Exploring the Soul of Taharah (Jewish Death Practices Books)

By Richard A. Light and Aviva W. Erlick

For centuries, Jews have prepared their dead for burial using a ritual known as taharah, which means purification. Drawn from sacred texts and Jewish theology, this rite is traditionally conducted according to time-tested procedures, by a trained team called a chevrah kadisha.Today, however, families are asking their rabbis and hospice chaplains to improvise new rituals based upon this ancient one. They may want to perform the ritual themselves, for example; to insert original elements; or to confront Jewish law and perform it for a loved one who will be cremated, or who is not Jewish.Discussion of these issues has led to the question: How much modification can be allowed? At what point is the ritual no longer a Jewish purification, and by what standard? What bare-bones elements make taharah unique, and satisfy its requirements? What can be allowed, and what is forbidden?This is the inquiry that the authors, a hospice chaplain and an experienced chevrah kadisha leader, set about to explore.David Zinner, Executive Director, Kavod v'Nichum, writes: "Destined to become a defining work in the chevrah kadisha field, [this book] extends the concepts of hospice into a Jewish context, and has the potential to radically alter and improve the way that contemporary Jews handle traditional death practices. It may facilitate the return to a more authentic form of the chevrah kadisha that is not dependent upon 20th century funeral homes."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1508412367
• ISBN13: 9781508412366
• Release Date: February 2015
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 70 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.2" x 6.0"