friends do not visit before the funeral.

Jewish life-cycle customs and holidays can be thought of as “cathedrals” made of time.

The charters or bylaws of most Jewish cemeteries explicitly forbid burial of non-Jews within their precincts.

Remember that you cannot give your all to someone else when your own resources are depleted.

one who can be seen but who cannot see—a status that cries out for resolution.

embedded in Jewish hearts and souls, some find comfort in reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish, or some version of it, as a private meditation or prayer.

focus almost exclusively on the life that was lived and is now lost.

The tradition mandates saying Kaddish, with clear directions about how, where, and when it should be said.

during the thirteenth century, when the Crusades threatened the Jewish communities of Europe, it became inextricably linked to loss and mourning.