160. Kaddish

26:1 There are numerous Midrashim that describe a son saving a parent from judgment by saying Kaddish in their merit. Other things that can serve as a source of merit for the deceased include maftir and leading the prayer service. This is especially true on Saturday nights, as that is the time that souls return to Gehinnom. This is also the case with every maariv service, as judgments are stronger at night. There are variant practices in Kaddish that may be subject to locally-accepted customs.

26:2 In some places, only one person says Kaddish. During the week of Shiva, a mourner is entitled to all the Kaddishes, even if he is a minor or a guest in town, and even if Yom Tov falls during the week and cancels the mourning practices of Shiva. When it comes to Kaddish, we do not say that a part of a day is like the whole day, so even if the mourner gets up from Shiva on the seventh day, he is still entitled to the Kaddish at mincha that afternoon. For saying Kaddish, we count the seven days for Shiva and the 30 days for Shloshim from the day of the burial. If the mourner only learned of the death later and sat Shiva when he found out, he does not have priority in saying Kaddish. Also, if someone dies on Yom Tov, the seven days for Kaddish are counted from the day of burial.