1) If one prays for mercy on behalf of his fellow Jew, he need not mention the patient’s name. But if he wishes, he may do so. Some say that without question one must mention the patient’s name. Others make a distinction: in the patient’s presence, it is not necessary to mention his name; in the patient’s absence, it is necessary to mention his name.
2) When praying for a sick person (and reciting the mi shebeirach) the patient’s name is mentioned together with that of his mother. The father’s name is not mentioned. The custom of some Ashkenazic communities is the mention the father’s name when praying for the sick.
3) When someone writes a petition (kvittel) requesting a tzaddik to pray for him, he writes his name, even if the tzaddik knows him well; he also writes his mother’s name.
4) When reciting the mi shabeirach for a woman who has given birth, the woman’s name is mentioned together with her mother’s name. Some do it differently, mentioning her name and her father’s name.
5) When reciting the E-l malei rachamim prayer for a deceased person, and in the yehi ratzon prayer after studying Torah for his soul, the name of the deceased is mentioned together with his father’s name. Some do it differently, mentioning the deceased’s name and that of his mother.
6) In the Yizkor service, the name of the deceased is mentioned together with that of his mother.
7) When engraving a tombstone, the name of the deceased is written, together with his father’s name.
8) When praying for a woman, if one does not know her mother’s name, he should mention that she herself is “the mother of ….”
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