LifeCycle Events
-
What Happens After Death?
I recently lost my father. I would like to know what happens to the person from the moment the heart stops. I was with him when he died and I kept on thinking, but where has he gone? I’m truly…
-
Unveiling the Gravestone After a Year
Why is there an unveiling of the gravestone on the year anniversary of a death? Why wait a year? There are varying customs regarding the time of unveiling. Some erect the stone (at least in unfinished form) immediately after the…
-
Divorce
What is the Jewish view of divorce and remarriage? The following passage from the Torah (The Five Books of Moses), is the source for Jewish Divorce Law: “If a man marries a women…if she does not find favor in his…
-
Reason for Circumcision
Why is the rite of circumcision performed on Jewish males? The original reason that is? When one asks ‘why’, there are always a number of different levels of answers that could be given. On the simplest level, the right of…
-
Wedding Ring Customs
Can you give me some guidelines for choosing a wedding ring for a Jewish wedding? Thank you for your questions. Technically, a person need not use a wedding ring at all to get married, but may use anything that has…
-
Cremation and Burial
I would like to know why a Jewish person cannot be cremated. I always thought that the memorial service and the prayer for the dead states: “From ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” If this is true, than why can’t…
-
Autopsy
Is it ever permissible for an autopsy to be performed on someone of the Jewish faith who has died? For example, if the findings of an autopsy could help save another life, is an autopsy permitted on a deceased person?…
-
Jewish View of Suicide
What does the Torah tell us about committing suicide? When a person is suffering from deep pain, a disease, and is guilt ridden by the effects of it on their loved ones, and would rather stop the suffering for everyone,…