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שבת השבוע · 16:02–17:11

אבלות וקבורה

Mourning and Burial

אֲבֵלוּתaveilut
ממתין לבדיקת מומחים

Jewish tradition places emphasis on respect for the deceased (kavod ha-met) and on comforting the bereaved. The funeral should be prompt and simple; mourning proceeds in successive periods: shiva, shloshim and, for parents, a year. Customs vary between communities and movements.

התרגום לעברית בהכנה. מוצג הטקסט המקורי.

01

Before the funeral

הלכה⁂ לאימות

The Torah requires the dead to be buried on the same day; halakhah derives from this that a funeral should not be needlessly delayed, the exception being the honor of the deceased (e.g. the arrival of family).1,2

מנהגארצות צ׳כיה⁂ לאימות

The burial society (chevra kadisha, חֶבְרָה קַדִּישָׁא) performs the ritual washing (taharah) and dresses the deceased in a simple white shroud (tachrichim). The Prague burial society is among the oldest in Europe.3

הלכה

Before the funeral the closest relatives tear their garments (keriah), as biblical figures already did.4,5

02

The funeral

הלכהישראלתפוצות⁂ לאימות

Traditional halakhah requires burial in the earth ("for dust you are, and to dust you shall return") and rejects cremation. Reform Judaism permits cremation; in the Diaspora coffins are commonly used, while in Israel burial is often in a shroud only.6

מנהג

Those present help fill the grave with earth; after the burial the Kaddish is said. On leaving, people form two rows for the mourners to pass through and say words of comfort.

מנהג עממי

Flowers are not traditional; when visiting a grave, people commonly place a small stone.

03

Periods of mourning

הלכה

The Talmud distinguishes three days of weeping, seven days of mourning and thirty days, and warns against excessive grief. Seven days of mourning already appear in the account of Jacob's burial.7,8

הלכה⁂ לאימות

During shiva (שִׁבְעָה) the mourners stay at home, sit low, do not work and receive visitors; the first meal after the funeral (seudat havra'ah) is prepared for them by others. Shabbat and holidays interrupt public mourning.9

מנהגישראלתפוצותאשכנזים⁂ לאימות

After shloshim (30 days), mourning for most relatives ends; for parents it lasts a year. The anniversary of the death (yahrzeit) is marked with a candle and kaddish. The unveiling of the gravestone takes place, according to custom, after a year (in the Diaspora) or after 30 days (in Israel).

04

The Czech lands

היסטוריהארצות צ׳כיה

The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, administered by the Jewish Museum, with the gravestone of the Maharal, is among the most important Jewish burial grounds in Europe.3,10

שאלות נפוצות

How should one behave when visiting a shiva house?

Traditionally one does not begin a conversation before the mourner speaks; the visit should be more a quiet support. On leaving, a formula of comfort is said.⁂ לאימות

May kohanim attend a funeral?

According to halakhah, descendants of priests avoid contact with the dead and with cemeteries, except for the funerals of their closest relatives.

Why are small stones placed on graves?

It is a widespread custom with several popular explanations (the permanence of memory, marking a visit); it is not a halakhic requirement.

מקורות

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