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.
Watch the video to learn more about specific Jewish mourning practices and how to be there for your friends and family.
A poem for a yizkor or memorial service. When we remember our loved ones, we inscribe them upon the pages of our memory and they live on in us.
A poem for tearing keriah (rending garments upon hearing of the death of a loved one or at the beginning of a funeral service).
A poetic struggle to draw close to an unknowable divine presence
A prayer to comfort the mourners and acknowledge the divine image in all those who suffer
Including eggs in your seder meal to remind us of the circle of life, and that endings often mark beginnings
Focusing one’s attention on the wildness of death reflected on the face of the mourner.
A fresh translation of the El Maley Rakhamim to remember the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust
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Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
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