THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 7, 1995 TAG: 9511070307
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
The funeral for Yitzhak Rabin held the grandeur due a world leader, but the essence of the service arose from Jewish rituals developed over thousands of years.
While some customs vary depending on the branch of Judaism and the country of burial, there is a unity to the traditions for burying and mourning Jews:
Closed coffin: The body is prepared for death by a burial society, a group of people - often members of a congregation - who are trained in the required rituals and customs. The casket is closed, because the mourners' thoughts should be focused on the soul, rather than the body, of the departed.
There are typically no flowers because the service is meant to emphasize an absolute confrontation with death. It is customary to give to charity.
Burial: After the recitation of eulogies and psalms, pallbearers carry the casket to the grave. As the casket is lowered, a leader recites the ``Tzadok ha Din,'' a blessing reiterating the righteousness of God's judgment. Afterward, friends and often family members - though not the immediate family - cover the grave with dirt.
Closing prayers: The immediate family members have special roles as the mourners. One typically leads recitation of the mourners Kaddish, a prayer extolling God's greatness and virtues, which does not mention death. Rabin's son led the prayer at his funeral. The service concluded with the ``ayl moleh rachamim,'' a prayer asking God to care for the soul of the deceased.
Mourning: Jews follow specific grieving rituals, designed to help them fully accept their loss. The week following the funeral is called ``shiva,'' a time for the immediate family to remain in their home, visited by friends and family. They are not allowed to work or distract themselves with entertainment. In the month after the funeral, the family is allowed to resume, slowly, their normal responsibilities.
The grave is marked with a headstone at a time just short of a year, and that ceremony marks the end of the family's outward observance of mourning. However, each year at the anniversary of the death, mourners are called to recite the Kaddish in a synagogue.
- Compiled by Esther Diskin MEMO: Sources: Rabbi Yosef Friedman, B'nai Israel Congregation in Norfolk;
Rabbi Arthur Steinberg, Temple Sinai in Portsmouth.
by CNB