Jewish bereavement: Encyclopedia - Jewish bereavement

Jewish bereavement

Jewish bereavement - Death and dying

Everything that Jews do regarding death is for one of two reasons: respect for the dead (kavod ha-met) or to console those left behind (nihum avelim).

Jewish bereavement - Death bed

By Jewish law, Jews are forbidden to do anything to hasten a person's death but, are at the same time required to do anything possible to comfort the dying. So the spectrum of what can-and-cannot be done for a person on their deathbed goes to both extremes. There are some who will not touch a dying person for fear that something so mild might bring about their demise.

Jewish bereavement - When a person is defined as dead

It is a subject of great debate in the Jewish religion what constitutes death. Even in Talmudic times, it was unclear whether one should determine death based on breathing or pulse. Recently, however, the subject of the use of brain death as a determinant has been debated. Although several prominent rabbis have written treatises justifying its use, other Jewish leaders, most notably the head rabbi of the Ultra-orthodox community Mea Shearim, discourage this new idea.

There are Conservative/Masorti Jews in various countries, states and provinces who would be organ donors if the laws of the government matched their interpretations of Halakha (Jewish law), but since the declaration of death would be made "early," they will not be organ donors.

Jewish bereavement - Afterlife

While Judaism concentrates on the importance of this world, the fact is that all of classical Judaism does posit an afterlife. The Jewish tradition affirms that the human soul is immortal, and thus in some way survives the physical death of the body. The existence of the soul after death is sometimes described with terms such as Olam Haba (the world to come), Gan Eden (the Heavenly Garden of Eden, or Paradise) and Gehenna (the Jewish equivalent of Purgatory).

The Jewish Messiah, or (Heb. Mashiach use. "Messiah" lit. "anointed") has traditionally referred to a future Jewish king from the Davidic line who will be "anointed" and inducted to rule the Jewish people. In Standard Hebrew the Messiah is often referred to as Mélehִ haMašíahִ מלך המשיח (Tiberian Hebrew Mélehִ hamMāšîªhִ), literally "anointed king." The various Jewish denominations have sharp disagreements about the figure of redemption, and on Messianic era itself..

Jewish bereavement - Preparing the body

In preparing the body, it must first go through the ritual of tahara, or purification. The body is thoroughly cleansed of dirt, body fluids and solids, and anything else that may be on the skin, and then it is ritually purified by immersion in, or a continuous flow of, water. Tahara may refer to either the entire process, or to the ritual purification.

Once the body is purified, the body is dressed in tachrichim, or shrouds, white garments which are identical for each Jew and which symbolically recall the garments worn by the Kohen Gadol (High Priest).

Once the body is dressed, the casket is sealed. Unlike other religions, there is no viewing of the body, and no "open casket" at the funeral.

Jewish bereavement - Vigil

From the moment a Jew dies, a watch is kept over the body and Tehillim are recited constantly by sun or candlight, until the burial service. Although honoring the deceased is the main purpose, at one time the danger of theft of the body was very real. Historically, this watch would be carried out by the immediate family - usually in shifts - but what usually happens today is that people are offered by the funeral home or Chevra kadisha, people to sit as shomrim (guards).

Jewish bereavement - Funeral service

Observant Jews do not have "open casket" services.

Typically, when the funeral service has ended the mourners, starting with the immediate family, come forward to fill the grave. Philosophically, this gives the mourners closure. One custom is for each mourner in turn to take a spade or shovel, held with the "scoop" pointing down instead of up, to show the antithesis of death to life and that this use of the shovel is different to all other uses, to throw three shovelfuls of dirt into the grave. When a mourner is finished, they put the shovel back in the ground, rather than handing it to the next person so that they shouldn't pass along their grief. Also, it is a mitzvah to place the shovels of dirt in the grave; placing the shovel in the ground when you have finished signifies the end of your mitzvah.

Jewish bereavement - Burial

The Torah requires burial, even for executed criminals (Deut. 21:23).

Jews are buried in caskets that aren't hermetically sealed. Man was created from dust, and when he dies his body is supposed to return to the dust (Gen. 3:19).

Jacob and Joseph were embalmed, but that was before the Torah was given.

Unclaimed dead require respectful burial (see Burial in Jew. Encyc. iii. 432b: "met miẓwah").

Jewish bereavement - Jewish view of cremation

Halakha (Jewish law), forbids cremation and holds that the soul of a cremated person cannot find its final repose in Olam Habah, and will not be redeemed.

From a philosophical and ritual standpoint, as with a geneza, Jews bury things as an honorable "internment," and would only burn things as a means of destruction.

During the Holocaust, massive crematoria were constructed and operated round-the-clock by the Nazis within their concentration and extermination camps to dispose of the bodies of thousands of Jews, Gypsies, and other prisoners killed in the camps daily. The bodies of thousands of Jews were thus disposed of in a manner deeply offensive to Orthodox Judaism. Since then, cremation has carried an extemely negative connotation for many Jews.

Jewish bereavement - Community

Jewish bereavement - Chevra kadisha

A chevra kadisha (heb.: lit. "burial society") is a loosely structured but generally closed organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of Jews are prepared for burial according to halacha (Jewish law) and are protected from desecration, willful or not, until burial. Two of the main requirements are the showing of proper respect for a corpse, and the ritual cleansing of the body and subsequent dressing for burial.

Many burial societies hold one or two annual fast days and organise regular study sessions to remain up-to-date with the relevant articles of Jewish law. In addition, most burial societies also support families during the shiv'ah (traditional week of mourning) by arranging prayer services, meals and other facilities.

Jewish bereavement - Zihuy Korbanot Asson ZAKA

ZAKA (heb. זק"א abbr. for Zihuy Korbanot Asson lit. "Identifying Victims of Disaster" – חסד של אמת Hessed shel Emet lit. "True Kindness" – איתור חילוץ והצלה), is a community emergency response team in the State of Israel, officially recognized by the government. The organization was founded in 1989. Members of ZAKA, most of whom are Orthodox Jews, assist ambulance crews, identify the victims of terrorism, road accidents and other disasters and, where necessary, gather body parts and spilled blood for proper burial. They also provide first aid and rescue services, and help with the search for missing persons.

Jewish bereavement - Mourning

The mourners traditionally make a tear in an outer garment (keriah), which is not mended for the duration of the shiv'ah week. For the sake of economy, it is very common for the mourner to put on a small pinned-on ribbon provided by the funeral home, which is then torn and worn throughout the period. The mourners keep minimum personal hygiene, do not wear leather shoes and/or jewelry, the men do not shave, and in many communities the mirrors are covered. It is customary for the mourners to sit on low stools or even the floor, symbolic of the emotional reality of being "brought low" by the grief.

Jewish bereavement - Five stages

Similar to the well-known Five Stages of Grief that were defined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her book "On Death and Dying", (Macmillan Publishing Company, 1969) - Jewish thought has a structured conception of mourning, broken down into five stages.

Shiv'ah (heb. lit. "seven") refers to the week-long period of grief and mourning for a first-degree relative (mother, father, sister, brother, wife, or child). The shiv'ah ritual is referred to by English-speaking Jews as sitting shiv'ah.

Immediately upon the burial of the departed, the first-degree relatives assume the status of avel (Hebrew: mourner). This state lasts for seven days, during which family members traditionally gather in one home and receive visitors. If prayer services are organised in the house of mourning, it is customary for the family to lead the services themselves. It is considered a great mitzvah (religious act) of loving kindness and compassion to pay a home visit to the mourners. Traditionally, no greetings are exchanged and visitors wait for the mourners to initiate conversation. The mourner is under no obligation to engage in conversation, and may in fact, completely ignore his visitors.

The day of the funeral, if the mourner returns before sundown, is considered the first of the seven days, and mourning generally concludes in the morning of the seventh day. No mourning may occur on Shabbat (the weekly day of rest), nor may the burial take place on Shabbat, but the day of Shabbat does count as one of the seven days. If a Jewish festival occurs after the first day, that curtails the mourning period. If the funeral occurs during a festival, the start of the mourning period awaits the end of the festival.

Jewish bereavement - Unveiling

An unveiling ceremony is usually held a year after the death. The cloth or shroud covering the headstone is removed, customarily by close family members. An unveiling signals the end of the period of mourning. The bereaved pay their respects to the deceased, but are encouraged to find closure and move on with their lives.

Jewish bereavement - Visiting the gravesite

It's customary to visit the cemetery on fast days (Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim 559:10) and before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (581:4, 605), and for a Yahrzeit.

Typically, even when visiting Jewish graves of someone you never knew, one would leave a stone at the graveside. This shows that someone has visited, and represents permanence. This is in stark contrast to the customs followed by many others of leaving flowers, which do not live long.

Jewish bereavement - Memorial through prayer

Jewish bereavement - Mourner's Kaddish

Kaddish Yatom (heb. קדיש יתום lit. "Orphan's Kaddish") or the "Mourner's" Kaddish, said at all prayer services, as well as at funerals and memorials. Customs for reciting the Mourner's Kaddish vary markedly among various communities. In most Ashkenazi synagogues, particularly Orthodox ones, it is customary that everyone in the synagogue stands. In Sephardi synagogues, the custom is that only the mourners themselves stand and chant, while the rest of the congregation sits, chanting only responsively.

Jewish bereavement - Yizkor

The Yizkor prayers are recited by those that have lost either one or both of their parents. Those that do not recite the Yizkor prayers (as is the ashkenazi custom) leave the synagagoue until the completion of Yizkor; the reason for this is to advocate long life for the living parents.

The Yizkor prayers are recited four times a year, and are intended to be recited in a synagogue with a minyan. These four Yizkor services are held on Yom Kippur, Shmini Atzeret, on the eighth day of Passover in most of the world (in Israel on the seventh), and on the second day of Shavuot (in Israel on the only day of Shavuot). In the Yizkor prayers Jews ask God to remember and grant repose to the souls of the departed.

Jewish bereavement - Av HaRachamim

Av Harachamim is a Jewish memorial prayer which was written in the late 11th or early 12th Century, after the destruction of the Ashkenazi communities around the Rhine River by Christian crusaders during the First Crusade.

Jewish bereavement - Days of memorial

Jewish bereavement - Yahrzeit

Yahrzeit or Yohr Tzeit, יארצייט, means "Time (of) Year" in Yiddish. The word is also used by non-Yiddish-speaking Ashkenazi Jews, and refers to the annual anniversary of the day of death of a relative. Yahrzeit comes from the German word Jahreszeit (meaning "time of year"). The commemoration is known in Ladino as nohala. It is widely observed, and based on the Jewish tradition that mourners are required to commemorate the death of a relative. Mourners required to fulfill this observance are the children, siblings, spouses and parents of the deceased. The custom is first discussed in detail in Sefer HaMinhagim (pub. 1566) by Rabbi Isaac Tyrnau.

The date of the Yahrzeit is determined by the Hebrew calendar, and falls annually on the Hebrew date of the deceased relative's death.

The main halakhic obligation is to recite the mourner's version of the Kaddish prayer three times (evening, morning, and afternoon). (During the morning prayer service the mourner's Kaddish is recited at least four times.) Mourners also light a special candle which burns for 24 hours, called a "Yahrzeit candle".

Lighting a yahrzeit candle in memory of a loved one is a lovely minhag (custom). While it is not required by halakhah (Jewish law), it is so deeply ingrained in Jewish life, it is difficult to imagine not doing so, and doing so honors the memory of those no longer with us in life.

It is customary to fast on the day of the Yahrzeit. While some Jews still do this, among many Orthodox Jews it has become customary to complete a tractate of Talmud or a volume of the Mishnah on the day prior to the Yahrzeit, in the honor of the deceased. A halakha requiring a siyum (celebratory meal), upon the completion of such a study, overrides the requirement to fast.

Jewish mourners are required to commemorate the death of a first-relative (mother, father, brother, or sister). The main halakhic obligation is to recite the mourner's version of the Kaddish prayer at least three times (morning, afternoon and evening). Though not required by Jewish law, mourners also light a special candle which burns for 24 hours, called a "Yahrzeit candle". Many synagogues will have lights on the wall, with names of synagogue members who have passed. Each of these lights will be lit for individuals on their Yahrzeit, and all the lights will be lit for a Yizkor service. Some synagogues will also turn on all the lights for memorial days, such as Yom Ha'Shoah.

Jewish bereavement - Yom Ha'Shoah

Yom Ha'Shoah (heb. lit. "Day of the Burning") takes place on the 27^th of Nisan and is known as Holocaust Rememberance Day. This day is not only to remember those who perished (Jews and non-Jews alike), but also to recall the tragic events of the Holocaust. Many times there is also a focus on modern movements of Holocaust denial and on new anti-semitism. Common addages associated with this day are "Never Forget" as well as "Those who forget the past, are doomed to repeat it."

Jewish bereavement - Yom Hazikaron

Yom Hazikaron (heb. lit. The Day of Rememberance) takes place on the 4^th of Iyar in Israel. It is a day to honor Israeli veterans and remember fallen soldiers. It also commemorates fallen civilians, slain by acts of terrorism against Israel and Jews. [1]

Jewish bereavement - Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av (heb.: צום תשעה באב lit. 9^th of Av) is a fast day, that commemorates two of the saddest days in Jewish history – the destruction of both the first Temple (587 BC) originally built by King Solomon,(see Solomon's Temple), and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE on this same date. Also on this date in 1290, King Edward I signed the edict compelling the Jews to leave England. The Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492 also occurred on this day. World War I also is said to have started with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on this date.

Jewish bereavement - Fast of the First Born

The Fast of the Firstborn (heb. Ta'anit B'chorim) refers to a unique Jewish fast day which usually falls on the day before Passover (Shabbat is an exception, and will change the day). The fast's name commemorates the salvation of the Jewish firstborn during the plague of the firstborn (the tenth of the ten plagues: Exodus (12:29). It is said that G-d feels regret for having to take the lives of the Egyptian firstborn, and that this day is a day of mourning for the Jews on behalf of those Egyptians. Unlike most Jewish fast days, only firstborns have the custom to fast on the Fast of the Firstborn. In traditional congregations, this fast is only followed by men, but, in modern times, Conservative/Masorti Jews, and Reform Jews have made an egalitarian effort to include women in the fast day as well.

See also

Jewish bereavement - General

• Judaism
• Death
• Burial / Cremation
• Mourning

Jewish bereavement - Jewish concepts and topics

• Olam Haba
• Gehenna
• Holocaust

Jewish bereavement - Jewish ritual

• Tehillim
• Shiv'ah
• Yahrzeit
• Av HaRachamim
• Kaddish
• Yizkor

Jewish bereavement - Jewish organisations

• Chevra kadisha
• ZAKA

Jewish bereavement - Jewish memorial days

• Yom Ha'Shoah
• Yom Hazikaron
• Tisha B'Av
• Fast of the firstborn

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Jewish bereavement", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki