Death & Mourning

Stone wall with Hebrew letters engraved on a rectangular plaque.

While Judaism places great emphasis on our lives in this world, death is an inevitable end for all of us. Often Jews who have been distant from traditional Jewish practice for their whole lives seek the comfort of traditional Judaism in the face of death. For mourners, whose lives are often turned upside down by death, the traditional practices of mourning can provide structure and comfort. Here you will find resources that address each aspect of the process of navigating death and mourning—from the moment of death, to the burial of the body, the tearing of clothes, the weeklong practice of shiva, and the recitation of kaddish.

 

Latest Rituals

Our neighborhood has lost dozens and dozens of community members and beloveds, to gun violence in just the last few years, and we are not alone

A woman with closed eyes and clasped hands in deep thought or prayer, with a blurred green background.

In the midst of wailing…a pause for creating

sunrise over foggy mountains

“When I feel most broken / pulled apart / when every door unhinged / is opened / but feels closed”

abstract image of wire shapes filled with prismed bubbles

A poem for the end of a difficult time

woman dancing with string lights on a city street

The El Maley Rakhamim prayer reconstructed to honor the lives lost to racial violence

a person in shadow bent in grief

Applying the Jewish ethical system of Mussar to the grieving process

An older couple in white shirts; the woman is covering her face with her hand, while the man talks to her.

A poem on transforming mourning into dancing

Person in a white dress stands in a golden wheat field at sunset, with arms gently outstretched.

Reflection on commemorating loved ones

shadows-holding-hands-walking-on-dark-desert-road-toward-mountains

What balm will ease my suffering?

Silhouette of a person partially opening a sheer curtain, with soft natural light filling the room.

The Reconstructionist Network

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Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

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