Jewish Mourning Rituals: Caring for the Body
Below is a script I wrote at BimBam, a Jewish Educational Media Company.
When talking about what happens to the body after death and before the funeral in Judaism, there are two main elements to focus on: Shmira, the ritual guarding of the body, and Tahara, the ritual purification of the body.
In many communities, these practices are done by the burial society, or Chevra Kadisha, members who are dedicated to this mitzvah, this good deed.
Shmira is the ancient tradition of not leaving a body alone before it’s buried. It involves reciting tehillim, (psalms), and doing other learning in memory of the deceased. In practical terms, that means sitting in a room, adjacent to where the deceased rests.
In the old days, it was to physically protect the body. Now, it’s an honor guard that brings comfort to the family and reminds the community that we show respect for people who died by being with them. Doing Shmira is a way to set aside time to remember the person without distractions of your work, your children, or anything else.
Tahara, the Ritual Purification of the body brings together representatives of the community who say prayers and prepare the body. The preparation combines three elements - physically washing the body, a purification ritual using water, and dressing the body.
After the physical washing, the spiritual cleansing can take a few forms. Some groups dunk the body in a mikveh, while others will pour water over the body. The specifics of this ritual were written in the early 1600’s, with purification rituals for those who touch a dead body dating all the way back to the bible.
We dress the body in garments similar to what the high priests wore. We’re dressing people to go before God.
What’s interesting about Tahara is that people go into this room thinking, “I’m going to wash a dead body, and it’s going to be a challenging experience” and come out thinking, “Wow, I’m really a different person, because I understand what death is now. I’ve come so close to death. I’ve washed the body of a dead person and I’ve lifted up their arm and when I let go of their arm it just fell back down. I’ve held them. I’ve turned them. I’ve done a ritual purification.” It becomes a spiritual experience to go out of the Tahara room and see things totally different than when you went in. What it means to be alive. For anyone who does this work, that is the most powerful piece.
It is traditional not to talk about the Tahara with the family. But, the liturgy and traditions create a bond, a strong tie that builds community. It goes beyond how do you pour the water. It speaks to how do you show respect, provide comfort to the family, and at the same time, experience the byproduct of this incredible spiritual emotional life-changing thing that you’re doing.