When was the Kaddish written, and what was the circumstances that led to its being written?
Kaddish was written by the Anshei K’nesses HaGedola, the Men of the Great Assembly, which was the first Sanhedrin (Supreme Torah Court) established by the Jews upon returning from the Baylonian/Persian exile to Israel, approximately 70 years after the Destruction of the First Temple.
Its first words are derived from the words of the Prophet, Ezekiel (38:23). We can see from there that prayers of similar content to the Kaddish may have been recited long before the Anshei K’nesses HaGedola, although it was they who formally codified it–as they did for almost all our other prayers.
Kaddish is not said exclusively by mourners. It is also said after a Torah Lecture; indeed it may be that it was originally only recited there.
The first place the Kaddish prayer is mentioned in connection to mourners is in a Midrash which records Rabbi Akiva encountering the soul of an evil father who told Rabbi Akiva that the only way his soul could be elevated would be for his son to recite the Kaddish before a minyan.
When we read the text of the Kaddish (in translation, if necessary) we can see why this beautiful prayer is so special. It expresses in moving and powerful terms our great desire that G-d’s Presence be revealed in the world more openly. As a result, the world would finally become a place where peace and striving to live moral, G-dly lives would be man’s main pursuit and measure of all personal and national success.
Shlomo Shulman