Bereavement in Judaism

Bereavement in Judaism (Hebrew: אֲבֵלוּת, avelut ; mourning) is a combination of minhag and mitzvah derived from Judaism's classical Torah and rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community.

Upon receiving news of the passing

Upon receiving the news of the passing, the following blessing is recited:

There is also a custom of rending one's clothes at the moment one hears news of a passing.

Orthodox men will cut the lapel of their suit. Non-orthodox practice may be to cut a necktie or to wear a button with a torn black ribbon This symbolic practice is called wearing a Kriah ribbon.

Chevra kadisha

The chevra kadisha (חברה קדישא "holy society") is a Jewish burial society usually consisting of volunteers, men and women, who prepare the deceased for proper Jewish burial. Their job is to ensure that the body of the deceased is shown proper respect, ritually cleansed, and shrouded.

Many local chevra kadishas in urban areas are affiliated with local synagogues, and they often own their own burial plots in various local cemeteries. Some Jews pay an annual token membership fee to the chevra kadisha of their choice, so that when the time comes, the society will not only attend to the body of the deceased as befits Jewish law, but will also ensure burial in a plot that it controls at an appropriate nearby Jewish cemetery.