Mourning Rituals

Judaism bestows a special status on a person whose grief is so fresh it’s all consuming.

Resources for finding — and remembering — the Hebrew anniversary of a loved one's death.

What's the appropriate post-mortem care for a Jewish person?

Prompt burial of the deceased helps to preserve the dignity of the human being, who is made in the image of God, even in death.

The specific prohibitions on mourners during the shiva period reflect the mourner's sense of estrangement from the life force.

It may feel like walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

An Audio Sample

A number of Sephardic shiva customs involve individual and communal study.

The earliest phase of mourning, aninut, which occurs between death and burial, applies to immediate family members.

The Kaddish originated as an expression of praise to God following a learned discourse.

The Kaddish responds to three questions: Is there a God? Why do people die? What is the meaning of life?

Shoveling dirt onto the coffin is the family's final ritual act of honoring the dead.