Whenever a Jew is killed by a Palestinian, it saddens me just to see the names of victims announced. Sometimes I wonder why their names are followed by “
Coming from an Asian (non-Jewish) background, it’s hard to find such information. But this detail matters to me now because, well, I care.
So what does
hy”d : May God avenge his blood
hy”d is the acronym of this sentence,
השם יקום דמו
ha’shem yinkom damo May God avenge his blood
If someone is murdered or he died of an attack, then “
To me, it feels like it is a reminder to God, not to forget how these lives were sacrificed… and to bring the focus and to surrender all in God’s hands. If God doesn’t act, we are all just ashes…. what can we do?
So, Hy”d HaRav
What does BDE mean?
So, it looks like BDE is another abbreviation? Yes! It means the following
ברוך דין האמת Baruch Dayan ha’Emet
Blessed Is the True Judge
On a Jewish funeral, you will come across this word often. It is painful to lose someone you love, but you can choose to praise God in the hardest hour. It is also putting faith in God once again, and to believe that He knows everything and He is in control. God is good.
It is a way to honor God, when you are the most vulnerable.
z”l：May his memory be a blessing.
z”l (ז״ל) is the acronym of this sentence,
זיכרונו לברכה zechrono levracha
May his memory be a blessing.
It is like RIP (Rest in peace), but a lot more specific. May his memory be a blessing. This is the memorial of Menachem Begin, the former prime minister of Israel. So when his name is mentioned, it is
For me, the purpose to know these details is not just for new information, but to understand how Jewish people face death. The emotions are real, and it is sad whenever an unrighteous death happens… especially in Israel.
Let’s turn our eyes to the Creator.
May God avenge his blood.
References & Additional Reading
