The certificate already says the important part: a tree has been planted in the Land of Israel, and for whom. Your message is the personal line underneath, so it can be short.
How long should the message be?
Two or three short lines read best. About 45 characters fit on a line, and a long message is set in smaller type to fit. If you have more to say, say it in a card or a call; let the certificate carry one clear sentence.
Memorial wording
- *May their memory be a blessing.*
- *Forever in our hearts.*
- *A living tribute to a beautiful soul.*
- *May their soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life.*
- *May HaMakom comfort the family among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.*
- *She loved this land. Now a part of her grows in it.*
- *For Grandpa, who planted something good in all of us.*
Sign it the way the family knows you: *With love, the Levine family* or *From your friends at Temple Beth El*.
Honor and thank-you wording
- *In your honor, with gratitude for everything you have taught us.*
- *For our rabbi, whose words keep growing in us.*
- *Thank you for being there when it mattered.*
Simcha wording
- *Mazel tov on your simcha!*
- *Welcome to the world. May you grow tall and strong like this tree.*
- *In honor of your bar mitzvah. Keep growing.*
- *To a lifetime of shade and fruit together. Mazel tov!*
Writing the Hebrew name
A Hebrew name is usually written with a parent's name: *ben* (son of) or *bat* (daughter of). For example, Moshe ben Yaakov or Sarah bat Avraham. Write it in Hebrew letters if you can; it is printed under the English name. If you are not sure of it, leave it out. The English name alone is complete.
On a memorial certificate, ז״ל ("of blessed memory") is added after the name for you, so there is no need to type it.