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According to Judaism burial is not only an obligation but a Mitzva (a religious law) as well. It is considered kindness and charity to the dead. There are two principals regarding burial according to Judaism.

The first and most important principal is to prevent humiliation to the dead. This is why the burial ceremony is scheduled as close as possible to the passing. The soul of the deceased is waiting for the body to be buried. It feels sorrow as long as the body is not buried.

The second principle in Jewish burial is to console and to take into consideration the mourning family. Because of this, sometimes the burial is postponed for a few days until the family can gather together for the ritual. Another issue is to give condolence to the mourning family which is also considered a mithva (a religious law).

The body is cleaned and prepared before burial by special people which are responsible for doing so. Before burial eulogies are said. Then the body is put upon a stretcher and covered with a Talit which is a Jewish prayer shawl. The stretcher is carried by the deceased relatives and/or friends. (If there are non then the deceased is considered Met Miztva which means that any Jew who is able to, must participate in the burial). The deceased is put into a hole in the ground which was dug by the gravediggers and then the deceased relatives cover the grave with soil with shovels. After 30 days a tombstone is put upon the grave.

Jew do not bury on Shabbat (the seventh day of the week which is forbidden to have any act of creation on it.) or any other Holiday (for the same reason).

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14y ago

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