ABSTRACT
This chapter will focus on two important commandments, starting with the care of the individual before and after death, and then focusing on the mourner and the grieving process according to Jewish tradition. Jews are two broad groups: Ashkenazic Jews are of Central or Eastern European origin and now predominate in the USA and Europe. Sephardic Jews descended from the Jewish communities of Spain, Africa, and the Middle East. Ashkenazic and Sephardic burial and bereavement customs differ, and these differences will be discussed when applicable. According to Jewish tradition, people lives are measured by our deeds and by whether we have lived up to our full potential. Therefore, the time before death is usually spent in a review of one's life. Over the years, Judaism split into several denominations, the most common of which are Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. Jewish tradition separates out six graduated periods of mourning, during which the mourner can gradually express feelings of grief.
