Most of the burial practices are religious obligations that have a strong basis in Jewish tradition. Some Jewish communities practice customs whose status is more disputed. Someone who has difficulty relating to these customs, and prefers not to observe them may do so and still perform a burial which is 'according to the law of Moses and Israel.' As a general rule, the chevra kadisha takes responsibility for the deceased, and observes all the accepted Jewish practices concerning it. Whatever relates, however, to the mourning family, is left to its discretion, and the family may request that certain customs not be performed.

Before the eulogies begin, the body is brought into an inner room in the funeral home, and immediate family (parents, spouse, children, and siblings) approach, one by one, to perform the ritual of k'riah (rending their garments). K'riah, of course, is only performed with your assent, and will be omitted, if you oppose it. K’riah is likely to be very difficult for the mourners since it is done in the presence of the deceased's body.

The rending ritual is a Jewish custom in which the mourners tear their clothing as a symbol of the tear in their souls caused by anguish over their relative's passing. The Biblical precedent for this custom is Jacob's rending of his clothes in mourning over Joseph, his son, whom he presumed dead (Genesis 37:34). The Bible connects mourning and grieving with rending of clothing in multiple biblical narratives. In the Talmudic period, mourners customarily tore their own clothing the moment they saw or heard about their relative's passing. Nowadays, mourners generally do k'riah in the funeral home, while the deceased lies before them. The tear is made in the outer garment (shirt) above the chest, on the left side (location of the heart) for parents, and on the right side for other relatives. The tear must be significant, approximately 8.5 centimeters (3.5 inches), and made with a knife, not scissors. Usually, a member of the chevra kadisha starts the tear, and then the mourner extends it by pulling the torn flap downward. The mourner stands (if possible) during the k'riah, and afterwards recites a blessing declaring that God is the true judge:

"בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה, אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, דַּיַּן הָאֱמֶת"

If the deceased passed away on a festival, and shiva was postponed until its conclusion, k’riah is also delayed until then. There are some people, however, who have the custom to perform k’riah for a parent even on one of the Intermediate Days of a festival.

Mourners customarily do not change their torn garments for the duration of shiva. If one's tear is too large, one may close it up with a safety pin, but one shouldn’t sew it, so that it will serve as a symbol of mourning. After shiva, some people have the custom to discard their torn garment, while others sew up the rip and continue wearing the garment (it is not customary to mend the tear in a garment torn in mourning over one’s parents.

Eulogies
After k'riah, the deceased is carried into the main sanctuary of the funeral home, covered in shrouds and a tallit for a male, and shrouds and a parochet, or white sheet, for a female. The deceased is placed on a special rock designated for this purpose. The officiator of the funeral recites the Mishnah from Pirkei Avot (Chapter III, Mishnah I) that deals with the chasm that separates between life and death:

Akavyah ben Mahalel said: Reflect upon three things and you will not come into the grip of sin: Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you will have to render account and reckoning. From where you came – from a putrid drop. To where are you going – to a place of dust, and of decay. Before whom you will have to render account and reckoning – Before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

עֲקַבְיָא בֶּן מַהֲלַלְאֵל אוֹמֵר: הִסְתַּכֵּל בִּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים וְאֵין אַתָּה בָא לִידֵי עֲבֵירָה; דַּע מֵאַיִן בָּאתָ, וּלְאָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ, וְלִפְנֵי מִי אַתָּה עָתִיד לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן. מֵאַיִן בָּאתָ - מִטִּפָּה סְרוּחָה, וּלְאָן אַתָּה הוֹלֵךְ - לִמְקוֹם עָפָר, רִמָּה וְתוֹלֵעָה, וְלִפְנֵי מִי אַתָּה עָתִיד לִתֵּן דִּין וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן - לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.

Some chevra kadishas repeat this Mishnah each time the bier is moved. The passages 'Where you are going' and 'From where you came' are generally recited quietly because their content is shameful for the deceased.

The deceased's friends and relatives now proceed to eulogize him – they praise him and his lifework, relate stories about his life, and express grief over his passing. Either one or several people – males or females, relatives, friends, teachers, or commanders – may deliver the eulogies. It is customary to refrain from eulogies at times of year that are characterized by rejoicing (Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah, Purim, Intermediate Days of Pesach and Sukkot, the entire months of Nissan and Tishrei and the first thirteen days of the month of Sivan). On these days, one instead delivers brief 'departing words' to the deceased that for all practical purposes do not differ from a eulogy. If the chevra kadisha does not permit you to deliver these ‘departing words’ in the funeral home, you can instead say them afterwards, by the graveside. Though no rules govern the length of the eulogy, one should be considerate both of the chevra kadisha as well as of the friends and family attending the funeral.

Some people have the custom to recite the prayer of Tzidduk Hadin at this point, though it is more common to recite it only after burial.