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Kaddish or Mishnayos?

Question:

I live in Israel and my uncle who was in USA was niftar a few days ago at age 96. He was not frum. His only son is not planning on saying kaddish.

  1. First question if I can pay an avreich to say kaddish for him from maeser money? It could be the “going rate” is more than I can afford and my next idea is to pay an avreich to learn mishnoys for the year – presuming I can pay from maeser money.
  2. If both can be paid via maeser money, which is better for his neshama kaddish or mishnayos as I for sure can not do both. Thanks Yirmi

If you need help finding someone to say kaddish etc., let me know.

Best wishes and tizku l’mitzvos

Sources:

Answer:

  1. You may pay an avreich to say kaddish for him from maser money, as it would be considered a mitzva and a chesed for his poor soul. The same would be to pay for learning mishnayos.
  2. This is a tough question. There is a difference between saying kaddish and learning mishnayos. Saying kaddish is in order to save the person from gehinom, whereas learning mishnayos is in order to raise the level of his nishoma from level to level (mishnayos is the same letters as nishoma). It would seem that saying kaddish is more basic, and should have precedence. However on the other hand learning mishnayos in itself is a bigger zechus for the niftar than davening for the amud. Therefore, what would be best would be to pay the avreich to learn a mishna quickly before or in addition to saying kaddish. Additionally, you might consider speaking to the son, that even if he doesn’t want to say kaddish, but he might be willing to fund that someone else should say kaddish etc.

If you need help finding someone to say kaddish etc., let me know.

Best wishes and tizku l’mitzvos

Sources:

Mishpat Utzedakah 1 ftnt. 85, Livushei Mordechai (new edition) Y:D 164-3 Divrei Saul Y:D 376-7, Nshams Yisroel 33-11, R’ Y. Cahen shlit”a.

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