Questions tagged [funeral-burial-levaya]
Questions pertaining to the funeral/burial process in Judaism
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On Burial Under the Altar
Today at the burial of a relative on the Mount of Olives, the Rabbi made a comment that burial there is like being buried under the altar on the Temple Mount. It struck me as a bit unusual, and I was ...
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May one make tahara (washing the dead) on a person who doesnt keep mitsvot
One makes tahara on a dead man or woman which includes washing him or her and for some being 'dipped' in a mikva. May one do this on someone who is considered a 'rosho' e.g., for not keeping the Torah ...
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Is there an obligation to be buried in Jewish Cemetary?
The traditional practice is to be buried in a Jewish Cemetary exclusive to Jews. Such as Har Hamenuchos and Har Hazeisim.
Is it an obligation to be buried specifically in a Jewish Cemetary or could ...
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Where does the funeral tradition of burial within 24 hours originate?
Where does the funeral tradition of burial within 24 hours originate? A Google search result pointed me towards this passage from the Torah as being the reason:
Deuteronomy 21:22-23
And if a man ...
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Halachot of burial vs. minhagim thereof
This answer gives a rough estimate that about 90 percent of hilchot kevura (laws of burial) are based on local minhag, rather than actual halacha. Taking this into account, the next logical conclusion ...
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Burial Pod- Kosher?
So I just saw this on Facebook [warning: some links at the bottom of the page contain imagery which is not tzanua]
In short, this mentions a concept in which the body of the deceased is put into a ...
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Chevra Kaddisha string locations
I recently did a tahara and I was curious about where a lot of the practices came from and what the meaning behind them is.
One thing we did was we tied strings around various locations of the ...
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Chevra Kadisha knots
I recently did a tahara and I was curious about where a lot of the practices came from and what the meaning behind them is.
One thing we did was that when we tied any knots, we twist-wrapped the two ...
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How to be prepared for participation in the Chevra Kaddisha
What are some things that I (or anyone) should take into consideration before participating in a tahara, the ritual preparation of a body for burial?
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Burying face down in Judaism
I understand in other cultures burying face down is a sign of disgrace and is generally frowned upon. How is it viewed in Judaism? Is the position of the body at burial of concern? If a body is buried ...
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Can a Jew who dies on Mars be buried there?
Recently, the news has been talking about sending people on a 1-way trip to Mars.
AFAIK, no Jews have applied or are scheduled to make the trip. B"H, because I see all sorts of interesting halachic ...
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Can an Orthodox Jew go to a reform burial?
Halachically speaking, Can an Orthodox Jew attend a reform or Conservative burial?
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Reform/Liberal Burials
Is there a problem with the way Progressive Judaism carry out their burials according to Orthodox Jewry?
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Questions on Breshit 50:8 - Who went to Ya'akov's funeral?
Breishit 50:8 lists regarding who went to Ya'akov's funeral
and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house;
only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they ...
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Does a meis mitzvah acquire the land he's on even in the Temple?
I'd like to understand the concept of meis mitzvah a bit better. Specifically: there is a decree that a meis mitzvah acquires the place he or she is on to be buried there, even if it is private ...
user6641
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Just how overpriced was Efron's burial cave anyway?
In B'reishit 23 Avraham pays 400 shekels to Efron for the cave of Machpelah. This seems to be an enormous amount of money and Rashi suggests it's even worse than it appears (referring to larger ...
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Underground crypts for burial
In light of this article what are the possible problems with burying the deceased in underground crypts?
The article mentions:
The head of the Jerusalem burial society told Haaretz that there is no ...
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Where's Rebbi Yehudah HaChassid Buried? [closed]
Where, precisely, is Rebbi Yehudah HaChassid - the author of Sefer Chassidim - buried?
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Ripping out a blade of grass by a funeral?
At my great-uncle's funeral today, all of the participants (except the mourners) were told to rip out a blade of grass and say a passuk (I don't remember which).
Is this a Jewish minhag? If so, what ...
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Why are people buried in white when R' Yanai says not to?
The gemara (Shabbat 114a) brings a statement of Rabbi Yanai, where he tells his sons:
Do not bury me nor in white, nor in black. White, because perhaps i won't merit [olam haba], and will be like a ...
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Source for story of rabbi's claiming land said "you're both mine"
I heard the following story recently (though I paraphrase, and may have some details wrong):
When Rabbi M'nachem Perr lived in Queens, New York, he had an Italian, non-Jewish neighbor who, during ...
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Why are Bikkurim and burial different from each other?
In this week's parsha we read about the mitzvah of Bikkurim. The Torah tells us to bring our first fruits of the season to the Beit Hamikdash, and offer it to the Kohanim. We are also told that the ...
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Closed caskets for Jewish burials
In the United States (and possibly other countries), what are the reasons behind Jewish funerals always having closed caskets?
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When may a body be removed from its resting place and buried elsewhere?
In what instances may a body be removed from its resting place and be interred elsewhere?
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Why did Esav care about burial in machpelah?
The midrash records that Esav tried to stop Yaakov from being buried in the cave of machpelah. I would like to know if any commentators explain why Esav would care about this? I recall hearing that he ...
user6641
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When is a Yartziet Observed?
When is a Yartzeit observed, the day of death or the day of burial? I ask this question in response to the news of the terrible death of the three boys in Eretz Yisrael who died weeks before their ...
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Rosh hashana: is it really two days?
Regarding the chagim (festivals), we know that a chag is really one day (not including the rabbinic chag a/k/a yom tov sheini). However, for Rosh hashana, Israelis observe a two day festival. So is ...
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Jewish headstone abbreviation
What does פ"נ on a Jewish headstone stand for? I have seen it on many stones, seems to be a common occurrence.
user5092
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Burial in Space
Assume that we have a space-colony, or ch"ch, a member of an interplanetary mission dies in space. We know that cremation is forbidden, so what would the process for burial be? Would it be similar to ...
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burying the dead in Jerusholaim - 1948
The Rambam (Beis Habechira 7 14) rules that one may not bury people in the old city of Yerushlaim.
What did they do during the siege in 1948 when they couldn't leave the old city? Where did they bury ...
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Was Kever Rachel temporary?
I remember hearing that Rachel Imeinu was buried in kever Rachel, but was only there for one night and then she went to Mearas Hamachpaila.
I can't remember in whose name it was said. Does anyone ...
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Meis Mitzva and Idolatry
A Cohen finds a dead body in India
Should he bury it himself and become taamei
OR
Should he inform the nearby village who will then dispose of the body with idolatrous rituals.
The roots of the ...
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What is appropriate covering for non-Jewish men at a Jewish funeral?
I am going to the funeral of a close friend's sister; the family is Jewish. In the funeral notice it states: "Gentlemen please wear head covering".
My question is: what is an appropriate covering ...
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What constitutes a "Hesped" (eulogy)?
There are certain dates throughout the year when one may not give a "Hesped" (eulogy) because of a certain level of happiness associated with those dates.
However, I've attended funerals conducted on ...
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Parent dying overseas - visit now or attend funeral?
A person lives far away from a dying parent and cannot afford more than one visit. What do the halachic sources say about when they should visit? Should they visit the parent immediately and miss the ...
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Is there a legal minimum on the amount of soil needed to make a suitable grave?
This is not being asked for any pragmatic need. I had the thought about people living off of planets.
Without getting into the issue of whether a burial can take place anywhere beside Earth, I ...
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What is to be done with a Sefer Torah written by an apikoreis, or by a soffer of unknown apikoreis-status?
What is to be done with a Sefer Torah written by an apikoreis, or by a soffer of unknown apikoreis-status (whether it be a question of the status of the soffer who wrote it, or if it is unknown who ...
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Can one write one's own Hespid?
Tragically, I have an incurable disease and have little time left. I have told a number of friends about this and said good-bye to them in an email. In return, I have received a number of emails ...
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After-death care of a non-Jewish relative
If a Jew has been entrusted with the after-death care of a non-Jewish relative, what should be done? Specifically, if the non-Jewish relative requested to be cremated after death, can or should a Jew ...
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Is it necessary to buy a burial plot while still alive?
Must someone buy a burial plot while still alive? Moreover, is doing so a segula to stay alive or the opposite? The segula can be because he shows he believes in life after death and does not want to ...
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May a Jewish cemetery refuse a body?
Based on a recent news item wherein cemeteries have been refusing to inter the body of one of the (alleged) Boston bombers, I am curious whether a Jewish cemetery's operators are allowed to refuse to ...
user2110
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Do cremated remains contaminate with tumas mes?
If a body is cremated, do the ashes transmit tumah as do other human remains, or does cremation render the body no longer tamei?
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What is the significance of the skull of Araunah the Yevusi?
Araunah the Yevusi sells the land upon which the beis hamikdash will eventually be built to Dovid HaMelech (II Shemuel 24:18). Subsequently his skull is found underneath the mizbeach at least twice (...
user2110
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Do modern Jewish cemeteries separate the "righteous" from the "wicked"?
Do modern Jewish cemeteries separate the "righteous" from the "wicked"? I have read in various sources that "we don't bury rashim near tzadikim"--that people must be ...
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brit-milah for dead infant [duplicate]
Recent tragedy in NY, young haredi couple killed in auto accident.
Wife pregnant with baby boy.
Doctors delivered the baby but, tragically, he also didn't survive.
Before burial, a brit milah was ...
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Is there a Halacha that sons may not be present at the burial of their parents?
Is there a Halacha that sons may not be present at their parents' burial? I've heard that if the sons wasted seed (G-d forbid) negative forces are created which would be detrimental at the burial site ...
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Can a born-Jew who converted out of Judaism be buried in an Orthodox Jewish cemetery? [duplicate]
We've discussed previously that halacha prohibits the burial of non-Jews in the same cemetery as Jews. But what about born-Jews who converted out? What about Jews who were simply atheists?
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Why is Shimshon buried "in the grave of his father" and not father and mother?
Nearly everywhere in the story of Samson, more than in most stories in Tanakh, both parents are mentioned quite frequently. Leading up to birth, both parents share about equal page-time. After birth,...
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How to bury old s'farim [duplicate]
Suppose I have a printed Chumash with Rashi, or the like, which is worn out to the point of inutility, and I wish to discard it. My understanding (based in part on sources I supply below) is that I ...
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What does a tahara accomplish for a dead person?
What does a tahara, the process of washing and dressing a dead person, accomplish spiritually for the meis?
user2110