Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Father John Martin
Father John Martin, the spiritual director of Shantivanam compares the different religions around the world to hikers that climb up different sides of a mountain, unaware that there are other religions climbing as well. I think this is symbolic for many different reasons. In today’s society people don’t really judge people because of their religious standing so in a way they are unaware of what the other religions might be doing at a particular time. So in other words the religions didn’t know that they were all climbing the mountain because people don’t take time to worry about other religions. For my entire life I was raised Catholic and didn’t know nearly anything about other religions until now. I learned that each religion has it own holidays, beliefs, traditions, rituals, and more. Hinduism believes in Brahman, moksha, samsara, yoga and more, which other climbers of the mountain don’t know. While Buddhism, has Zen stories and Tendai along with personal fulfillment (tanha). The four noble truths are important to this religion whereas it’s unknown to other religions. Judaism has its own teaching and rituals that would be pointless to other religions. For example the 613 laws they are supposed to follow or reading from the Torah. Catholicism believes faithfully in the bible and follows the ten commandants on a daily basis. With all this being said it makes all the religions blind to the other religions in the world. To put in Father Martins words, when climbing up the mountain they can’t see the religions because they are too involved in their own. I am a guilty of this myself. I knew there were other religions in the world but I was so consumed in my own religion that I never took the time to sit back and look at the other religions that surrounded me. I do agree with him for the simple fact the people don’t bother with other religions unless they are forced to leaving them uneducated and unaware of the climbers. Personally I am now more open to wanting to learning about other religions and feel that others should to.
Jesus and Martin Luther
Over the years Christianity has changed and branched off into different groups. These groups consist of Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Protestantism and more, and they all have there own beliefs. If Jesus and Martin Luther were timed warped I think they would be able to get along with each other and wouldn’t have a problem with they way things have changed. Jesus and Martin Luther were both tolerant of other people belief and never judged people due to what they believed. They both followed the word of God and the bible. They also both died for their people and for their dream. However Jesus, I don’t think would be to happy with the way that Christianity divided itself over the years. I think that he might try to bring the groups together as a whole like they once were. He also would have a problem with all the negative attention the Catholic church is receiving due to the illegal behaviors from the priest and so fourth. Martin Luther was a minister himself, so I also think that he would have some sort of problem with all the inappropriate attention the churches are getting as well. As a whole they would feel as if their religions were under attack in a way. Since both of their time the church as change drastically. Some people say that churches are money hungry and other say it’s the only place to find salvation. I think both would be shocked and confused with the way everything has changed but I think they would be able to find a way to make everything work like they did during their time.
Interview
My partner and I were researching Orthodox Judaism. We met with a man named Rabbi Silverman at the Chabad of the River Town. He allowed us to interview him about his religion, were we learned a lot of interesting information. We asked him a series of twenty questions, and he went in-depth with many of his answers.
1. How long have you been a Rabbi?
-- He has been a practicing Rabbi for 6-7 years
2. How long does it take to become a Rabbi?
-- He said that a Rabbi has to be ordained by another rabbi
-- Its not something you can study rather it’s a way of life
-- It took him 18 months to become a Rabbi but that can change from person to person
3. Are there different levels of being a Rabbi? For example in the catholic religion there are priest, bishops, etc.
--There are three classification: Kohein, Levi, and Israeli
--Its not that there are different levels so much, rather there’s different responsibilities each classification has
4. Can women become Rabbis? If not why?
-- Women can not become practicing Rabbis
-- He said that men and women are made differently making God give them different jobs
-- Not saying that they wouldn’t be good at it, its just never been done
5. What is the most important Holiday?
-- He said all the holidays are important or they wouldn’t be holidays however the most important is the “weekdays”
-- The holiest holiday is the day after Yom Kippur
6. What are the different types of Judaism?
-- He said there are three different types of Judaism and each group believes in basically the same thing. For example the Torah, holidays etc, but it depends on the law that each group follows.
-- He said that Orthodox Judaism follows both the written laws and Oral laws
7. Why is it important for children to attend Hebrew school?
-- He went back to talking about Judaism being a way of live and that Hebrew school will lead the children in the right direction
8. Is it mandatory for everyone to eat Kosher and why?
-- He said its considered on of there commandments and that all animals need to be killed mercifully
-- He said that everyone tries their best but it is a big sacrifice and not all can do it
9. We’ve heard that your not supposed to eat pork and shellfish, why is that?
-- He said that they are not considered kosher therefore they should not be eating it.
10. Why does Judaism have its own calendar?
-- They follow the lunar calendar
-- He said that the moon is symbolic in Judaism
-- When the moon is out it can reflect the beauty that the sun reveals during the day
-- The light brings Gods beauty into the world (its symbolic)
11. Why do men and women sit separately?
-- They sit separate because synagogue is a time to pray not a time for family
-- If the sit together they might get distracted and not give all their time to praying and God
-- Prayer time is NOT FAMILY TIME
12. What happens at a Jewish wedding?
-- At a wedding there needs to be two kosher witnesses
-- A Chupa
-- The people need to make sure that they are allowed to get married
-- Papers need to be singed
-- Rituals need to be completed (Mikveh)
-- Exchanging of the ring
13. We’ve heard that women are supposed to shave their heads after their wedding if this is true why?
-- He wasn’t sure if the had to shave their heads. (He told us we would be able to talk to his wife if we wanted to)
-- He did however say that they had to cover their hair with either a wig or something else that wouldn’t show their real hair
14. Why is the Sabbath important?
-- He said that Sabbath is important because it’s a day of complete rest
-- During the week people lose focus of their goals and the Sabbath makes them regain their focus
-- If they didn’t have the Sabbath there would be a lot of people that were walking around meaningless
15. We know what a Bris and baby naming but why is it so important?
-- Its important because it brings the baby into the religion
-- Its it needs to be done on the eighth day because God created the world in seven day so on the eighth day of the babies life its as if its above the seventh day
-- Again seven is a symbolic number in this religion
16. IS it correct to say that in your religion you are waiting for the messiah to come?
-- Yes, we are still waiting for the Messiah to come
17. I used to work in a funeral home and when ever we received a Jewish call they always had to be buried the dame day before sundown, why is that?
-- This is important because after death the body is on a journey, and its not fair to hold the journey back
-- They have something similar to checkpoints
-- After the burial the family cannot visit the gravesite for a month
-- After the first year they an unveiling
18. Is there a particular dress code? For example do women have to wear dresses and do men have to wear black suits with a white shirt?
-- He said that they don’t have a dress code however every army as a uniform (he compared their religion to an army)
-- Women dress as modestly as possible, they are not to show their true beauty to just anyone
-- He said that a woman’s beauty is supposed to be special and for select people only (like a husband)
-- In this religion we have an obligation to dress modestly and we try to do that as much as possible
19.Is there anything you disagree with in your religion?
-- He said that he doesn’t disagree with anything
-- However there is a lot that he doesn’t understand about his religion
20. Is there anything else you would like to add that wasn’t already mentioned?
-- He said that we asked in-depth questions and gave us some advice but altogether he said that he enjoyed helping us on our project and that he was happy to see that other people are interesting in his religion.
1. How long have you been a Rabbi?
-- He has been a practicing Rabbi for 6-7 years
2. How long does it take to become a Rabbi?
-- He said that a Rabbi has to be ordained by another rabbi
-- Its not something you can study rather it’s a way of life
-- It took him 18 months to become a Rabbi but that can change from person to person
3. Are there different levels of being a Rabbi? For example in the catholic religion there are priest, bishops, etc.
--There are three classification: Kohein, Levi, and Israeli
--Its not that there are different levels so much, rather there’s different responsibilities each classification has
4. Can women become Rabbis? If not why?
-- Women can not become practicing Rabbis
-- He said that men and women are made differently making God give them different jobs
-- Not saying that they wouldn’t be good at it, its just never been done
5. What is the most important Holiday?
-- He said all the holidays are important or they wouldn’t be holidays however the most important is the “weekdays”
-- The holiest holiday is the day after Yom Kippur
6. What are the different types of Judaism?
-- He said there are three different types of Judaism and each group believes in basically the same thing. For example the Torah, holidays etc, but it depends on the law that each group follows.
-- He said that Orthodox Judaism follows both the written laws and Oral laws
7. Why is it important for children to attend Hebrew school?
-- He went back to talking about Judaism being a way of live and that Hebrew school will lead the children in the right direction
8. Is it mandatory for everyone to eat Kosher and why?
-- He said its considered on of there commandments and that all animals need to be killed mercifully
-- He said that everyone tries their best but it is a big sacrifice and not all can do it
9. We’ve heard that your not supposed to eat pork and shellfish, why is that?
-- He said that they are not considered kosher therefore they should not be eating it.
10. Why does Judaism have its own calendar?
-- They follow the lunar calendar
-- He said that the moon is symbolic in Judaism
-- When the moon is out it can reflect the beauty that the sun reveals during the day
-- The light brings Gods beauty into the world (its symbolic)
11. Why do men and women sit separately?
-- They sit separate because synagogue is a time to pray not a time for family
-- If the sit together they might get distracted and not give all their time to praying and God
-- Prayer time is NOT FAMILY TIME
12. What happens at a Jewish wedding?
-- At a wedding there needs to be two kosher witnesses
-- A Chupa
-- The people need to make sure that they are allowed to get married
-- Papers need to be singed
-- Rituals need to be completed (Mikveh)
-- Exchanging of the ring
13. We’ve heard that women are supposed to shave their heads after their wedding if this is true why?
-- He wasn’t sure if the had to shave their heads. (He told us we would be able to talk to his wife if we wanted to)
-- He did however say that they had to cover their hair with either a wig or something else that wouldn’t show their real hair
14. Why is the Sabbath important?
-- He said that Sabbath is important because it’s a day of complete rest
-- During the week people lose focus of their goals and the Sabbath makes them regain their focus
-- If they didn’t have the Sabbath there would be a lot of people that were walking around meaningless
15. We know what a Bris and baby naming but why is it so important?
-- Its important because it brings the baby into the religion
-- Its it needs to be done on the eighth day because God created the world in seven day so on the eighth day of the babies life its as if its above the seventh day
-- Again seven is a symbolic number in this religion
16. IS it correct to say that in your religion you are waiting for the messiah to come?
-- Yes, we are still waiting for the Messiah to come
17. I used to work in a funeral home and when ever we received a Jewish call they always had to be buried the dame day before sundown, why is that?
-- This is important because after death the body is on a journey, and its not fair to hold the journey back
-- They have something similar to checkpoints
-- After the burial the family cannot visit the gravesite for a month
-- After the first year they an unveiling
18. Is there a particular dress code? For example do women have to wear dresses and do men have to wear black suits with a white shirt?
-- He said that they don’t have a dress code however every army as a uniform (he compared their religion to an army)
-- Women dress as modestly as possible, they are not to show their true beauty to just anyone
-- He said that a woman’s beauty is supposed to be special and for select people only (like a husband)
-- In this religion we have an obligation to dress modestly and we try to do that as much as possible
19.Is there anything you disagree with in your religion?
-- He said that he doesn’t disagree with anything
-- However there is a lot that he doesn’t understand about his religion
20. Is there anything else you would like to add that wasn’t already mentioned?
-- He said that we asked in-depth questions and gave us some advice but altogether he said that he enjoyed helping us on our project and that he was happy to see that other people are interesting in his religion.
More Videos
If anyone looked at my videos you would have seen that they were short so I posted two, well I also realized that they were short and didn’t get all my pictures so I’m going to post two more and hopefully you’ll have a chance to see all the pictures that I wanted to be in my video. They start off the same but the other pictures are different.
http://animoto.com/play/4aa24e8ee045b493b2e0f3b126dfe65b
http://animoto.com/play/30550776171b094a83d32563319dfdcb
Hope you enjoy!
http://animoto.com/play/4aa24e8ee045b493b2e0f3b126dfe65b
http://animoto.com/play/30550776171b094a83d32563319dfdcb
Hope you enjoy!
Videos
Unfortunately, I was unable to post my videos the way everyone else did but if you go to these websites you will be able to see the videos that I made. So enjoy!
http://animoto.com/play/538d0b3e6c90e3cae96ad232ee382361
http://animoto.com/play/287f5328fcd7f3d63378f79cad9c3781
http://animoto.com/play/538d0b3e6c90e3cae96ad232ee382361
http://animoto.com/play/287f5328fcd7f3d63378f79cad9c3781
Monday, December 17, 2007
Chabad Rabbi
Chabad Rabbi Represents Judaism at Singapore's IROSINGAPORE, SINGAPORE --
(December 17, 2007)M. Phillips
(Lubavitch.com) When 10,000 individuals from different religious groups, including Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong, convened at the Singapore Expo last Sunday for a celebration sponsored jointly by the Lorong Koo chye Sheng Hong Temple and the Inter Religious Organization(IRO), they enjoyed unusual exposure to Judaism.
Representatives of the world’s religious faiths joined in a universal prayer for world peace formulated specifically for this event.
Representing Judaism was Chabad’s Rabbi Mordechai Aberjel of Singapore. Following the joint prayer, each representative was invited to offer his/her own faith-specific prayer for peace.
Representing Judaism was Chabad’s Rabbi Mordechai Aberjel of Singapore. Following the joint prayer, each representative was invited to offer his/her own faith-specific prayer for peace.
In his traditional dark hat and suit, Rabbi Aberjel recited a Jewish prayer dedicated to the well-being of Singapore’s government, and then in Hebrew, he blessed the entire conference with the traditional birkhat cohanim, the priestly blessings, followed by an English translation.
The IRO is dedicated to “religious harmony through mutual tolerance, confidence, respect and understanding,” says its website. Every year, it selects a representative of a different religion to serve as its honorary president.
This year, the honor went to Mr. Joey Benjamin, president of Singapore’s Jewish community, a privilege that gave him the podium, which he used to speak about the Jewish perspective on unity and peace.
At the close of the dinner, two Chabad-Lubavitch rabbinical students, Chaim Immanuel and Chananya Steinmentz, were invited with two members of the Jewish community to the podium, for a traditional rendition of “Maoz Tzur” in honor of Chanukah.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong presented checks to various charitable organizations, among them the National Kidney Foundation-Hougang-Punggol Dialysis Centre which received half a million dollars and $100,000 to the President's Challenge.
“This was quite an intriguing event,” Rabbi Aberjel told Lubavitch.com. “But more interesting is the fact that here in Singapore, talk about peace and tolerance and mutual respect are not theoretical notions.
"Singapore’s government actually works hard to foster real peace and tolerance—and it should stand as an example to the rest of the world.”
I posted this article for many different reasons. For starters it’s nice to see that different religions are being recognized in a public manner. It’s good that all types of religions can be in the same building and not have any religious conflicts. It’s been a long time since people were able to respect other religions besides their own enough for them to be recognized publicly. Another reason I choose this article is because as everyone already knows I did my report on Judaism and I was able to learn a lot about the religion. It allowed me to open my eyes and realize that no one religion is superior to another.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Forms of Judaism
Of all the religions that we learned about Judaism is the religion that has several different branches. There are three branches that consist of Orthodox, Conservative, and Reformed Judaism. All three branches believe in one God; monotheism, they follow the Torah, and more.
Orthodox Judaism is the highest and strictest form of Judaism. There are three groups within this form: Haredi, Mitnaggid, and Hasidism. The Mitnaggid and the Hasidism groups don’t get along. Orthodox Judaism follows very strict laws both in the Torah and Oral laws. They eat kosher (no pork), follow the Sabbath, and have extremely strict rules when it comes to men and women. For example the men and women worship separately. At one point in history the marriages used to be arranged, in some parts of the world it is still like that today. Married couples are only supposed to have sex for reproductive purposes only. After the wedding the women are supposed to shave their head, or wear a wig. Women have a tendency to dress extremely modestly. They also need to visit the Mikvah before the wedding and periodically after it.
Reform Judaism is the largest in the United States but the smallest elsewhere. In this from the men and women are not separated, in other words they are allowed to sit together. Also they are allowed to wear what they want, meaning the women are not forced to dress modestly. There are many similarities in the all the forms and a few differences.
In the last form of Judaism called Conservative Judaism, which is also known as traditional. This form is a mix between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. In this form they keep all the traditions like the Sabbath however they modify it. For example they do the work that would normally not be done on the Sabbath before the Sabbath comes. And example of this is turning the light on before the Sabbath comes.
All three forms follow the laws of Judaism. They all worship at a synagogue and do no work on the Sabbath. Judaism has several holidays that all forms celebrate. Some of these holidays consist of Passover, Shevuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Purim, Sukkot and more. This religion has a lot of laws and rules to follow, but like every religion there are people that dedicated their life to it.
Orthodox Judaism is the highest and strictest form of Judaism. There are three groups within this form: Haredi, Mitnaggid, and Hasidism. The Mitnaggid and the Hasidism groups don’t get along. Orthodox Judaism follows very strict laws both in the Torah and Oral laws. They eat kosher (no pork), follow the Sabbath, and have extremely strict rules when it comes to men and women. For example the men and women worship separately. At one point in history the marriages used to be arranged, in some parts of the world it is still like that today. Married couples are only supposed to have sex for reproductive purposes only. After the wedding the women are supposed to shave their head, or wear a wig. Women have a tendency to dress extremely modestly. They also need to visit the Mikvah before the wedding and periodically after it.
Reform Judaism is the largest in the United States but the smallest elsewhere. In this from the men and women are not separated, in other words they are allowed to sit together. Also they are allowed to wear what they want, meaning the women are not forced to dress modestly. There are many similarities in the all the forms and a few differences.
In the last form of Judaism called Conservative Judaism, which is also known as traditional. This form is a mix between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. In this form they keep all the traditions like the Sabbath however they modify it. For example they do the work that would normally not be done on the Sabbath before the Sabbath comes. And example of this is turning the light on before the Sabbath comes.
All three forms follow the laws of Judaism. They all worship at a synagogue and do no work on the Sabbath. Judaism has several holidays that all forms celebrate. Some of these holidays consist of Passover, Shevuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah, Purim, Sukkot and more. This religion has a lot of laws and rules to follow, but like every religion there are people that dedicated their life to it.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Jewish Pictures
This is a picture of a synagogue. Although not all look like this, it gives you an idea of how nice the can look inside. 
This is a headstone that you’ll find at any given Jewish cemetery. It normally has the persons regular name and their Jewish name. Very often there will be Hebrew lettering on it. Like I said in my other post, you’ll typically find rock on it instead of flowers.
This is a kippah also named Yarmelka (Yiddish) or a skullcap. On occation you might see a person walking around wearing one. Usually men wear it. They start wearing this after their bat mitzvah. They can come in all colors and styles.
And lastly this is a typical casket that a Jewish person will be buried in. although it’s not a great picture you get the idea that it is extremely simple. There are wooden pins that will hold the top down. These also can come in various shapes and sizes depending on the person.
Religious Ritual
For everyone that you meet you learn something new about the person; so today your all going to learn something about me. For about I year I have been working at a funeral home and I have observed many different funerals. But more recently I’ve seen a Jewish funeral. This was interesting to me because they are so different than other funerals. So I am going to tell you what the funeral is like from the family perspective or a friends perceptive and the funeral home perspective. First is going to be the families perspective.
When a family member passes away, depending where the deceased is the first phone call the family makes is to the funeral home. Shortly after the funeral home will arrive and pick up the body and the family will not see the deceased until the funeral later that day. The rabbi is the next person called because he will normally be the person to schedule the funeral. A Jewish funeral is completed in the same day without a wake or viewing of the body. The family will be contacted by the funeral home so that the funeral home can obtain the necessary information needed, either for the rabbi or paper work. Hours later the family will arrive at the synagogue for the prayer ceremony. This ceremony itself will be conducted by the rabbi. At this ceremony there is a eulogy give normally by the rabbi. However, this will some times be done by a family member but never with an Orthodox family. The family will be the pallbearers during this time. Also a Jewish casket is just a plain pine box with no nails, but wooden pins it is made to be as simple as possible. After the ceremony in the synagogue the funeral procession will proceed to the Jewish Cemetery. It is extremely important for Jewish people to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. When the family and the body are outside, the family will walk behind the hearse for a short distance, showing that they are in no rush to finish this journey.
When they arrive at the cemetery the men will carry the casket to the grave site and lower it by hand into the grave. During this time prayers are being said throughout the entire time. The family and other people that attended the funeral will bury the casket by hand. What I mean by this is they physically cover the casket with a shovel and dirt that is besides the grave. The family may not leave until the top of the casket is completely covered with dirt.
At the end of this part after the final prayers are said there are two parallel lines formed for the family to walk through. The family is urged not to look back or return to this location for at least thirty days. This completes the funeral process, however the family is to return home and sit Shiva. Shiva last for a period of seven days. Usually but not all the time the family will sit on Shiva benches. This is a bench that allows the family to be lower than any one that will join the family in sitting Shiva. The family will also leave a candle burning continuously. They will end Shiva on the Sabbath and continuing it after Sabbath is over.
More often than not the family will wait one full year be for they put a headstone on the grave site. However, when the family is ready for the headstone they will have an unveiling. It will be the first time the see the monument. They will also leave rocks instead of flowers at the headstone.
On the other hand, for the funeral home it’s a little more complicated. When we receive the call that someone of the Jewish faith passed away, we have to kick it in to overdrive. The funeral director will go and remove the body and bring it back to the funeral home. Shortly after the rabbi will be called in order to set up the time of the funeral service that will take place that same day. The funeral home will than call upon there Chevera Kadisha, (Holy Society) to come and perform a Tahara (the religious washing and shrouding of the deceased). When this is needed by the funeral home, men will come for men and women come for women. At the same time when the funeral home calls for the Chevera Kadisha they will also call for a shomal (watcher) he/she will sit with the body and pray until the time of the funeral.
The family will provide the funeral director with all information need for him to complete all paper work. One very important piece of information is the Hebrew name which will differ from there regular name. A Hebrew name is the Yiddish name of the deceased; father and mother combined with their name.
Back to the precession of the deceased, part of this ceremony is placing the deceased into a coffin usually a plain pine wood box made with no nails or other metal it is made to be as simple as possible. The funeral service itself is conducted by the rabbi, it will be prayers and some type of eulogy given by the rabbi, in some cases it will be given by a family member; usually not with an orthodox family. Following the service internment will take place at a orthodox cemetery the family does precipitate at this part in time.
The family will carry the casket out of the hearse and than they will follow the hearse by foot for a short distance (to show that they are in no rush to do this task and go on this journey). At the cemetery the men will carry the coffin to the grave site and where the coffin is lowered by hand into the ground. Some prayers are said and all members are expected to help in the task of filling in the grave. (if there are non Jews at this service they will normally not participate in it).
At the very conclusion a final prayer is recited.Than there are two parallel lines formed for the family to walk through and they are told to not look back or come back to this place for at least 30 days. They are than to go home and sit Shiva for seven days ending on the Sabbath and continuing after.
Now that everyone knows about the funeral process, I going to give you one of my personal experiences. Every time I work or attend a funeral I learn something new. The last Jewish funeral I attended a was about a month ago. I realized awhile ago that Jewish families don’t use prayer cards or any type of programs, which at first was really strange to me but I got used to it. I also noticed that in order for men to walk into a synagogue they have to be wearing a kippah, and some but not all women wear a black sheer cloth over their face. They will also rip a piece of ribbon at one point in time. However when I went to this funeral about a month ago I observed that some headstones were really nice compared to others, and I thought nothing of it at first. But than I realized that the not so nice ones were along fence. My boss had told me that the people buried around the outer lining to the cemetery were people that were never bar mitzvah, or bat mitzvah. I never thought there could be such a difference between religious funerals, but there’s always something new to learn about other religions.
I choose to observe a funeral for various reasons. But for the most part I thought that you guys would find it a little interesting. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them and if I cant I’ll ask someone that does.
When a family member passes away, depending where the deceased is the first phone call the family makes is to the funeral home. Shortly after the funeral home will arrive and pick up the body and the family will not see the deceased until the funeral later that day. The rabbi is the next person called because he will normally be the person to schedule the funeral. A Jewish funeral is completed in the same day without a wake or viewing of the body. The family will be contacted by the funeral home so that the funeral home can obtain the necessary information needed, either for the rabbi or paper work. Hours later the family will arrive at the synagogue for the prayer ceremony. This ceremony itself will be conducted by the rabbi. At this ceremony there is a eulogy give normally by the rabbi. However, this will some times be done by a family member but never with an Orthodox family. The family will be the pallbearers during this time. Also a Jewish casket is just a plain pine box with no nails, but wooden pins it is made to be as simple as possible. After the ceremony in the synagogue the funeral procession will proceed to the Jewish Cemetery. It is extremely important for Jewish people to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. When the family and the body are outside, the family will walk behind the hearse for a short distance, showing that they are in no rush to finish this journey.
When they arrive at the cemetery the men will carry the casket to the grave site and lower it by hand into the grave. During this time prayers are being said throughout the entire time. The family and other people that attended the funeral will bury the casket by hand. What I mean by this is they physically cover the casket with a shovel and dirt that is besides the grave. The family may not leave until the top of the casket is completely covered with dirt.
At the end of this part after the final prayers are said there are two parallel lines formed for the family to walk through. The family is urged not to look back or return to this location for at least thirty days. This completes the funeral process, however the family is to return home and sit Shiva. Shiva last for a period of seven days. Usually but not all the time the family will sit on Shiva benches. This is a bench that allows the family to be lower than any one that will join the family in sitting Shiva. The family will also leave a candle burning continuously. They will end Shiva on the Sabbath and continuing it after Sabbath is over.
More often than not the family will wait one full year be for they put a headstone on the grave site. However, when the family is ready for the headstone they will have an unveiling. It will be the first time the see the monument. They will also leave rocks instead of flowers at the headstone.
On the other hand, for the funeral home it’s a little more complicated. When we receive the call that someone of the Jewish faith passed away, we have to kick it in to overdrive. The funeral director will go and remove the body and bring it back to the funeral home. Shortly after the rabbi will be called in order to set up the time of the funeral service that will take place that same day. The funeral home will than call upon there Chevera Kadisha, (Holy Society) to come and perform a Tahara (the religious washing and shrouding of the deceased). When this is needed by the funeral home, men will come for men and women come for women. At the same time when the funeral home calls for the Chevera Kadisha they will also call for a shomal (watcher) he/she will sit with the body and pray until the time of the funeral.
The family will provide the funeral director with all information need for him to complete all paper work. One very important piece of information is the Hebrew name which will differ from there regular name. A Hebrew name is the Yiddish name of the deceased; father and mother combined with their name.
Back to the precession of the deceased, part of this ceremony is placing the deceased into a coffin usually a plain pine wood box made with no nails or other metal it is made to be as simple as possible. The funeral service itself is conducted by the rabbi, it will be prayers and some type of eulogy given by the rabbi, in some cases it will be given by a family member; usually not with an orthodox family. Following the service internment will take place at a orthodox cemetery the family does precipitate at this part in time.
The family will carry the casket out of the hearse and than they will follow the hearse by foot for a short distance (to show that they are in no rush to do this task and go on this journey). At the cemetery the men will carry the coffin to the grave site and where the coffin is lowered by hand into the ground. Some prayers are said and all members are expected to help in the task of filling in the grave. (if there are non Jews at this service they will normally not participate in it).
At the very conclusion a final prayer is recited.Than there are two parallel lines formed for the family to walk through and they are told to not look back or come back to this place for at least 30 days. They are than to go home and sit Shiva for seven days ending on the Sabbath and continuing after.
Now that everyone knows about the funeral process, I going to give you one of my personal experiences. Every time I work or attend a funeral I learn something new. The last Jewish funeral I attended a was about a month ago. I realized awhile ago that Jewish families don’t use prayer cards or any type of programs, which at first was really strange to me but I got used to it. I also noticed that in order for men to walk into a synagogue they have to be wearing a kippah, and some but not all women wear a black sheer cloth over their face. They will also rip a piece of ribbon at one point in time. However when I went to this funeral about a month ago I observed that some headstones were really nice compared to others, and I thought nothing of it at first. But than I realized that the not so nice ones were along fence. My boss had told me that the people buried around the outer lining to the cemetery were people that were never bar mitzvah, or bat mitzvah. I never thought there could be such a difference between religious funerals, but there’s always something new to learn about other religions.
I choose to observe a funeral for various reasons. But for the most part I thought that you guys would find it a little interesting. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them and if I cant I’ll ask someone that does.
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