Mourn
Jewish Views on Organ Donation
Jewish views on organ donation are overridden by a single halakhic (legal) concept: pikuach nefesh—the Jewish obligation to save lives.
Ultra-Orthodoxy and Organ Donation
After learning the results of an experiment involving a decapitated sheep, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach decided to permit organ donations.
Themes in Death and Mourning
Though traditional sources on the laws of mourning are quite detailed and specific, an acquaintance with this legal literature reveals a number of overarching themes and principles.
A Yizkor prayer for stillborn and infant deaths
A contemporary rabbi offers a prayer to be recited throughout the year by parents who have suffered neonatal loss.
Death and Special Issues of the Body
An overview of autopsy, organ donation, and cremation in Jewish tradition and practice.
Confronting Death Before Death Confronts Us
Why we are afraid to think about death--and why we must.
The Ethics of Burial and Mourning
The Jewish approach to death and mourning reflects a two-part ethic: the equal treatment of rich and poor in death, and the importance of channeling, and then limiting, our mourning.
Burial and Mourning: A Liberal Approach
The questions that a liberal Jew asks when a loved one dies often go beyond the strict requirements of Jewish law.
Social Action Aspects of Death and Mourning
Giving charity, time, and effort is a traditional and significant way of honoring the memory of one who has died.