Funeral reading
El Malei Rachamim
Traditional memorial prayer
“El Malei Rachamim” by Traditional memorial prayer is a prayer read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about a minute and a half read aloud, usually by the officiant. It is in the public domain but too long to print in a ceremony script, so this page points at a full text rather than reproducing one.
Why the words are not printed here
The Hebrew is ancient and the English is not — every English version of this is a modern translator’s work, so we do not print one. Ask the funeral home, or the family’s rabbi or cantor, to chant it. They will almost always say yes, and it is theirs to lead rather than yours.
Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.
What it is about
The memorial prayer. Ask about the Hebrew name before you plan on leading it.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: memorial prayer · perfect rest · the Hebrew name · under the wings of the presence.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “El Malei Rachamim” take to read aloud?
“El Malei Rachamim” takes about a minute and a half read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “El Malei Rachamim”?
Usually the officiant rather than a guest reader. “El Malei Rachamim” runs about a minute and a half, which sits inside the part of the service the officiant is already leading, and keeping it there means it is carried by the person who has rehearsed it.
Can “El Malei Rachamim” be printed in a ceremony script?
Not in full here. The Hebrew is ancient and the English is not — every English version of this is a modern translator’s work, so we do not print one. Ask the funeral home, or the family’s rabbi or cantor, to chant it. They will almost always say yes, and it is theirs to lead rather than yours.
Can a friend or family member lead “El Malei Rachamim”?
The Hebrew name matters here, and so does the pronunciation — this prayer names the person and their parent. Ask the family for the Hebrew name written out and said aloud, and ask the funeral home or the family’s rabbi or cantor whether they would rather chant this themselves. Most will.
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Mourner's Kaddisha minute and a halfTraditional, Aramaic
- The Lord's Prayer40 secondsMatthew 6, King James Bible
- Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace50 secondsAttributed to St Francis of Assisi
- Words of Committal (Book of Common Prayer, 1662) — short form20 secondsBook of Common Prayer
- In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)30 secondsBook of Common Prayer
- Eternal Rest (Requiem aeternam)10 secondsTraditional Catholic prayer