ABSTRACT
Jewish tradition responds to the death of a Jew with well-defined structures of liturgy and ritual. From the moment we learn of a death, through the following hours, days, months, and years, specific words, such as the mourner’s kaddish,1 and specific actions, that is, the laws of mourning, are provided for the bereaved and for the extended Jewish community. The system of laws and customs is complex, and specific to relationship and time.
