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Category: Death and Dying
Reflections on Death (1973)
Heschel writes in 1973 in "Reflections on Death": Life here and now is the task. Every moment can be an achievement.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
September 22, 2024
CJ Journal - 1945-1959
Confronting Death
Introduction to the Kaddish: For Those who Died in the Israeli War (1957)
Written by S.Y. Agnon in the Conservative Judaism Journal for those who died in the War of 1948, these words are especially fitting today.
Shmuel Yosef Agnon
September 20, 2024
CJ Journal - 1945-1959
Conservative Judaism Journal
A Yizkor for the Victims of October 7th
May God remember all the women, men, and children of Israel who were brutally murdered on the 7th of October.
Rabbi Naomi Levy
September 20, 2024
Death and Dying
High Holidays
Yizkor for the Victims of October 7th
This Yizkor, for the victims of the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, attempts to capture the personal details of the people killed on this ...
Rabbi Dr. Karen Reiss Medwed
September 20, 2024
Death and Dying
High Holidays
Why We Study Mishnah To Grieve Someone Who Has Died
There is a custom of learning and reciting chapters of Mishnah as part of the mourning process. Where does this come from? How does this ...
Rabbi Jeremy Markiz
,
Exploring Judaism
September 3, 2024
Death and Dying
Learning
List of Mishnah Chapters by First Letter
One mourning practice is to use the first letters of chapters of Mishnah to spell out the name of the deceased. Here is a list ...
Exploring Judaism
September 3, 2024
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
Mourning a Miscarriage
While there are no specific rituals for mourning a miscarriage, there are practices and rituals to use in that time that can help healing.
Rabbi Miriam C. Berkowitz
June 19, 2024
Children
Death and Dying
How Mourning Changes You
Pulling on a conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper about mourning, learn about how mourning can change you.
David Harrison
February 19, 2024
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
Remembering Our Loved Ones Before Us
When our loved ones die, who remembers those they remembered? Here's a way to remember all of those that came before us.
Rabbi Miriam T. Spitzer
September 21, 2023
Death and Dying
Family
Mourning: A Rabbi’s Own Perspective
A rabbi, familiar with leading others through the process of mourning, goes through the same. Rabbi David Baum remembers his mother.
Rabbi David Baum
August 25, 2023
Death and Dying
Holidays
What do I do if I can’t go to minyan when saying kaddish?
Saying Kaddish for a loved one is a cherished and prized custom, but it is not the only way to remember and honor the lives ...
Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone
May 19, 2023
Death and Dying
Every Day
Mourning Practices for the Loss of a Parent
The period of mourning for one’s parents is a full twelve months, and serves a deeply therapeutic function for the mourner.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 8, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
When Death is Imminent
Judaism does not recognize any gray area between life and death. Whenever possible, a dying person should not be left alone.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 8, 2023
Confronting Death
Death and Dying
Yahrzeit: The Jewish Anniversary of Someone’s Death
Yahrzeit should be a day given over to remembering and honoring an individual for whom one once sat shivah and is learning to live without.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 8, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
What is Yizkor?
Yizkor consists of a collection of readings and recitations revolving around two central prayers: Yizkor prayers, and the El Malei Rachamim.
Rabbi Alan Lucas
,
The Observant Life (Book)
May 4, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
Tombstone Customs in Judaism
Tombstone customs in Judaism stem from the religious obligation to mark a grave. This is traditionally done with tombstones or stone markers.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 28, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
What Does Jewish Law Say About Autopsies and Organ Donation?
The halakhah does not generally permit autopsies, due to honoring the dead. However, there are two important exceptions to that rule.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 28, 2023
Confronting Death
Death and Dying
Kohanim and Funerals
Kohanim were forbidden to come into contact or share indoor space with the bodies of the dead, apart from their closest of relatives.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 28, 2023
Death and Dying
Funerals
Aninut: What Should Mourners Do Until Burial
The period from the time of death until burial is known as aninut - the customs of the mourners during the initial stages of bereavement. ...
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 26, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
How to Comfort Mourners During Shivah
What do I do when I go to a shivah? Remember that conversation should be about the deceased, not the mourners or the visitors.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 26, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
Jewish Laws and Rituals for Funerals
What are the Jewish laws and rituals regarding funerals? Generally, a ritual washing, burial, and a funeral, each with their own customs.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 26, 2023
Death and Dying
Funerals
What is Sheloshim?
Shloshim are the thirty days that follows the week of shivah and is considered a period of reduced mourning.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 26, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
What is Shivah?
The word shivah refers to the seven days of mourning that follow the burial of a parent, child, sibling, or spouse.
Rabbi Carl Astor
,
The Observant Life (Book)
February 26, 2023
Death and Dying
Lifecycles
What is the Jewish Afterlife?
What does Judaism say about the afterlife? Exploring the inherent conflicts between the different ideas and why that's a good thing.
Emily Jaeger
December 25, 2022
Death and Dying
Every Day