|
What Is The Cause Of Death |
|
Page 2 of 2
The Movement for Reform Judaism has just published a new Funeral Prayer Book and a new Prayer Book for Daily and Shiva Memorial prayers. Neither book will remove the intense pain of grief, longing and missing but both books can help soften this pain through the force of prayer, the wisdom of the generations and the insights, reflections and meditations of contemporary British Reform rabbis. I would urge all who have suffered personal loss and all those who have friends who have suffered personal loss, in other words all of us, to consider purchasing copies of these two books for our bookshelves. These are not books to be fully appreciated in the intensity, confusion and turmoil of immediate grief, but rather books to cherish in the midst of life and joy, allowing their faith and wisdom to heal when we are hurting. They offer ideal preparation for a Yahrzeit or a visit to a loved one’s grave. Some mourners are so anxious about their unfamiliarity with the laws and customs of Jewish mourning, that their anxiety about ‘getting it right’ overwhelms their grief. Each book contains a glossary of these laws and customs. Flowers at funerals ? When do we light the yizkor candle? Do we light an additional two candles ? Must we cover our mirrors during the shiva period ? These are just some of the issues addressed in the glossary. Transliteration of the prayers, including the Kaddish, gives immediate and easy access to the liturgy of mourning. Death comes in different ways at different ages and these two new prayer books address this reality with prayers to be said after a miscarriage or on the death of a child/teenager. There is a specific Hendon input in that Rabbi Yuval has submitted English translations for two contributions by poets Yehuda Amichai and Zelda. In addition, to some personally attributed reflections on death, I have contributed un-attributed prayers, e.g. private prayers at the graveside for a parent, spouse, sibling child or friend and the prayer to be recited at the consecration of a tombstone. Grieving the loss of a loved one forces us to walk through the valley of the shadow of pain and suffering, the valley of loss, missing and longing but these two books reassure us that God can still be with us, by our side, guiding us through the darkness of the valley and back into light and life. A cemetery is sometimes known in Hebrew as Bet Chayyim – a Home of the Living. These two prayer books, although focusing on grief and death, are life affirming and life enhancing, conveying a profound faith in God and a deep insight into the pain and psychology of mourning, and consequently deserve to be on our bookshelf.
|
