R. Elie Kaunfer on Acharei Mot-Kedoshim: When God Feels Distant: The Response of the Kaddish

The Kaddish contains an anomaly: a liturgical phrase used to respond to God's name, but no triggering mention of God's name. Noting God’s missing name in the prayer, how are we meant to experience the Kaddish? This is a prayer that highlights our sense of the reality in which we dwell, where God’s presence is often experienced as distant. In a world with so much suffering and destruction, God can feel far away. This prayer, built on a response to the name of God that is never uttered, gives voice to that feeling of distance.