So, I’ve never been to a #Jewish #funeral, and I have questions.
1. Is there wailing? (depends on ethnicity?).
2. Is the casket open?
3. Are there any Halachic rulings on what to do if a burial area is not available?
For context:
- been to a few Anglican funerals in the UK. Very staid and stiff upper lip.
- been to several #Japanese funerals. Open casket, cremation, passing bones with chopsticks. No #wailing.
- Taiwan has professional wailers
I'll circle back to this later since I want to give a more substantial reply that also touches on the mourning process. For now, I think the answer from @statsjew is the closest to what I would say
As others have said, the body needs to be buried and in the ground as soon as possible. This is usually interpreted as less than 24 hours.
There is sometimes a mourning service beforehand but that's not traditional. At the burial itself, the mourners will each a few shovels worth of dirt over the casket/body.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bereavement_in_Judaism does an ok job covering the entire process and giving terms to know for specific steps.
Most of the mourning happens afterwards, particularly during shiva. This is when friends are most likely to comfort the bereaved.
https://reformjudaism.org/everything-you-need-know-about-jewish-custom-shiva
goes through some of that process
sheepchase
ראַף 🟣