Customs
Jewish traditions recognize that death is an inevitable and a necessary part of life. The rituals observed at the time of death and during the mourning are our need to experience our sorrow and to find peace in our loss through our family and community.
Schedule the funeral
Out of respect for the person who has died, a Jewish funeral occurs as soon as possible after death. For most, the funeral usually takes place within a few days of death. The following are days on which a Jewish funeral does not take place and on which Mount Sinai is closed for services.
- Shabbat
Starts at sunset on Friday night and ends an hour after sundown on Saturday night. - Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Shemini Atzeret
- Sukkot
- Pesach (Passover)
First and last days - Shavuot
Traditional rituals are done before burial
- Taharah
A person who has died is ritually bathed so as to leave the world as pure as he or she arrived. Prayers and psalms are recited. The deceased is then dressed in tachrichim. To preserve modesty even in death, men perform taharah for men and women perform for women. - Tachrichim
A person who has died is clothed in a white cotton or linen burial garment. Today, many people are buried in their own clothes. Many men and woman are usually buried wearing their tallit. (prayer shawl) - Sh’mirah
Traditionally, a person who has died is not left alone from death until burial. Sh’mirah can be translated as ‘watching’ or ‘guarding’ and a shomer- a person who guards the body-can be hired to do this.
Unveiling the marker
A marker may be put on the grave any time from the end of Shiva up to twelve months after death. The unveiling ceremony may occur any time between the end of sh’loshim and the first yahrzeit. Usually, an unveiling is done about ten or eleven months after death.
Before the ceremony, the installed marker is covered. Psalms may be recited and someone may say a few words about the person who has died. Toward the end of the ceremony, the covering is removed from the marker and Kaddish is recited by the rabbi and mourners.
Sometimes, the unveiling is the end of the formal mourning period. The ceremony is short, involving only close family members and friends. It is not a request in Judaism, but is a tradition in today’s era.
