Questions tagged [funeral-burial-levaya]
Questions pertaining to the funeral/burial process in Judaism
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No Son's obligation to bury his parents?
I've been studying the Sugya of honoring the parents for almost a month now, and only today I stumbled upon Shu"A רמ"א that exempts converts from obligations to engage in burying his gentile parents.
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R' Mordochai Benet's re-interment
Wikipedia notes that R' Mordochai Benet, the Mähren Landesrabbiner (Chief Rabbi of Moravia) notes that was temporarily interred in Lichtenberg prior to being re-interred in Nikolsburg, according to ...
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Is one allowed to attend a wake for a Jew?
As far as I understand, Jews are not allowed to have a wake for a Jewish person. But, let's say for some reason, they do it, anyway. Is a Jew allowed to attend this event if s/he doesn't view the ...
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Can a Jew be buried in a non-jewish cemetery
If a Jew, living in a small village, dies, is it allowed from religious point of view that he be buried in the local non-Jewish cemetery?
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What should a Jew do at a funeral with an open casket? [duplicate]
If a Jew is invited to a non-Jewish funeral at which there will be an open coffin with a body inside, should a Jew not attend the funeral? Should he avoid looking at the corpse inside the coffin? (all ...
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Is alav ha-shalom (A"H) used often, or do most use zikhrono livrakha (Z"L) when referring to the deceased?
I understand that A"H is translates to "may he/she rest in peace," which is indeed closer to what non-Jews say in gentile societies. However, I also understand Z"L is also an honorific for the dead, ...
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Which Rabbi asked for his funerals to be joyful?
I think all is in the question. I think it's Rabbi Akiva but not sure...
I am also looking for sources saying funerals should be joyful.
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Can a village / shtetl rabbi require the merchants to close their shops for a funeral?
I'm trying to help a co-worker decipher some history about his great grandfather.
He showed me a picture of a poster - notice written in Hebrew that announced the funeral of his great grandfather. In ...
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Heter for Embalming Yaakov
How could Yosef order the Egyptians to embalm Yaakov, (Bereishis 50:2) וַיְצַו יוֹסֵף אֶת-עֲבָדָיו אֶת-הָרֹפְאִים, לַחֲנֹט אֶת-אָבִיו; וַיַּחַנְטוּ הָרֹפְאִים, אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל) especially in light of ...
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Aveilus and burial for kohanim and levi'im
Are there any special considerations for the tahara, burial, and/or aveilus for kohanim or levi'im who have passed away?
We should live to see the days of Moshiach.
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Is one obligated in a promise to do an issur made pekuach nefesh?
Chaim has an exotic disease for which the only possible cure is an experimental drug.
The drug company will permit him to enter the study as long as he agrees that if he dies, he releases his body for ...
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Releasing terrorists in exchange for remains of past victims
What would be a halachik justification for mediating a deal involving releasing terrorists, who may well murder more victims, in exchange for remains of past victims?
Related: Why is the head of the ...
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Is one allowed to go to a funeral on moed?
Is someone who is not a relative of the deceased allowed to go to the funeral on moed or is it forbidden because of אסור לעורר עצב ברגל? (One may not invoke sadness on a festival)
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Are metim toiveled in regular mikvaos?
I just learned that metim are toiveled as part of the preparation for burial. I assume this is done in a mikvah. I assume this is not the same mikvah that the living use to toivel themselves or their ...
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May one use a machine to cover a grave?
I've seen various methods occurring during a burial.
After the casket (or body) is laid in the grave, people shovel dirt to cover the grave up to a certain point (usually). After that, I've seen:
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Burying a body and fasting on tisha bav
If one needs to bury a body on tisha bav but there is a heat wave, should the person refrain from burying the body until after tisha bav as to not have to break the fast? Or does the mitzvah of מת ...
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Is a Chosson allowed to attend a funeral during his Sheva Brachos?
Is a Chosson allowed to attend a non-relatives funeral during his Sheva Brachos?
I have looked around at some sources and have not been able to find anyone that talks about this specifically.
The ...
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Why are women on right side of room by a funeral & left side by weddings?
I just came from an orthodox funeral & noticed that the women were on the right side of the room & the men on the left. By weddings however it's the opposite with men on the right & women ...
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'Aninut when the body can't be released
If someone dies and their body cannot be released for burial for an extended length of time, how are aninut* and aveilut approached?
This question might have some similarities to whether there is ...
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Above ground burial
Is an above-ground burial halachically acceptable? For example, I've seen multi-story graves that look like a parking garage and tombs that are carved into the side of a mountain.
user8726
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Kivrei Tanaim and Amoraim
How do we know for certain where in Israel Tanaim and Amoraim are buried if we've been exiled for so long?
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Can you be buried with tzedokoh receipts?
When you pass away can you request to get buried with your tzedokoh receipts? Will the burial people allow it?
Is it worth it, I know everything gets recorded by God, but I've heard stories of people ...
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Burial traditions and teffilin usage traditions
Was it a Jewish tradition in the First Century to bury a man with donned tefillin? I am asking since I am curious if it was possible that Jesus had donned tefillin before he was crucified, and ...
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Attending Non-Jewish funerals
Is it permissible to attend a "wake" with a an open casket for a non-Jew held in a funeral home, not a church?
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Looking for tzaddikim who didn't disintegrate after burial
Can someone lead me to some true/verified stories of tzadikim who were unearthed from their place of burial and were found to be completely intact?
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Covering the face of a dead person
It appears to me that many Jews are careful to cover the face of a dead person as soon as the person dies. What is the reason for this? Is there a halacha that requires this? Or is it just a minhag? ...
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Why didn't Yosef's brothers bury him where he asked?
So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you,
you shall carry up my bones from here.”
(Bereishis 50:25)
And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed ...
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Can I bury my own sheimos? [duplicate]
If I don't want to pay to have someone bury sheimos for me, is it ok to bury them in my backyard? Is there any procedure that I would have to follow as far as how to deep to bury it or any certain ...
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Breaking a journey after visiting a cemetery?
If one goes to a funeral and he wants to go home after, he needs to break his journey so as not to connect death and life or something along those lines, don't really understand it myself. (I've ...
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Which way must a dead body's head "face"?
At several burials that I have attended, I noticed that they (I assume the funeral home) had written the word rosh ("head") on the top of the coffin, indicating which way the body's head was located.
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How can a dead person forgive someone?
At most burials that I have attended, I have noticed that the mourners, and frequently the rav and other friends ask forgiveness from the dead person for any sins they have caused them. Is it the ...
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Can one use a kittel that had previously been on a dead person?
There is a custom to bury a dead person with a kittel. It is also customary for men to wear a kittel in shul during the High Holidays.
Let's say a dead body is exhumed. In Israel, it is common to ...
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Shiva and Cremation
In the event that a deceased individual is willfully cremated, a common p'sak I have heard many times is that the relatives do not sit Shiva as one normally does for the deceased. In particular, ...
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Choral singing by non-Jewish mourners at Chabad funeral for one of its congregants
I recently attended a Hasidic (Lubavitch) funeral in Southeast Asia for a member of our community who was a righteous convert to the Jewish faith. The funeral was attended by members of our expat ...
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Why don't they use a coffin for Israeli burials, but do elsewhere?
Someone told me that in Israel, a dead body is buried directly in the ground with no coffin. Why do they do this only in Israel, and use coffins outside Israel?
Note: Rather than phrase the question "...
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Is there a halachic objection to human composting?
I just had a discussion with a friend about this organization, which proposes to inter human bodies in a giant composter (from which the family can retrieve the compost later) instead of burying them ...
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Subsequent burial of residual cremation remains [closed]
My grandmother's ashes were scattered at an unknown location by an in law that does not observe Jewish custom.
I would like to retrieve the cremation urn as it may possibly contain a residue of her ...
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Can Jews be buried in the fetal position?
A friend of mine recently showed me this video describing a method of burial where the deceased's decomposing body is used to nourish a growing tree. In theory, I don't see any obvious halakhic issue ...
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Could a Cohen burn a body to escape the impurity?
Excuse the extreme hypothetical, but:
If a Cohen were locked in a room with no windows and a dead body, and just so happened to have lighter fluid and a pack of matches (and there were small holes in ...
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Is there an obligation to attend a Torah Scholar's funeral when there will be more than a Minyan attending?
If one's friend passes on and there will be a Minyan attending without him does he have an obligation to go? Is it different if it is a Torah Scholar?
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What is the black pin called that mourners wear?
What is the name of the black pin that one wears at a funeral, and are there any customs around them to know about? It's a black circle, pinned, and there's a black ribbon affixed to it.
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Should we ask a non-Jew to wear a kippa for a burial?
Should we ask a non-Jew to wear a kippa for a burial? He likely doesn't have an obligation to do so. We often ask them in a synagogue (and this answer discusses the reasons) but what about a cemetery?
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Why are Mordechai and Esther buried in Hamedan, considering it is distant from Shushan?
According to Google Maps, Hamedan is about 470 KM from Shush, the Biblical town of Shushan.
If Mordechai and Esther lived in Shushan (where Esther served as Queen), why were they buried so far away ...
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Is there a minhag or halacha that states that men and women should be buried in separate cemetery plot areas?
I visited a cemetery yesterday and noticed that most of the rows of plots had double graves where husband and wife were buried next to each other. However, some of the rows had only men while the ...
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Would a tattoo of burial wishes ever be permitted?
If a Jewish person, for whatever reason lived alone/in isolation from other Jews/or was not known to many other Jews on his area, would it be permissible for such a person to have their burial wishes (...
user3342
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Is a cardboard coffin appropriate?
Inspired by the film Avatar (2009)
In the opening scene of the film, set in the mid 22nd century, we see a non-Jewish funeral for the protagonist's brother, in which his body (in a cardboard aron) is ...
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If shaimos are buried in the same grave as a person, where should they be placed?
I have heard that it has become customary for some people to bury shaimos (holy items such as unusable mezuzah parchments) in a grave together with the coffin as a person is being buried.
I am ...
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Can one use the wooden planks placed on top of a grave for his succah?
I had heard from a rabbi that items used for part of a Jewish grave receive some type of "holiness" and may not be used for other purposes. E.g. - one can't take dirt already used to cover the coffin ...
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Does Judaism require burial of the dead?
Does Judaism require burial of the dead? What Biblical passages mandate that?
Can grave sites be reused after some time (e.g. 200 years) ? I am asking this because the practice of burying the dead in ...
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May a non-Jew participate in parts of a Jewish burial?
May a non-Jew participate in any of these parts of a Jewish burial (assume there is no separate "funeral" in a home and everything is graveside?
Hesped - giving the main "speech"
carrying the coffin
...
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