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

“I cannot tear it all down, / rip out the broken heart of it, / and be done with it.”
A person stands on the rocks, overlooking the ocean on a dark day
A complete ritual for releasing frustration and anger in nature.
woman standing in a forest clearing
A poem on the inconsistency of time passing.
roses in hazy summer sunlight
A poem to mark moments in a year of mourning.
hourglass and calendar
A poem about early moments of grief
two ducks on a lake
“All that remains to me / of my family’s life in Ukraine… / are four silver kiddush cups…”
a lit candle glows against a dark background
A poem to mourn the losses of life to AIDS
disco ball in dark room
“12 months of mourning, / Travelling, conjoined, / On our continuing / Separate ways.”
dark water with bubbles of light
Prayer for transferring a deceased body for the process of “natural organic reduction,” also known as “human composting”
small tree shown far away in bright green field with blue sky and clouds
“Any ‘I love you’ / Like water, uncontained / Can have no form.”
woman standing in a canyon stream facing a waterfall

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