Among the honorifics in Judaism, there are several traditional honorifics for the dead which are used when naming and speaking of the deceased. Different honorifics may be applied depending on the deceased's particular status. These honorifics are frequently found on gravestones, on memorial walls inside the sanctuary of synagogues, in speeches, and in writing, such as in obituaries.
In writing, it is most common to use the name followed by an abbreviation of an honorific, either in Hebrew or English. For examples, see the chart. Hebrew abbreviations use a special punctuation mark called the gershayim (״).
Comparison chart
The following chart shows different honorifics used, along with their abbreviation in Hebrew and English, their translation, the masculine and feminine forms, the type of person which the honorific is applied to, and examples.
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" align="center" | English<br />abbreviation
! rowspan="2" align="center" | Hebrew<br />abbreviation
! colspan="2" align="center" | Full phrase in Hebrew
! rowspan="2" align="center" | English translation
! rowspan="2" align="center" | For whom used
! rowspan="2" align="center" | Example
|-
! align="center" | For a man
! align="center" | For a woman
|-
| align="center" | <br />
| align="center" |
| align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | of blessed memory; or<br />may his/her memory be a blessing
| align="center" | a holy or a<br />righteous person
| align="center" | Israel Israeli Z״L or Israel Israeli ז״ל or Rabbi Israel Israeli Z"L or Rabbi Israel Israeli ז״ל
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | may the memory of<br />the righteous be a blessing
| align="center" | a holy or a<br />righteous person
| align="center" | Maran Ovadia Yosef ZT"L or Maran Ovadia Yosef ZTz"L or Maran Ovadia Yosef זצ״ל
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | may the memory of the holy be a blessing
| align="center" | a holy person, not necessarily a martyr
| align="center" | Judah Halevi ZK"L or Judah Halevi זק״ל
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | may the memory of the righteous and holy be a blessing
| align="center" | a righteous and holy person, not necessarily a martyr
| align="center" | Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Bloch ZTVK"L or Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Bloch זצוק״ל
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | may the memory of<br />the righteous and<br />holy be a blessing<br />for the life of the world to come
| align="center" | an outstandingly holy person
| align="center" | Rabbenu Tzadok Hacohen (may the memory of the righteous and holy be a blessing for the life of the world to come) or Rabbenu Tzadok Hacohen זצוקללה״ה
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| colspan="2" align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | may his merit shield us
| align="center" | an outstandingly holy person
| align="center" | Rabbi Menachem Mendel Shneersohn ZY"A or Rabbi Menachem Mendel Shneersohn זי"ע
|-
| align="center" |
| align="center" |
| align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | <br />
| align="center" | may Hashem avenge his / her blood
| align="center" | martyred Jews or Jews killed by antisemites
| align="center" | Hana "Hanička" Bradyová HY"D or Hana "Hanička" Bradyová הי״ד
|-
| align="center" |HK"M
| align="center" |הכ״מ
| align="center" |הריני כפרת משכבו
Hareini Kaparot Mishkavo
| align="center" |הריני כפרת משכבה
Hareini Kaparot Mishkava
| align="center" |may I be an atonement for his/her resting
| align="center" |a parent who has passed within a year
| align="center" |Jacob Golberg HK"M or Jacob Golberg הכ״מ
|}
General honorifics
Some honorifics may be used for any individual. These honorifics are generally not used for rabbis or other special persons, since the specific honorifics for those people are used instead, as a sign of honor and respect. See below.
May he rest in peace
The single most common funerary salutation in Jewish inscriptions from Rome in the 3rd and 4th centuries is ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἡ κοιμήσις αὐτοῦ/αὐτῆς/σοῦ May he/she/you rest in peace. Joseph S. Park argues that it is distinctively Jewish, relating to the Jewish concept of death-as-sleep, although it also appears in a period Christian inscription. It is equivalent to Hebrew י/תנוח בשלום and משכבו בשלום (cf. Is. 57:2), found on 3-6th century Jewish tombstones from Zoara, in modern-day Jordan. Park argues that שלום by itself is also intended as the equivalent, but that שלום על משכבו means instead May his tomb be left in peace.
Of blessed memory
The most common honorific is of blessed memory or may his/her memory be a blessing. The Hebrew transliteration is zikhrono livrakha (m.) / zikhronah livrakha (f.) (Hebrew: (f.) / (m.)). It is often abbreviated in English both as OBM and as Z"L. The Hebrew abbreviation is .
In the past, it was common to use this expression for living people as well. In the Babylonian Talmud, it is mentioned that a person should say this expression about his dead father, in addition to the phrase "[May] I be the atonement of his resting-place."
Peace be upon him/her
An alternative honorific is Peace be upon him/her. The Hebrew version is alav ha-shalom (m.) / aleha ha-shalom (f.) (Hebrew: (m.) / (f.)). It is abbreviated in English as A"H. The Hebrew abbreviation is .
This phrase is the same as the Islamic honorific peace be upon him (which is used for all prophets of Islam). However, unlike in Islamic usage, the English abbreviation PBUH is not commonly used for the Jewish honorific.
The above two may be used interchangeably; however of blessed memory is the most common.
The term עליו השלום did not appear in Hebrew literature until the early Rishonic period, a century after its introduction in Judeo-Arabic. According to the theory of Michael Broyde, after the Arab conquest the Arabic phrase ("peace be upon him") was translated to Hebrew and was used for any deceased person, a usage which spread to the Jews of Christian Europe beginning in the 12th century. The phrase is more common in Islamic literature as an honorific for saints, and over time in Hebrew it came to predominate over (the classical Hebrew honorific for biblical figures), and by 1600 usage of had disappeared, leaving (or its feminine/plural forms) as the only expansion of .
May HaShem avenge his/her blood
The honorific May HaShem avenge his/her blood is generally used for an individual who has been murdered through martyrdom or other acts of antisemitism such as the Holocaust, pogroms, genocide, or terrorist attacks. The term has also been used for Jewish IDF soldiers who are killed in battle with the enemy and was approved by the IDF in 2024 to appear on military headstones at the request of the family. The Hebrew phrase is ' (m.) / ' (f.) / ' (pl.) (Hebrew: (m.) / (f.) / (pl.)). The English abbreviation is HY"D, the Hebrew one .
May I be an atonement for his/her resting
An appropriate honorific within the first year after one’s parent passes is May I be an atonement for his/her resting. The Hebrew transliteration is Hareini Kaparot Mishkavo (Hebrew: הריני כפרת משכבו)(m.)/Hareini Kaparot Mishkava (Hebrew: הריני כפרת משכבה)(f.) It is abbreviated as HK”M/ הכ״מ in Hebrew. This is used particularly when making a statement attributable to the deceased. Many authorities say it should be used whenever mentioning the deceased.
Other
Other expressions used to add to the names of people who died: "the deceased", "rest of Eden", "rest in peace". It is customary to sign the tombstones with the initials תַּנְצְבָ"ה (תְּהִי נִשְׁמָתוֹ צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים (according to the language of the verse: May his soul be bound in the bond of life.).
Holy and the righteous
The abbreviation zy״a stands for zekhuto yagen ʿalenu "May his merit shield us", and often follows the mention of meritorious righteous ones. A variant is zya״a, which adds amen at the end. This expression stems from the belief that a righteous person who passes to the next world can serve as an advocate before God for his remaining community. Other acronyms of this type are ( "his soul in the heavenly vineyards") and ( "died to his world").
Memory of the righteous
The honorific "May the memory of the righteous be a blessing" is used after the names of holy rabbis and other saints people, and "the name of the wicked shall perish" on a wicked person.
See also
- Bereavement in Judaism
- Honorifics in Judaism
- Chazal