Funeral and Shiva Overview:

Just as there is a proper way to live as a Jew, there is a proper way to bury and mourn those who die.  A Jewish funeral is a sacred rite and should be invested with both dignity and simplicity as taught by Jewish tradition. 

The family of the deceased should consult the Rabbi as soon as possible when death occurs.  The Jewish way of dealing with death is one part of a larger philosophy of life in which all persons are viewed with dignity and respect. Our people believe that, even after death, the body, which once held a holy human life, retains its sanctity. Our sages have compared the sacredness of the deceased to that of an impaired Torah scroll which, although no longer useable, retains its holiness. In Jewish tradition, therefore, the greatest consideration and respect are accorded the dead. 

Jewish law and tradition have endowed funeral and mourning practices with profound religious significance. To this end, Jewish funerals avoid ostentation; family and visitors reflect in dress and deportment the solemnity of the occasion; flowers and music are inappropriate; embalming and viewing are avoided; and interment takes place as soon as possible after death. 

A Hevra Kadisha, a holy society traditionally supervises funerals in Jewish communities, consisting of volunteers who aid the bereaved and ensure that appropriate practices are followed. In some communities this is carried out by local cemetery societies or by funeral homes which observe Jewish customs and traditions.  The preparation and burial of the body are highly valued mitzvot. It is a chesed shel emet, an act of kindness performed without ulterior motive, for the dead cannot repay this service. 

SHIVA:   

Mourners are those whose parent, spouse, child or sibling has died.  Shiva is the seven-day period of intensive mourning observed by the immediate family of the deceased beginning on the day of the burial. During the entire shiva period mourners are encouraged to stay away from work or school, and to remain at home. It is, also, a time to contemplate the meaning of life and the manner in which adjustment will be made to the death of the beloved. Public mourning observances are suspended on the Shabbat  in view of the belief that the sanctity and serenity of this day supersedes personal grief. Mourners are permitted, and encouraged, to attend Shabbat services; but they are not given an aliyah, may not conduct services, and they do not display the k'riah publicly. The major festivals terminate shiva. (For details consult Rabbi Kane) Since Judaism teaches that the feeling of loss of a human life is not limited to the descendent's family alone, but is shared by the entire community, it is customary for the name of the deceased to be recalled at the Shabbat service after the funeral.

 E-mail Rabbi Kane .  You may also call the CSI office at (914) 762 - 2700 during business hours (Mon -Thu 9 - 5 and Fri 9 - 3) or call Rabbi Kane on his cell phone (914) 671 - 4301.   PLEASE NOTE THAT NO MESSAGES OF ANY KIND ARE RETRIEVED ON SHABBAT OR YOM TOV.    

E-mail Cantor Shiovtiz. 

For a complete guide to the Jewish traditions of death and mourning from the United Synagogue Of Conservative Judaism click here.