Death & Mourning

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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

“I sit beside you / as twilight turns to night…”
This powerful ritual is designed for parents who have faced infant loss.
“Now, your breath is within me. / And Kaddish is like a love letter.” 
“May the Shekhinah drive you home in her taxi…”
Elliott batTzedek shares an original interpretation of the Kaddish.
Rabbi Marina Yergin shares a new ritual for mourning.
“I offer instead / my presence…”
“In this place, this sacred place, in the Court of Justice, the Court of G-d, / we are all equal, and we are all a blessing.”
“Abraham sat all night with the body of his beloved that he bathed tenderly…”
An greeting for mourners orienting towards one another.

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