Death and Dying
Death and Judaism
Our Talmud writes, “What does it mean that there is no authority over the day of death? It means no one possesses the authority to tell [to the angel of death], "Wait for me until I arrange my affairs and then I will come." Although death and dying is a universal experience, it is a subject that is often avoided. Our hope with this webpage is to stimulate conversations and thoughts surrounding death, and to provide a starting point to help prepare you and your loved ones for what can often be a difficult and emotional time. It is our goal that by having these difficult conversations, we encourage community members to make their end of life plans well in advance, so their loved ones can focus on mourning their loss.
In our tradition when a loved one and community member dies, we believe the body should be treated with dignity and that burial should happen as fast as possible. From the moment our community learns of a death it is our responsibility to move quickly and prepare for all the things that the family and our tradition requires. This includes watching the body, called Shmira, and performing Tahara, which is ritually cleaning the body. Both are described in greater detail below. This also includes working with the family so all the logistics of the funeral and burial are taken care of for their loved one.
In Judaism we are commanded to bury our loved ones within three days of their death at the maximum. It’s preferable to do so sooner. If you would like to help in this part of the process there are lots of opportunities for community members to volunteer so that we can ease the suffering of mourning loved ones and make the grieving process easier. See below for more options to help.
To learn more about Jewish rituals and customs around death we added some links with helpful information:
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/death-and-mourning-in-judaism
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/must-know-jewish-death-and-mourning-terms/
https://reformjudaism.org/beliefs-practices/lifecycle-rituals/death-mourning
Thu, January 21 2021
8 Sh'vat 5781
Joy Greisen Jewish Education Center
Now accepting new enrollments for children: 3 months to 12 years.
Preschool Website
Friday Night
Candle Lighting : 4:25p |
Friday Evening Shabbat Service (Facebook Live) : 7:30p |
Shabbat Day
Shabbat Morning Text Study : 10:30a |
Havdalah : 5:32p |
Havdalah in Anchorage (Facebook) : 7:30p |
Upcoming Programs & Events
Jan 24 Torah Uncensored Sunday, Jan 24 11:30a |
Feb 14 Torah Uncensored Sunday, Feb 14 11:30a |
Feb 20 Judaism 101 Shabbat, Feb 20 9:00a |
Feb 26 Purim Friday, Feb 26 7:30p |
Feb 28 Torah Uncensored Sunday, Feb 28 11:30a |
This week's Torah portion is Parashat Bo
Shabbat, Jan 23 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Jan 22, 4:25p |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Jan 23, 5:32p |
Tu BiSh'vat
Thursday, Jan 28 |
Join Our Mailing List
Shabbat Candle Lighting