Avelut A Glossary of Shiva Candle: Candle to be lit upon return from the cemetery which burns for the seven day Mourning Traditional Terms mourning period.

Aninut: Time period from death to burial. Shloshim: A less intense thirty-day period of Upon leaving the gravesite the immediate family mourning including the seven days of Shiva, commences the seven-day Shiva period of Avelut: Hebrew for mourning. and ending in full integration of mourners back mourning. They light the Shiva candle and are into society. Aron: Casket carrying the physical remains. served the Seudat Havra’a, the traditional meal of Shmirah: Att ending to the deceased’s body so condolence; meals are usually prepared for the Eil Malei Rachamim: The memorial prayer recited that it is never alone from death to burial. family during Shiva to allow them to focus on at the funeral service, on visiting a gravesite, and during Yizkor services. Shomer: Person “guarding” the body who recites mourning. Mourning continues during Shloshim, Psalms to honor the deceased. with mourners reciting the Kaddish for a total of Hesped: Eulogy of tribute to the deceased. thirty days. The giving of tzedakah, charity in Tachrichim: White linen shroud worn by the Chevra Kadisha: A burial society, a dedicated deceased to indicate purity. memory of a loved one, is also traditional. group of men or women who wash and clothe the At the conclusion of Shloshim, a deceased in keeping with Jewish tradition. Tahara: Ritual washing of the deceased by a The representative of Mount Sinai will contact burial society or Jewish mortuary. Psalms are recited as part of this ritual. the family to assist in creating a memorial K’riah: Tear in a garment of a mourner, or in its place a ritual ribbon, worn as a symbol of the rending of matzevah tablet, a , as a permanent symbol of the heart at a loss. Tzedakah: Charitable acts in memory of the Mount Sinai remembrance. Mount Sinai will also assist in deceased. arrangements for the unveiling ceremony to K’vod Hamet: Respect for the deceased. Yahrzeit: The Hebrew anniversary of the death dedicate the tablet. Kaddish: Prayer in praise of the Eternal, recited for on which a memorial candle is lit. Guide to Yahrzeit, the Hebrew anniversary of the 11 months for parents and 30 days for all others. Yizkor: Memorial prayers recited on Passover, death of a loved one, is observed each year; a calendar Kever Avot: Mount Sinai Memorial Service held Shavuot, Sukkot and Yom Kippur at a of Yahrzeit dates is available from Mount Sinai. at the traditional time to visit the graves of loved synagogue or temple service. Traditional Additionally, mourners recite Yizkor prayers of ones, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. remembrance and visit gravesites as part of Mount Levaya: Hebrew for the funeral service. Sinai Kever Avot Memorial Services held on the Jewish Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Seudat Havra’a: Meal of condolence served to For general information please contact These longstanding rituals and traditions mourners, traditionally including eggs as a symbol us at (800) 600-0076 or visit our website: www.mountsinaiparks.org. Hollywood Hills FD 1010 enable the bereaved to acknowledge their loss of the cycle of life. Funeral Simi Valley FD 1745 and receive the love, guidance and support of For immediate assistance please contact Shiva: The intense seven-day mourning period  Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries (800) 600-0076 www.mountsinaiparks.org their community. which begins aft er burial. at (800) 600-0076. Dedicated to the entire Jewish community as a servicePractices of Sinai Temple of Los Angeles 2/12 Guiding Aninut Between Shmirah Levaya Principles Death and Burial Guardianship The Funeral Service

When a loved one dies, Jewish tradition During this time, when a family is in a fragile This practice of Shmirah, or guardianship A traditional Jewish funeral service is brief and suggests a course of action shaped by one state, tradition carries them forward. The closest highlights the respect and caring that Jewish simple, providing comfort by creating time and fundamental insight: human beings are relatives: spouse, parents, children and siblings, tradition accords the individual. A Shomer is space for the mourners and the community to sacred. The body is the vessel in which attend to the funeral and the burial since they are a guardian who stays with the deceased at all recall memories of the deceased and to express the spark of divinity resides. When a soul exempt from most other religious obligations. times prior to burial, reciting Psalms chosen from their sorrow. The service may be held in a chapel departs, the laws and customs of Jewish the Book of Psalms, or readings from the Book at the memorial park, in the synagogue, or at the burial are dictated by k’vod hamet, honoring Tahara of Lamentations, and engages in other study. A gravesite. the deceased, with rituals of washing, Preparation family member, friend, fellow congregant, or an dressing, caring for and guarding the body. individual designated by Mount Sinai may serve The basic elements of a traditional service include These rituals lead up to the funeral itself This ritual preparation, or purification, is a as Shomer. the chanting of Psalms and the recitation of a and are sacred rites that invest, with dignity centuries’ old detailed procedure performed by a hesped, a eulogy honoring the deceased, followed and simplicity, a profound respect for the chevra kadisha, a holy society. Psalms and prayers Aron by the Eil Malei Rachamim prayer. Select family deceased. These historic, fundamental are recited as the body is bathed in warm water The Casket members and friends may act as pallbearers to principles find expression in every aspect of and purified for its return to the Eternal. carry the casket, with others following. Mount Sinai’s service. The inner holiness of the individual finds outer In keeping with traditional standards of At the end of the service, typically at the gravesite, expression in the casket. The biblical teaching, Traditional Jewish funerals are marked modesty, tahara is performed by men for men, by mourners recite the Kaddish. Those grieving for “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” by simplicity: family and visitors reflect a Tahara a spouse, parent, child or sibling also participate women for women. is an optional service (Genesis 3:19), calls for the use of caskets made restraint in both dress and behavior befitting in the rite of k’riah. The torn clothing, and/or a that Mount Sinai can make available to families. entirely of wood. the solemn emotions of a loss. Traditional k’riah ribbon, symbolize that a part of their souls practice avoids both embalming and public has been torn from them and is worn during the Tachrichim Wood is a product of the earth and as a part of viewing, and interment takes place as soon mourning period. It is traditional for everyone to nature promotes the quick and natural return as possible after death, while still providing Burial Garments wash their hands when leaving the cemetery and of the body to the earth. Caskets made of pine, time for distant relatives to arrive. again prior to entering the house of mourning. The Rabbis of the Talmud observed differences mahogany, walnut, cherry and other woods lend warmth, beauty and a sense of timelessness. Ritual commandments for the preparation between burial rituals for rich and poor, and to and burial of the body are highly valued preserve equality evolved the two thousand- Caskets with appropriate Jewish symbols, such mitzvot, good deeds. Members of the Mount year-old tradition of using tachrichim, simple as a Star of David, are available; family members Sinai staff and traditional burial societies, white linen shrouds, as burial garments. Over may place mementos of loved ones within. Earth in Hebrew called chevra kadisha, which may time, the use of burial garments has expanded to from Jerusalem placed under the head symbolizes be members of synagogue-based groups, allow for the deceased to be buried in clothing. our shared longing to dwell in Israel. take responsibility for the ritual bathing and dressing of the deceased. Mount Sinai performs the service and interment.