Thursday, March 28, 2024 -
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Shiva: What it means, how to act

, the Hebrew word for seven, connotes the seven days Jews traditionally mourn for and honor a loved one who has died. The Biblical source of the ritual originated in Genesis 50:1-14, where Joseph grieves the death of his father Jacob for one week. Two essential mitzvot from Torah must be fulfilled: kibbud ha-met, honoring the dead; and nichum aveilim, comforting the mourner. But how contemporary Jews fulfill these obligations is based on a denominational difference of opinion. Shiva is no longer practiced in a uniform manner in the 21st century. Jewish denominations express mourning differently for various reasons. For instance, Orthodox Jews observe seven days of shiva, while the Reform movement might limit shiva to a three-day period, or less. Rabbi Yisroel Engel of […]
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IJN Senior Writer | [email protected]