When the void left by a loss is gaping and new, Jewish tradition is paved with guidance for mourners.  A final goodbye in Judaism is composed of two themes: ka-vode hamet - treating the deceased with dignity and nihum ah-vay-leem - comforting the mourners.   

The first motions of mourning are focused on getting ready for the burial.  At every turn Judaism fends for the honor of the deceased, based on the belief that the body was created in God’s image and once held a soul.

While Jewish funeral, burial and mourning rites are dignified, they are aimed at keeping expenses at a minimum in consideration of those who cannot afford a lavish sendoff.  Pageantry is shunned to promote healing and to prevent the survivors from turning to the dead as a holy intermediary deserving of worship. 

Survivors are helped through the mourning process via the wealth of mourning traditions. Personal mourning observances are restrictive at first, forcing a mourner to confront sadness and loss.  The laws and customs gradually evolve as time passes, lessening, to urge a mourner to create a renewed connection with life.

Community involvement plays a large role in nihum ah-vay-leem, comforting the bereaved. A community

surrounds the bereaved, visiting during the first seven-day period of mourning and answering amen to the Kaddish, mourning prayer.   Kindness and concern for a mourner, an ahvell, ranks high among the obligations of a Jew. 

The wealth of Jewish customs and laws steady a mourner through the emotional hurricane of loss.

Denominational Perspectives

• Orthodox Perspective
• Conservative Perspective
• Reform Perspective
• Resources
• Recommended Reading