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.
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“To remember these words / not only / when we lie down in slumber”
A modern vidui (confession) for serious illness or death
“Whatever it takes / to feel each other’s life”
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
In the midst of wailing…a pause for creating
I am never alone
“When I feel most broken / pulled apart / when every door unhinged / is opened / but feels closed”
A poem for the end of a difficult time
The El Maley Rakhamim prayer reconstructed to honor the lives lost to racial violence
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