Jewish Bereavement

Who Mourns for Whom?

Jewish law details which family relationships require traditional mourning practices.

The Deaths Of Two Hasidic Masters

These stories are passed on as teachings about how to die.

A Yizkor prayer for stillborn and infant deaths

A contemporary rabbi offers a prayer to be recited throughout the year by parents who have suffered neonatal loss.

How to Mourn Stillbirth and Neonatal Death

New Jewish guidelines for coping with the loss of a child.

Autopsies and Jewish Law: An Orthodox Perspective

Contrary to popular belief, Jewish law does not have an absolute prohibition on this post-death procedure.

Judaism and Suicide

Taking one's life is officially a violation of Jewish law, but many contemporary rabbis recognize that most suicides result from struggles with mental illness.

About Death & Mourning

About Death and Mourning in the Jewish community.

Death and Special Issues of the Body

An overview of autopsy, organ donation, and cremation in Jewish tradition and practice.

Writing and Reading Ethical Wills

On the Jewish custom of leaving a written spiritual legacy for one's children.

The Ethics of Burial and Mourning

The Jewish approach to death and mourning reflects a two-part ethic: the equal treatment of rich and poor in death, and the importance of channeling, and then limiting, our mourning.