing.”
- “We loved her and she will be missed.”
- “I am here for you if you need someone to listen.”
- “He was very important to me.”
- “I learned so much from her.”
What do you say when someone is sitting shiva?
It is a mitzvah to visit a house of mourning during Shiva. We visit to offer friendship and sympathy to the mourner. It is customary to say to the mourners: Ha-Makom ye-nachem etchem be-toch she’ar avelay Tziyon vi-Yerushala’yim. May the Lord comfort you together with all mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.”
What are the words of the kaddish?
Text of the Kaddish
| # | English translation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Exalted and sanctified be His great name |
| 2 | In the world which He created according to His will! |
| 3 | May He establish His kingdom |
| 4 | And may His salvation blossom and His anointed be near |
What happens at a shiva service?
Often held at the family’s home, shiva is traditionally a 7-day period of visiting and prayer at which the family receives guests and prays together. Guests are usually welcome to come to the home during this first week, and spend time with and pray with the family.
What is forbidden during shiva?
Many traditional Shiva restrictions include no wearing of new clothes, no shaving for men, no washing clothes, no bathing.
Can you bring wine to a shiva call?
My understanding is that traditions have relaxed somewhat in most religious communities but that wine is permitted even from the first portion of lamentation throughout the period of Shiva. It is not a wake, nor a celebration, not until the first seven days are past.
What is forbidden during Shiva?
What is the Kaddish prayer in English?
English Version… May his great name be blessed, forever and ever. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, honored, elevated and luaded be the Name of the holy one, Blessed is he – above and beyond any blessings and hymns, Praises and consolations which are uttered in the world; and say Amen.
