Comprehensive volume on Jewish death and mourning. Question-and-answer format explores the laws, observances and customs that relate to Jewish mourning. Includes a special inspirational section and readings for the bereaved.

From beloved New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist—the definitive guide to Judaism’s end-of-life rituals, revised and updated for Jews of all backgrounds and beliefs. From caring for the dying to honoring the dead, Anita Diamant explains the Jewish practices that make mourning a loved one an opportunity to experience the full range of emotions—grief, anger, fear, guilt, relief—and take comfort in the idea that the memory of the deceased is bound up in our lives and actions. In Saying Kaddish you will find suggestions for conducting a funeral and for observing the shiva week, the shloshim month, the year of Kaddish, the annual yahrzeit, and the Yizkor service. There are also chapters on coping with particular losses—such as the death of a child and suicide—and on children as mourners, mourning non-Jewish loved ones, and the bereavement that accompanies miscarriage. Diamant also offers advice on how to apply traditional views of the sacredness of life to hospice and palliative care. Reflecting the ways that ancient rituals and customs have been adapted in light of contemporary wisdom and needs, she includes updated sections on taharah (preparation of the body for burial) and on using ritual immersion in a mikveh to mark the stages of bereavement. And, celebrating a Judaism that has become inclusive and welcoming. Diamant highlights rituals, prayers, and customs that will be meaningful to Jews-by-choice, Jews of color, and LGBTQ Jews. Concluding chapters discuss Jewish perspectives on writing a will, creating healthcare directives, making final arrangements, and composing an ethical will.

A Step-by-Step Guide for Honoring the Dead and Empowering the Living When someone dies, there are so many questions—from what to do in the moment of grief, to dealing with the practical details of the funeral, to spiritual concerns about the meaning of life and death. This indispensable guide to Jewish mourning and comfort provides traditional and modern insights into every aspect of loss. In a new, easy-to-use format, this classic resource is full of wise advice to help you cope with death and comfort others when they are bereaved. Dr. Ron Wolfson takes you step by step through the mourning process, including the specifics of funeral preparations, preparing the home and family to sit shiva, and visiting the grave. Special sections deal with helping young children grieve, mourning the death of an infant or child, and more. Wolfson captures the poignant stories of people in all stages of grieving—children, spouses, parents, rabbis, friends, non-Jews—and provides new strategies for reinvigorating and transforming the Jewish ways we mourn, grieve, remember, and carry on with our lives after the death of a loved one.

This is a very detailed guide to the traditional aspects of Jewish observances of Death and Mouring. It is a must for every Jew -- Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, or un-affiliated!

This account of the traditional customs that are practiced when a Jewish person dies provides an anthropological perspective on Jewish rites of mourning, and explains the cultural meaning behind Jewish practices and traditions.

Remember My Soul provides the comforting voice of wisdom at life's most painful moment. Drawing on decades of experience in Jewish outreach and counseling people who have lost a loved one, Remember My Soul, was written specifically for people with little or no prior knowledge of Judaism and the way Judaism understands and approaches death, loss and mourning. People who have suffered a recent loss-and those for whom a distant loss continues to be a struggle-will find in these pages insight, inspiration and resolution. Remember My Soul includes: *An explanatory journey through shiva and all the aspects of Jewish mourning. *A thirty-day guided path of insight and reflection based on the ancient tradition for benefiting the soul of the departed. *Ten questions people ask about death and the afterlife. *Personal reflections from people who have lost a loved one about how Jewish rwisdom and traditions enable one to cope with a loss and relate to death in the bigger picture of life

Jewish tradition encourages study as a way of honoring the memory of those who are no longer among us. Grief in Our Seasons offers a comforting link between study and the tradition of saying Kaddish, helping those who are mourning to heal at their own pace and to cherish the memory of their loved ones each and every day. Each section of Grief in Our Seasons is devoted to a stage of mourning, providing daily readings from sacred Jewish texts and words of inspiration, comfort, and understanding. “Meditations Before Saying Kaddish” share the insights of others who have faced the challenges of mourning, and tell how they found solace during the process.