Does Judaism permit cremation

Answer 1

Cremation is not allowed in Jewish practice. Jews believe that their bodies must be returned to God as they were in life - whole. Obviously, if a person has been maimed in their lifetime, that is how they are in death. But otherwise, Jews must not destroy their bodies.

Furthermore, Jews believe that in the end of days their bodies and souls will be reunited; all the righteous will be resurrected from the dead. By cremating you openly deny this and will be punished by not being part of it.

Answer 2

Cremation is not allowed by Judaism as we are supposed to remain intact even after death. This is because of the teachings regarding the world to come when the good will be resurrected. Additionally, there are beliefs that when we die, the separation between our soul and body is a painful process and that by allowing for slow decay, it makes the process easier.

Please see the related article.

Answer 3

Because of the dignity of the human body, which is "in the divine image" (Genesis ch.5). See also:

Death and mourning in Judaism

Answer 4

There are several major reasons why Jews do not cremate their dead. Some of them are the following:

1) Dignity of the Human Form: The first and most important reason is that humans are made in the image of God, as it says in Genesis 1:27. This means that the human form is itself a reflection of the divinity of God and should not be desecrated by putting the flesh to fire. Similarly, texts that bear the name of God are hallowed and also must be buried. The Divine essence that pervades both these documents, through their etching of the Divine name, and humans, through their construction in the image of God, is too holy to subject to flame.

2) Resurrection of the Flesh: According to Ezekiel 37:1-14, Isaiah 26:19, and Daniel 12:2, at the End of Days, God will resurrect the dead in bodily form. In Ezekiel, the actual process of attaching sinew to bones and skin to sinew is discussed. In both Isaiah and Daniel, the text discusses that the resurrection will occur to those who sleep/lay in the dirt, which would imply intact and buried bodies. In any case, a resurrection makes much more sense when there is still a body to resurrect.

3) Cemetary Visits: Jews value remembering the dead and will often go to cemeteries on the Yahrzeit or death anniversary to pay respects to their dead ancestors. While burial in a cemetery is theoretically possible for a cremated person, many cremated people have their ashes stored in an urn outside of a cemetery or scatter the ashes into the sky or water. This violates Jewish traditions about how to remember the dead.

4) Ceremonies of Mourning: There are many important ceremonies that Jews practice concerning morning, including specifics about how a person is to be placed in the burial area, how dirt is to be placed on him/her, what things the mourners should say, and so forth. Many of these traditions, at a minimum, require a buried entity, if not a corporeal body.

Answer 5

Cremation is strictly prohibited by Jewish law.

Answer 6

It's desecration of the body.

Answer 7

Jewish law forbids it.

Answer 8

No.

Answer 9

The Jewish tradition requires what is now called natural burial. That is, the body is not embalmed and the coffin, if used, is entirely biodegradable (wood with no metal parts). Cremation is traditionally not done, and the crematoria used to burn bodies during the Holocaust reinforced this with an added layer of revulsion. However, the Reform movement has recently decided to permit, but not encourage cremation. Part of the reason may be simply practical. In crowded urban areas, grave plots are very expensive.