Keeping Watch: the Shomer Why have a Guardian - Shomer?
The honor due to the dead, k’vod hamet, has traditionally encompassed the appointment of a guardian or Shomer to stay alongside the body until the burial takes place. A Shomer would also ward away thieves and scavengers. For this reason, there are those who maintain that around the clock staffing at a mortuary precludes the need for a Shomer today
The modern mortuary and funeral home arrangements have made the Shomer’s task less direct because bodies are kept in storage, but family and friends can still make arrangements to remain near the body, even if they cannot see it. Jewish funeral homes, the Chevra Kaddisha, and synagogue bereavement committees may know of people who are prepared to act as Shomerim.
A Shomer’s Duties
The solemn watch over a body is traditionally a silent one except for the reading of Psalms, especially Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my Shepherd…”) and Psalm 91, which speaks of God as a guardian against harm and as a consoler. It is considered in poor taste to eat in the same room as one who cannot enjoy the pleasures of this world anymore. The night of vigil is a quiet space for reflection. It is a time of stillness before the intensity of the funeral.
Autopsy
Autopsies are looked upon as a violation of the sanctity and dignity of the human form. Whenever possible they should be avoided except in cases where determining cause of death is necessary to satisfy medical or legal needs. Judaism places a high value on preserving life. An autopsy that would turn up clues in treating hereditary or unusual illnesses may be advised. Civil authorities may demand an autopsy in the case of homicides, suicides and accidental deaths.
A halachic thinker in eighteenth century Prague, Rabbi Ezekiel Landau, ruled in favor of autopsies when the cause of death would be of immediate help to a doctor treating another person who was suffering similar symptoms.
The decision deserves discussion with a rabbi, and a specific request to not undergo an autopsy should be honored.
Embalming
Jacob and Joseph were embalmed before burial (Genesis 50:2,26) as per the custom of the time. The rabbis in the Talmud frowned on the practice as disrespectful to the deceased. Embalming involves the introduction of a preservative and the removal of some organs to prevent decay. Jewish burial practice looks to lay a person to rest in a natural state without manipulating the body unnecessarily.
The aim to preserve a body are contrary to the Jewish view “for you are dust and to dust shall you return.” (Genesis 3:19)
Ritually Preparing A Body for Burial - Tahara Why is the Corpse Bathed?K’vod hamet, honoring the deceased, finds its greatest expression in the act of ritually cleansing a body before burial. In mystical thought, all water streams from its original source in the rivers of Eden. Water thus carries with it the power to return those who immerse in it to the first moments of creation, when the world was pure.
The Tahara – the word means purification – symbolizes a transformation of status. The body, which was created in the image of God, has now served its purpose in life and is readied to be put to rest.
The Tahara Process
To preserve the dignity of the deceased, men bathe men, women bathe women. A cloth covers the body at all times, except for the parts of that are being washed. Throughout the Tahara, the body is kept face up in another gesture of respect.
The body is placed on a table with a drain. The Tahara is done with lukewarm water, and the body is cleansed beginning with the right side of the body. The hair is combed the hair and the fingernails are cleaned. At the close, the body is raised and immersed in a mikveh, a ritual bath, or a steady stream of water is poured over the body as the Chevra Kaddisha pronounces tahor hu, he is pure, or tehorah hee for a woman, three times. Then the body is dressed in shrouds and placed into the casket. Some communities have the custom of placing ashes on the eyelids to recall the words “unto dust you shall return.”
At the close of the Tahara, all those who participated in the ritual will ask forgiveness from the deceased for treating it with inadvertent disrespect.
Taking part in a Tahara is considered a great mitzvah. The Orthodox community’s Chevra Kaddisha will generally accommodate any request for a Tahara regardless of personal observance or affiliation. As Conservative Judaism re-embraces Jewish mourning traditions, some communities have formed Chevra Kaddisha groups of their own. Unlike Orthodox groups which take the traditional view that a close family member’s participation in the Tahara is too painful, a Conservative Chevra Kaddisha is likely to welcome family members who wish to take part in this mitzvah.
Funeral home staff may be prepared to perform the Tahara upon request. If they are unfamiliar with the practice, the mortuary may allow you to prepare the body.
Cost
In general a Chevra Kaddisha will not require a fee for its services. A minimal supply fee may be charged or waived if need be.
Shrouds - Tachrichim Origin of Jewish Burial Shrouds
Before the destruction of the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E., Jews were buried in the clothing they wore in life. Elaborate burial costumes became the fashion, distressing poor families who could ill afford this expense and began neglecting Jewish funeral rites to avoid the cost.
Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel II, the head of the Sanhedrin, central Jewish court, in 125 C.E., introduced the custom of using plain linen shrouds for rich and poor alike. In death we are all equal before God, he said, setting the tone for the low-key Jewish burial customs followed today.
What Shrouds Look Like and Why
Traditional shrouds are hand stitched and have no fasteners, zippers or buttons. All closings are done with slipknots. Mimicking the dress of the Kohen-priests in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Tachrichim consist of pants, tunic, head covering and belt. Shrouds have been made without pockets since the 16th century when the custom was born to emphasize the triviality of accumulating wealth.
Men are sometimes cloaked in a ceremonial white kittel jacket, which some men wear at their wedding, on Yom Kippur, and at the Seder table.
Men and women are dressed in the same Tachrichim. Men used to be the only ones wrapped in a tallit, but if a woman wore a tallit in life, she is wrapped in one, too. Make your wishes clear. In life, a tallit must have four fringed corners to be valid. Before the tallit is used for burial, one of the fringes will be cut to symbolize that death ends the obligation to fulfill mitzvot.
Choosing Other Burial Wear
If traditional linen shrouds are preferred but are too expensive, shrouds of any material are fine. Shrouds can be shipped from a Jewish funeral home by overnight delivery.
A preference for burial in clothing, and not shrouds, should conforms to the humble spirit behind the tradition. Bear in mind that the Jewish approach is that money is better spent on those in need than buried.
