Mourning & Bereavement

Traditional Jewish mourning and bereavement practices are designed to help us bear our grief. But sometimes we need something more: a poem that captures our imagination, a creative ritual that addresses the particularity of our grief, a song that speaks to our heart. May you find a measure of comfort in your time of need.

Latest Rituals

Mikveh Hamayim

“12 months of mourning, / Travelling, conjoined, / On our continuing / Separate ways.”
  • by Tiferet Welch
mikveh
dark water with bubbles of light

Rivkah’s Gentle Din

“Any ‘I love you’ / Like water, uncontained / Can have no form.”
  • by Tiferet Welch
grief, kabbalah
woman standing in a canyon stream facing a waterfall

It’s Not About Letting Go

“what I really need to work on is letting in”
  • by Bonnie Gruszecki
grief, mourning
white hand holding lit candle in small glass jar

First Hanukkah Without Mom

“For the first time / I will miss / The Hanukkah lights”
  • by Twilla Tiferet Welch
grief, mourning
nine candles lit against black background

Ceremony: For Sandy Hook, After 10 Years

“Teach us to spin apart the light in this dark.”
  • by Rabbi Annie Lewis
grief, mass shooting, Sandy Hook, Uvalde
person holding lit tea light candle near rows of other lit tea lights

Prayer for the World’s Turning: When a Revolutionary Soul Dies

“because you breathed / because you dreamed”
  • by Devon Spier and Rachel Stomel whose teaching is credited in the work
grief, social justice
coral colored stone with the word remember on it with line of stones in the background in various shades of coral and beige

Prayer After the Death of a Difficult Person

“i am the rock that burst open”
  • by Devon Spier
grief, mourning
headstone with hebrew writing and stones on top

Adam v’Mayyim: The Prayer Becomes the Praying

“We are here / To find the cracks / At the edges of possibilities”
  • by Tiferet Welch
creation, grief, hope, yizkor
mountains sunrise fog clouds

Remembrance Brings Forth Life: A Kaddish for Peace

“We can envision this world and beyond as havens of peace”
  • by Marc Jacobs
grief, peace
landscape of pink-tinted mountains with person standing and sky above with one cloud on the right side

Mar Heshvan

“Whatever is being born / In the darkened seed / Of Mar Heshvan / Is welcomed”
  • by Tiferet Welch
grief
autumn forest with path between trees and waning light

The Reconstructionist Network

Reconstructing Judaism logo

Read & Rite

One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects

Placement Office

Placement resources for rabbis and congregations

Havaya Summer Programs

Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience

Reconstructionist Educators of North America

Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis

Learning to Say "We": Writing Identity

In this immersion, we will reflect and expand on our personal experiences of identity, using writing exercises and in-depth discussions to think about, challenge, discover, explore, and experiment with different ways to identify ourselves, to consider how those ways connect us to and separate us from others, and how they represent and misrepresent aspects of who we are.

Four sessions, starting June 15th

REGISTER NOW

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.