Introduction
Honoring the dead and comforting the grieving are never easy. Judaism does so with a series of thoughtfully constructed practices that move forward from the time of death to its annual remembrance. This guide explains those practices and provides resources and reading recommendations for learning more.
There is another aspect of Jewish traditions concerning the end of life that is equally important. It is a mitzvah not only to respond to what has already happened to someone else but to plan so that others have your guidance when the inevitable happens. The other key purpose of this guide, therefore, is to provide information and resources to help us plan for end-of-life matters. The emphasis is on issues discussed in sources from the Conservative Jewish Movement, but the guide also provides links to valuable secular sources.
Planning allows us to study Jewish values and traditions, engage in difficult conversations, and communicate our feelings and preferences. It will ease the burdens on those grieving. It will also help us designate and have conversations with those whom we wish to handle health and financial matters should we become ill or unable to make decisions.
Accordingly, this Habonim guide has been prepared for readers who may be at different stages. Because we hope and recommend that planning starts early, the sections on planning come first in this guide. The second half covers practices from the time of death through burial and mourning. Prefacing both will be a short section on what to do, and whom to notify when a death has occurred or is imminent.
USING LINKS WITHIN THE GUIDE: Many of the guide’s users will not read it straight through from beginning to end. The table of contents is set up as a series of links to let users dive into the material wherever they want. Most of the guide’s topics and sub-topics also use links to cross-reference each other or dig down more deeply into a subject. These often include references and links to valuable sources for further reading, including material from the Rabbinical Assembly. If you see a word highlighted in a contrasting colored font, clicking on it will either bring you to another place within this document or will open a new tab in your browser taking you to an external website. There is also a general reading list at the end of the guide.
With that brief introduction, the reader is encouraged to dive in.
