September 2005

Jewish practices for death and mourning

The formation of the Chevra Kaddishah (Jewish Burial Society) has piqued my interest: what are the essential elements of Jewish practices for death and mourning?

Jewish mourning traditions emphasize two important values related to death and mourning: honor for the departed and comfort for the living. The dead are to be treated with dignity and respect through a framework of traditional practices for expressing grief and preparing the dead for burial. Judaism also teaches equality in death: as a result of this philosophy, we discourage expensive coffins or extensive floral displays at funerals.

Burial. Congregation Beth Israel is currently forming a Chevra Kaddishah, under the leadership of Gordon Wolfe, to provide what is considered by Jewish tradition as "the truest kindness," that of caring for the deceased. A Chevra Kaddishah is a group of Jewish volunteers who take on the sacred duty of taharah, washing and preparing the dead for burial in accordance with traditional Jewish law. The deceased is dressed in simple shrouds and placed in a closed wooden coffin so that the body can gradually return to earth. Traditionally, embalming is only done if required by civil law (such as transporting a body). In Jewish tradition, the deceased is never left unattended prior to burial, which often requires the services of volunteers from the Chevra Kaddishah. It is a mitzvah to bury the dead, and those attending a funeral are fulfilling the mitzvot of halvayat ha-met, accompanying the dead, and nichum avelim, comforting the mourners.

Mourning. Judaism offers a sound psychological process for gradually adjusting to a death in the family: the intense, week-long shivah period of mourning followed by a less-intense period of mourning that can range from 30 days to up to a year. Reciting the mourner's kaddish at services helps the mourner achieve the difficult task of reaffirming faith and life within the context of a supportive community. On the anniversary of the death, according to the Hebrew calendar, it is customary to observe Yahrzeit (year's time) by reciting Kaddish with a minyan and lighting a 24-hour candle on the eve of the Yahrzeit. Tzedakah (charity) is given in order to do a mitzvah (good deed) on behalf of the departed.