A HEBREW SAGE MIGHT SAY. . .
Ignorance can become quite lethal.

CUSTOMS — Burial & Mourning  (Part 1 of 3)      —
"They (Job’s friends) broke into loud weeping; each one tore his robe and threw dust into the air onto his head." [Job (Iyob) 2. 12 Tanakh, Kethuvim] 

Immediately after death, close relatives of the deceased perform the Keriah custom by making a slight tear in their clothing as a sign of mourning.  This act describes the severance of the living from the dead and is performed in moments of deepest grief.  It is the mark of a broken or torn heart on the clothing.

Pious Jews direct that a little sack of Holy Land soil be placed in their coffin.  It is written in the Jew's oral law (Talmud): "He that lives in the Holy Land is as though he were without sin. He that inhabits the City one hour and dies there is sure of the world to come."  Having been denied the opportunity to live and die in Erez Yisroel (Land of Israel), they yearn to be buried with a bit of the soil of the Promised Holy Land.  This also explains the custom of placing the body with the head to the east,  Zion-ward.  The burial shroud is made of white linen cloth and covers the undergarments.  A prominent person may be buried with his Tallit (Prayer Shawl) but the fringes are removed or cut.

The grave is filled in, the first spadefuls by family and friends, and the rest by members of the burial society— the hevra kadisha.  At the conclusion of the burial ceremony, the Kaddish is recited by the sons of the deceased or by a close relative.  The Kaddish (means: sanctification) is a famous Jewish prayer which speaks of the greatness of ALMIGHTY GOD, of redemption from exile, and of everlasting peace in MESSIANIC times.

Upon returning home, a hard-boiled egg and a little ashes are placed before the mourners. The egg, being a symbol of life, reminds them that while death is inescapable, the living must face the future with faith and hope.  The ashes, as a sign of mourning, date back to ancient times when ashes and earth were strewn on the head in times of misfortune.  With this simple rite begins the period of Shivah (seven), the seven days of mourning.  This custom is based on the fact that Joseph mourned for his father Jacob seven days. [Genesis/Bereshith 50. 10]   Relatives and friends come to visit the mourners and to console them.  The bereaved usually sit on low stools during this time.  Throughout the seven days, the memorial lamp is kept lighted in memory of the dead.    Mourners abstain from entertainment and pleasures for thirty days.  In some families, this custom is continued for twelve months.  As another expressions of grief, mirrors and other decorative objects in the house are usually covered up or put away.  A large candle is lighted, which is renewed and kept burning for thirty days (except on Sabbath) in reverence for the dead.

A year after the death, the relatives and friends come to pay their respects to the deceased.  The Kaddish is recited and one of the prayers is the famous Psalm/Tehillym 23, "The LORD is my SHEPHERD."  Every year the death anniversary is observed at home and in the synagogue.  At home a memorial lamp or candle in a glass is lit at sunset and allowed to burn until the next sunset.  This ceremony is called Yahrzeit.  "The light of the candle flickers and waves in harmony with the light of TORAH." [Proverbs (Mishle) 20. 27 Tanakh, Kethuvim]  

From the SCRIPTURAL account, man was created to live forever and not to die.  CREATOR GOD'S ultimate purpose is to have a world of perfect beings having eternal fellowship with HIMSELF.  And this eventually will come to pass even as the LORD GOD OF HOSTS intended.  But, in the meantime along with our first parents in the Garden of Eden, the entrance of sin brought death, both physical and spiritual.

. . . to be continued

Sha'alu (Pray) for the Shalom (Peace) of Jerusalem and all of Israel!
Welcome Shabbat — Queen of the Week. . . last in creation, first in thought.
Exalt the LORD YESHUA ha’MASHIACH, the KING OF GLORY, WHO gives True Sabbath Peace & Rest.



Praying for the peace of Jerusalem, is praying for the return of our Messiah and Lord and for the Kingdom of God He is bringing when He comes.  Then God's Will shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven and the world will experience true godly universal peace.  

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The newest section is our thought by thought study through the Bible.  Having completed the Torah (books of Moses), and the New Testament, we are now going through the book of; [Isaiah].