The Basics of Jewish Funeral Arrangements

1. The Basics of Jewish Funeral Arrangements Jewish funeral arrangements must be in accordance with specific ​Jewish funeral traditions that have long been established over the course of history. The rituals and practices involved in a Jewish funeral service follow a strong set of beliefs and customs that are entirely based on the Torah. According to Jewish Law, the body came from earth and must therefore be returned to earth in its entirety, thus allowing the natural process of decomposition and reintegration with the soil, which is its primordial source. The body’s integrity and dignity be preserved and respected between death and interment. Because of this, the Jewish forbid embalming of the body, which typically involves the disposition of the body’s innards and the remaking of the hollowed-out shell. They likewise disallow the long display of the dead, which is considered a vulgar affront to the privacy and dignity of body. Cremation is also forbidden, as this violently and prematurely destroys the body. One crucial aspect of ​Jewish funeral arrangements​ is the Chevra Kadisha which is a holy society or brotherhood of men (and women) who have committed themselves to ensuring that members of the Jewish faith who pass on are accorded a rightful Jewish burial. The Tharah or preparation and interment of the body is entrusted to the Chevra Kadisha who conduct the actual cleansing and dressing of the body and are responsible for making sure that the entire funeral, including the burial is in accordance with Jewish funeral traditions. According to Jewish Law, Jews must be buried among fellow Jews. Jewish funeral traditions also dictate that only fellow Jews must be allowed to handle the body of the dead, which includes carrying or wheeling the casket, placing it in the earth, as well as filing in the grave. There are many other specific traditions that you should not forget to include in Jewish funeral arrangements such as the keriah or the rending of garments (for first degree relatives), the hesped or eulogy (where people speak of the good that the deceased did and was), the lavayah or the escorting of the deceased on the way to the cemetery, and the actual burial or kevurah, which is when the body is returned to its primordial source. During the burial, the Tzidduk Hadin is recited followed by the Kaddish and the memorial prayer.The mourning process is then marked by the offering of condolences after the burial.