Death, Burial, and Bereavement
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Coffin – Jewish tradition
I have a question about burials that I am hoping you may answer for me. I’m reading the article about the bereavement believes for the Jewish faith located at Wikipedia. It mentions both a secured coffin and an unsecured coffin.…
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Placing Stones on the Tombstone
I am curious about the practice of placing stones on the gravestone of a deceased person. Would you please explain the origin and significance of this practice? Hi, and thank you for your question. I assume that you are referring…
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Burying Limbs
I recall being taught that when an individual looses a limb or a body part, in this case an arm, the arm is to be buried in the ground for reasons of respect for the body that G-d has given.…
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Burial of Apostate Jews
What are the guidelines, rules, or position when an apostate Jew dies and the family wants the “synagogue” to both perform the burial Apostate Jews are buried in a dedicated area away from the other graves usually separated from the…
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Mourning Period
My mother passed away last year on the 27th day of Adar II. When do I stop saying Kaddish and when does my mourning period end? You stop saying Kaddish after 11 calendar months, regardless, but in any case that…
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Reincarnation
In his books, Dr. Brian Weiss, a Jewish Psychiatrist, determines that his patients have experienced past as well as future lives. And they can recall them under hypnosis. What is the Jewish view on reincarnation? Do our spirits continue to…
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Honoring the Deceased
I live in an area where there is not a daily minyan. I am saying Kaddish for my father. Is there an on line minyan that I can plug into so that I can say Kaddish in the virtual presence…
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Kohen and a Funeral
This might be a strange question, but what would be the best way to explain to a friend of mine why i can not attend the funeral of his mother – as i am a kohen? (i just know that…
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Abbreviations on Tombstones
What do the Hebrew abbreviations on tombstones stand for? “Peh nun” is an abbreviation for “po nitman” – “here is hidden” (i.e., buried). “Tav nun tsadi bes hei” is an abbreviation for “tehei nafsho tzerurah bi-tzeror ha-chayim” – “may his…