Teaching Guide for Shavuot

Chevra Kadisha, Taharah

Shavuot is a moment of learning. A time when we open ourselves to Torah, to questions, to what we don’t yet understand. What would it look like to include end-of-life practices in that learning? Chevra Kadisha members hold knowledge that is rarely taught, but deeply...

Honoring K’rovei Yisrael: Ritual Care at the End of Life

Chevra Kadisha, Death, Ritual, Taharah

Jewish tradition calls us to care for the dead with dignity, tenderness, and deep respect. In many communities today, we are increasingly asked to extend that care to those who were not Jewish according to halacha, law, but who lived fully within Jewish life as...

Health and Safety in the Taharah Room

Chevra Kadisha, Taharah

Chevra Kadisha work is sacred. It is also physical, and it comes with real health and safety considerations. From wet floors to lifting and turning the meit/ah/eh, from unexpected medical devices to the possibility of infectious disease, teams are asked to bring their...

Building Confidence and Leading With Care

Chevra Kadisha, Ritual, Taharah

Leading taharah, the Jewish ritual of preparing the deceased for burial, is an act of deep care, compassion, and presence. Yet, stepping into this role—guiding a team through ritual, honoring the deceased, and navigating varying customs—can feel daunting. Confidence...

Immersion Ceremony for the New Year

Chevra Kadisha, Ritual, Taharah

From our partners at Mayyim Hayyim: The tahara and immersion in a mikveh are water rituals that mark important transitions for Jews. Water is the conduit for such transitions to happen with care, security, and safety. We at Mayyim Hayyim Living Waters Community Mikveh...

The Prague Paintings

Bikkur Cholim, Cemetery, Chevra Kadisha, Death, Dying, Funeral, Illness, Shmirah, Taharah

While Jewish tradition has offered much guidance around burial, respecting the deceased, and caring for those in mourning, Chevra Kadisha, as we know it, is relatively modern. Step back in time with us to experience 19 incredible paintings created in Prague in the...