While Judaism places great emphasis on our lives in this world, death is an inevitable end for all of us. Often Jews who have been distant from traditional Jewish practice for their whole lives seek the comfort of traditional Judaism in the face of death. For mourners, whose lives are often turned upside down by death, the traditional practices of mourning can provide structure and comfort.
This traditional prayer for the dead, with its mournful, rhythmic incantation, actually makes no mention of death but rather affirms God's presence in life. It is recited daily by mourners throughout the period of mourning. [more]