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Death & Mourning

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.

A Ceremony for a Woman in a Coma Near Death

A creative vidui to be recited at the bedside of a person near death [more]

Found In: Preparing for Death

On Seeing a Change for the Worse and Death Is Near

Blessing a dying person with a safe departure and a welcoming presence in the world to come [more]

Found In: Preparing for Death

Gift of the Daughters

A ritual of gratitude for the life of a person who is dying [more]

Found In: Preparing for Death

Feminist Interpretation of Psalm 23

A feminist interpretation of Psalm 23 [more]

Found In: Funeral & Burial

Tags: Psalm 23, unveiling, yizkor

Kaddish, Re-valued

An original interpretation of the Kaddish, illuminating the idea of God. [more]

Found In: Mourning & Bereavement

Tags: kaddish

Each of Us Has A Name

"Each of us has a name given by God and given by our parents…" —poem by modern Israeli poet Zelda. [more]

Found In: Funeral & Burial, Death & Mourning, Holocaust Remembrance Day

Tags: Marcia Falk, unveiling, yizkor

For Women of Valor, Past and Present

A modern version of the traditional Kabbalat Shabbat reading to honor those we admire and value [more]

Found In: Mourning & Bereavement, Friday Evening

Tags: eshet hayil, yizkor

Baby Brother's Gone to Heaven

Description by a mother of her six-year-old son's response to the death of his stillborn brother [more]

Found In: Fertility, Pregnancy & Adoption, Mourning & Bereavement, Pregnancy Loss

Tags: loss of a child, miscarriage

A Grieving Ritual Following Miscarriage or Stillbirth

A ritual divided into three parts: Mourning the Loss, Choosing Life Again and Communal Support and Blessings. A contemporary ritual with selections in Hebrew taken from the Psalms, Job, and Deuteronomy. [more]

Found In: Mourning & Bereavement, Pregnancy Loss

Tags: miscarriage, stillbirth

I Lost a Child But Did Not Mourn Her

A personal account describing the author's experience of stillbirth before rituals were developed to encourage mourning [more]

Found In: Mourning & Bereavement, Pregnancy Loss

Tags: loss of a child, miscarriage, stillbirth