Honoring Our Animal Companions

Pets provide companionship and bring pleasure to our lives. For many of us, these are valuable relationships that add richness and texture to our days. These rituals recognize this special connection and instill holiness into the unique bond between us and our animal companions.

Latest Rituals

A prayer to say upon the death of a beloved pet

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A short ceremony for acting on the decision to put a beloved pet to sleep

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A Hillula for Rav Kook celebrating the role of animals in our lives

woman in sunlit field hugging her dog and giving it a kiss on the head

Shabbat blessings for cats and dogs

Blessing Animals on Friday Night

Rituals for burial, with suggestions for additional ways of memorializing and remembering

Burial Service for an Animal Companion
An article about ways of dealing with the loss of a pet in a Jewish way
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Based on the NACAC (North American Council on Adoptable Children) candle-lighting ceremony
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A guide for creating one’s own ritual for saying goodbye to a companion animal
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The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Presence and Absence: Images of the Divine in Kabbalah

In this study of the Zohar, Rabbi Margie Jacobs will guide you in exploring the Shekhinah, the feminine, immanent, indwelling Sacred Presence, through the use of art materials and reflective writing. Four sessions starting May 7, 2024. 

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The Reconstructionist Network