If you have just lost a dear one, the pain that you feel must be great. You may want to close yourself off to the rest of the world for a while, but as family or friend of the deceased, it could well be that you are the best person available to do the last act of chessed (lovingkindness) for the deceased, and help organize a fitting funeral and burial.

What is burial?
Based on the verse in the Torah, ‘For you are dust, and to dust shall you return’ (Genesis 3:19), Jewish tradition prescribes interment of the deceased. The family, friends, and acquaintances all participate in the burial ceremony, in order to escort the deceased to his final resting place. Different cultures, throughout the world practice diverse burial customs. Jewish burial practices are based on a long tradition rooted in specific theological, social and psychological perspectives, at the heart of which lie concern for the dignity of the deceased and the ascendancy of his soul, and for the feelings of the bereaved family.

ITIM is here for you.
 
In this section, ITIM offers information that we hope will help you immediately after a loved-one's death, through the time of the funeral, and during the mourning period to follow.
 
We have mapped out the prayers and procedures and organized the steps needed to be taken in the days that follow a death. If you need further assistance, please be in touch with the ITIM staff at 011-972-2-648-2205 or, in Israel, 1-700-500-507.
 
In the words of the traditional blessing, May you be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.