There are numerous cultures in this planet today; however the Jewish view of death makes this culture unique from the rest. Jewish death and mourning rites have two basic principles: kevod ha-met, respectful treatment of the dead, and kevod he-chai, consideration for the feelings of the living. These two principles are highly regarded by the Jewish community (Kolatch 7-8).
When a member of a Jewish family is seriously ill it is mandated that immediate family visit the sick during the first three days of sickness. After the three days are over other friends and family can visit. Visitation is not allowed for the first and last three hours of the day, because Moses a twelfth century scholar explained in his Misneh Torah, that medical attention should be given during those hours. The Rabbis of the Talmud (similar to a Catholic Priest) encourage the visiting of the seriously sick, claiming that this eliminates one sixth of the sick person's pain. By not visiting would make the non-visitor a sinner. It is encouraged that a dying person confesses his or her sins if the person is on the verge of dying to cleanse themselves before they part. Judaism law demands that a terminally ill person should be companied twenty four hours a day to prevent the sick to be plagued with thoughts of death and more important, to keep the demons from taking charge of the patients soul when he dies. A candle is also lighted in the room of the terminally ill to scare off evil spirits and to make it known that a human soul is about to leave earth (Watson)
After the death of a person the eyes are closed, so the person can finally rest in peace. Some Jews place the body of the deceased on the floor immediately after death. This is done to cool the body to slow the deterioration of the body and also fulfill the biblical prognostication "for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return"(Genesis 3:19). A candle is then lit and placed near the corpse head to show respect to the soul that departed. In the past twenty-six candles were light around the body; twenty-six is the Jewish numerical number meaning "God." Today this is done only to show respect to the dead. Jewish people treat a close family members death similar to Americans. Relatives and friends of the deceased feel great distress, sorrow, and pain.
“In most human society's death is an extremely important cultural and social phenomenon, sometimes more important than birth” (Ohnuki-Tierney, Angrosino, & Daar et al. 1994). In the United States of America, when a body dies it is cherished, mourned over, and given respect by the ones that knew the person. It is sent to the morgue and from there the family decides how the body should be buried or cremated based on...
Reading multiple different journals and articles about how individual cultures interpret death, it has come to a conclusion that many cultures have many contrasting views and perspectives. Some cultures would take their practices to extreme levels, which included doing stuff to the physical body, where in today’s era, would not be right. The central desire to write this paper is to learn about the different beliefs and practices that happen in different part of the countries, in today’s time and from the past.
Death comes to all in the end, shrouded in mystery, occasionally bringing with it pain, and while some may welcome its finality, others may fight it with every ounce of their strength. Humans have throughout the centuries created death rituals to bring them peace and healing after the death of a loved one.
Although most individuals at one point in time of their life will experience death, each individual may have different views on death. How one handles death and bereavement of death can be influenced by many different factors such as tradition, region, religion, or culture. Some individuals may view death as morbid, other individuals may view death as a celebration of life. The Liberian population views death in a positive way, Liberians view death as a "totality of life" (DeSpelder & Strickland, 2015).
There is no greater unknown in this world than what happens after a person dies. Throughout our lives we are told that there is a world to come, olam haba, which consists of Gan Eden and Gehenom. Olam Haba is greater than any reward in the physical world, and Gehenom is worse than any pain in the physical world. No human has been able to come back from the dead and confirm this for mankind, but we do have strong evidence that supports the idea that there is an after-life filled with reward and punishment. The books of Judaism are largely focused on being a good Jew in this life, and scarcely on the afterlife. Since the Torah does not focus a great deal on the afterlife, we have a limited source of knowledge on the topic. The answers to the question for what happens after we die are mainly derived from pesukim throughout Tanach.
within 24 hours but not on a Shabbat or on the first day of any
Older human cultures, such as the Native Americans, held rituals responding to the death of their people. Today people still hold rituals in honor of the dead, yet people now do not perform these acts. The practices used by Native American groups and tribes were better than the modern American customs used today. Therefore, more people who cannot handle the stress of death should practice these ideas to end the stress and griefing that happens today.
In the Jewish faith, death is seen as a natural process. Jewish rituals surrounding death focus on showing respect for the deceased and consolation for the living. After death, the body is never left alone. The body is laid on the floor, covered, and candles are lit with the “shomerim” meaning “guards” watching over the body. Many Jewish communities have a burial society, called the chevra kaddisha (holy society), that clean the body and wrap the body in a plain linen shroud. The body can not be cremated or embalmed and autopsies are discouraged. Coffins are not required according to Jewish customs, but if one is used, there must be holes drilled into them, so they come in contact with the ground. The dead are placed in a plain casket and buried within 24 hours, before sunset, on the day of death. Jewish mourning traditions begin grief with the tearing of one’s clothing (Rich, 1996). Mourners “cut their clothing with a razor- on the left for a parent; on the right for a spouse, child, or sibling- to symbolize the tear in life that death has produced (cite textbook, pg 358).” After burial of the deceased, a healing meal is made for the family, which is followed by the next phase of mourning, known as shiva. Shiva is a seven day ritual in where mourners sit on low stools or on the floor, do not wear shoes, do not shave, do not work, do not bathe, have sex, or eat meat, and remain in the same clothes they tore at the time of death. Following shiva, mourners do not attend social gathering for 30 days, this is known as shloshim. If someone is mourning a parents death, the “shloshim” is expanded to one year (Rich, 1996).
Before arguments are presented it is beneficial to outline and define what ‘taboo’ and ‘death’ mean. ‘Taboo’ is defined as “something prohibited, forbidden, by custom rather than by law. It may be something too terrible even to think of, it reality denied, or more weakly, it simply not be mentioned in conversation” (Walter, p.295, 1991). From this definition, we can see that a taboo is when there is an absence communication due to cautioning, of whatever subject, but in this case, death. The definition of ‘Death’ in the biomedical sense is the absence of life, whereby somebody is no longer living anymore. Furthermore, death is also accompanied by a ‘certification’ by a physician that...
The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former.
Traditionally, death is based on religion and culture. One of the most highly regarded men, Nelson Mandela a chief of the Xhosa, a national hero for many, was buried in his native ritual. The Xhosa had performed specific rituals that were only done when the person whom died was not in the home land. They believe that this ritual would make sure that the soul can return with the ancestors. The Xhosa believe that if done correctly, it would “please the creator and the ancestors who mediate between the creator, bringing good fortune and protection to the family”. During the travel back home, specialist must perform sacred rituals in order to pull the spirit towards the homeland. There are special herbs that they use in this process, while they sing songs of praise. For the funeral, a slaughter of cattle must take place using a traditional spear. The body would then be buried with personal possession, either lying down or in a sitting position. The widow or widows in mourning were not to prepare meals. Another member of the tribe would make sure that they are well fed during the long six months grievance process. After the process is finished there is yet another ceremony where gifts are given to the widow and the children to either replace items of the deceased. Depending upon the status of the person, the
When a loved one dies, it is common for the mourners to immerse themselves in their particular religious traditions. From Buddhism to Christianity to Hinduism, dealing with death and the existence or nonexistence of an afterlife is a fundamental issue that ties people to their faiths. Often the rituals and traditions surrounding death offer insight into other parts of the religion. Blu Greenberg writes in How to Run a Traditional Jewish Household, "No matter what, each one of us will die, and just as there is a way to live as a Jew, there is a way to die and be buried as a Jew." (287) The custom of sitting Shiva is one part of dying and being buried as a Jew.
“Every life comes with a death sentence” is a quote from Walter White, on the famous TV show Breaking Bad, after being diagnosed with cancer. This statement is true, and will continue to remain true for as long as humans are sentient beings. Death carries with it a number of emotional hurtles that are faced by the family and friends of the deceased. How do funerals change with different religious affiliations, specifically between Catholic, Islam and secular followers? Moreover, what values do funerals possess that have made them such a backbone to society? Overall, funerals provide a way for all people of faith or otherwise to have a socially acceptable way to grieve loved ones, which is why it is prevalent in most, if not all religious denominations.
While the end of life experience is universal, the behaviors associated with expressing grief are very much culturally bound. Death and grief being normal life events, all cultures have developed ways to cope with death in a respectful manner, and interfering with these practices can disrupt people’s ability to cope during the grieving
Viewing death and sickness in an Orthodox Christian perspective varies significantly from the world’s view of death and sickness. As Schmemann states, “The religious outlook considers disease rather than health to the “normal” state of man (101). Our ideas and beliefs about death and sickness have been altered and corrupted by the way society and “religion” has taught us to view them. To some, death is an inevitable part of human existence that will continue to occur and is simply to be accepted as a part of life as we know it. To others, it is an escape from this world and from the status of pain and corruption present in the world we live in. Either way, we have decided to elevate and glorify death and sickness to a status they simply don’t