Overview

Death is the ultimate transformative experience. For Jewish communities, the ways this is dealt with - shaped by millennia of custom and belief - do more than routinely follow a set of prescribed practices; they provide an opening to a series of traditions compelling in their profound beauty and power. In JEWISH RITES OF DEATH, Rick Light presents both a practical, informative guide to these practices and a compendium in which local volunteers who bring the blessings of these traditions to both the deceased and the bereaved write of the immeasurable enhancement their own lives have gained from them as well. As the personal stories of author and his contributors make clear, the prayers, the physical actions in preparing the dead for burial and the intentions of the heart involved in Jewish death rituals, open a unique window on the fine line a soul passes over between this world and the next. Those choosing to involve themselves with the crossing of this boundary tell in JEWISH RITES OF DEATH of feelings, thoughts, inspiration - and maybe even a little wisdom - that result from their shared experiences. Jewish tradition teaches that death is not taboo or hidden; it is simply part of the cycle of events that constitute a life. In its deepest sense, this book offers basic and eternal truths on what it really means to be human.

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9781938288555

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Reviews

The vitality, the authenticity, and the future of Jewish life in America can be measured by how many people read this literally awesome book and learn to see both life and death in a new perspective as a result. Thank you, Rick Light, for giving us the gift of this book. Rabbi Jack Riemer Jewish Rites of Death is a beautiful and inspiring reflection, offering wisdom that illuminates the greatest mystery that we all must face. With unflinching courage and open-hearted tenderness, Rick Light faces Death, revealing its power to open us to the preciousness of Life. Rabbi Shefa Gold Rick Light has written a moving, important, and impassioned book on a subject that is no one s favorite. He offers scholarly sources, intimate accounts of encounters with death from a variety of voices, and a well-organized, useful book for all who are planning to die. Rabbi Malka Drucker Rick Light has written a moving, important, and impassioned book on a subject that is no one s favorite. He offers scholarly sources, intimate encounters with death from a variety of voices, and a well-organized, useful book for all who are planning to die. -- Rabbi Malka Drucker

Rick Light has written a moving, important, and impassioned book on a subject that is no one s favorite. He offers scholarly sources, intimate encounters with death from a variety of voices, and a well-organized, useful book for all who are planning to die. -- Rabbi Malka Drucker

Rick Light has written a moving, important, and impassioned book on a subject that is no one s favorite. He offers scholarly sources, intimate encounters with death from a variety of voices, and a well-organized, useful book for all who are planning to die. -- Rabbi Malka Drucker Jewish Rites of Death is a beautiful and inspiring reflection, offering wisdom that illuminates the greatest mystery that we all must face. With unflinching courage and open-hearted tenderness, Rick Light faces Death, revealing its power to open us to the preciousness of Life. Rabbi Shefa Gold Rick Light has written a moving, important, and impassioned book on a subject that is no one s favorite. He offers scholarly sources, intimate accounts of encounters with death from a variety of voices, and a well-organized, useful book for all who are planning to die. Rabbi Malka Drucker The vitality, the authenticity, and the future of Jewish life in America can be measured by how many people read this literally awesome book and learn to see both life and death in a new perspective as a result. Thank you, Rick Light, for giving us the gift of this book. Rabbi Jack Riemer

Rick Light has written a moving, important, and impassioned book on a subject that is no one s favorite. He offers scholarly sources, intimate accounts of encounters with death from a variety of voices, and a well-organized, useful book for all who are planning to die. -- Rabbi Malka Drucker

Author Information

Richard A. Light has been teaching spiritual development in various ways for more than thirty years, and has been studying and practicing meditation for more than forty years. He is a leader in the community of those who prepare Jewish bodies for burial, has published three books on the subject, and for eighteen years was president of a local Chevrah Kadisha he started in 1996. He is a vice president of the North American Kavod v'Nichum (Honor and Comfort), and continues to teach and raise awareness about Jewish death and burial practices at the local, state, and national levels. Santa Fe, NM Thea Rose Light grew up amid the high desert landscapes of northern New Mexico. She is involved with many types of art and media, though mainly photography and a sketchbook. She received her BFA in photography from the Santa Fe University of Art and Design in 2011. Editor of Jewish Reflections on Death and Jewish Insights on Death and Mourning

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