The Holiday You’ve Never Heard Of: Why Shmini Atzeret Matters
You might not have heard of Shmini Atzeret, but here’s why it matters and what new meaning you can gain from it.
Neil S. Plakcy
You might not have heard of Shmini Atzeret, but here’s why it matters and what new meaning you can gain from it.
The purpose of the shiva is to comfort the bereaved individual or family, there are a few basic steps for when you attend one.
Heschel writes in 1973 in “Reflections on Death”: Life here and now is the task. Every moment can be an achievement.
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.
May God remember all the women, men, and children of Israel who were brutally murdered on the 7th of October.
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 day.
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 work?
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 to help.
While there are no specific rituals for mourning a miscarriage, there are practices and rituals to use in that time that can help healing.
Pulling on a conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper about mourning, learn about how mourning can change you.
When our loved ones die, who remembers those they remembered? Here’s a way to remember all of those that came before us.
A rabbi, familiar with leading others through the process of mourning, goes through the same. Rabbi David Baum remembers his mother.
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 of loved ones.
The period of mourning for one’s parents is a full twelve months, and serves a deeply therapeutic function for the mourner.
Judaism does not recognize any gray area between life and death. Whenever possible, a dying person should not be left alone.
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.
Yizkor consists of a collection of readings and recitations revolving around two central prayers: Yizkor prayers, and the El Malei Rachamim.
Tombstone customs in Judaism stem from the religious obligation to mark a grave. This is traditionally done with tombstones or stone markers.
The halakhah does not generally permit autopsies, due to honoring the dead. However, there are two important exceptions to that rule.
Kohanim were forbidden to come into contact or share indoor space with the bodies of the dead, apart from their closest of relatives.
The period from the time of death until burial is known as aninut – the customs of the mourners during the initial stages of bereavement.
What do I do when I go to a shivah? Remember that conversation should be about the deceased, not the mourners or the visitors.
What are the Jewish laws and rituals regarding funerals? Generally, a ritual washing, burial, and a funeral, each with their own customs.
Shloshim are the thirty days that follows the week of shivah and is considered a period of reduced mourning.
The word shivah refers to the seven days of mourning that follow the burial of a parent, child, sibling, or spouse.
What does Judaism say about the afterlife? Exploring the inherent conflicts between the different ideas and why that’s a good thing.