Death is the crisis of life. How a man handles death indicates a great deal about how he approaches life. As there is a Jewish way of life, there is a Jewish way of death.

As the Jewish way of life implies, it is a distinctive outlook and a unique life-style based on very specific views of God and the place of man in society and the universe. So too does the Jewish way of death imply singular attitudes toward God and nature, and toward the problem of good and evil; and it proffers a distinctive way of demonstrating specific Jewish qualities of reverence for man and respect for the dead.

For example, the prohibition of both cremation (the unnaturally speedy disposal of the dead) and embalming (the unnatural preservation of the dead), bespeaks a philosophy of man and his relationship to God and nature:

• Repugnance for the mutilation of a body expresses a reverence for man, because he was created in God's image.
• The ban on necromancy is founded on very precise theological concepts of creature and Creator.
• The commandment to bury the dead without delay draws a very fine, but clear line between reverence for the dead and worship of the dead.

The profound psychological insights implicit in the highly structured Jewish mourning observances speak eloquently of Judaism's concern for the psychological integrity of the human personality.

"As he came, so shall he go," says Ecclesiastes. Just as a newborn child is immediately washed and enters this world clean and pure, so he who departs this world must be cleansed and made pure through the religious ritual called taharah, "purification."

The taharah is performed by the Chevra Kadisha (the Holy Society, i.e. the Burial Society), consisting of Jews who are knowledgeable in the area of traditional duties, and can display proper respect for the deceased. In addition to the physical cleansing and preparation of the body for burial, they also recite the required prayers asking God for forgiveness for any sins the deceased may have committed, and praying that God may guard him and grant him eternal peace.

A 2,000 year old custom of burying the dead in a white shroud makes sure no poor person would be shamed.

Jewish tradition recognizes the democracy of death. It therefore demands that all Jews be buried in the same type of garment -- a simple white shroud. Wealthy or poor, all are equal before God, and that which determines their reward is not what they wear, but what they are. Almost 2,000 years ago, Rabbi Gamaliel instituted this practice so that the poor would not be shamed and the wealthy would not vie with each other in displaying the costliness of their burial clothes.

The clothes to be worn should be appropriate for one who is shortly to stand in judgment before God Almighty, Master of the universe and Creator of man. Therefore, they should be simple, handmade, perfectly clean, and white. These shrouds symbolize purity, simplicity, and dignity.

The Bible, in its mature wisdom, required burial to take place as soon as possible following death.

The religious concept underlying this law is that man, made in the image of God, should be accorded the deepest respect.

It is considered a matter of great shame and discourtesy to leave the deceased unburied -- his soul has returned to God, but his body is left to linger in the land of the living.

It is considered a matter of great shame and discourtesy to leave the deceased unburied.

Jewish law is unequivocal in establishing absolutely, and uncompromisingly, that the dead must be buried in the earth. Man's body returns to the earth as it was. The soul rises to God, but the physical shelter, the chemical elements that clothed the soul, sink into the vast reservoir of nature.

"For dust thou art, and unto dust shaft thou return" (Genesis 3:19) is the guiding principle in regard to the selection of caskets ... The coffin must be made completely of wood.

The Bible tells us that Adam and Eve hid among the trees in the Garden of Eden when they heard the Divine judgment for committing the first sin.

Said Rabbi Levi: "This was a sign for their descendants that, when they die and are prepared to receive their reward, they should be placed in coffins made of wood."

Cremation is never permitted. The deceased must be interred, bodily, in the earth. It is forbidden -- in every and any circumstance -- to reduce the dead to ash in a crematorium. It is an offensive act, for it does violence to the spirit and letter of Jewish law, which never, in the long past, sanctioned the ancient pagan practice of burning on the pyre.

The Jewish abhorrence of cremation has already been noted by Tacitus, the Roman historian of the 1^st century CE, who remarked upon what appeared to be a distinguishing characteristic that Jews buried, rather than burned, their dead.

In ancient days, the Talmud informs us, fragrant flowers and spices were used at the funeral to offset the odor of the decaying body. Today, this is no longer essential and they should not be used at Jewish funerals at all.

Rather than sending flowers, Jews honor the deceased by making a contribution to a cause dear to him or her.

It is much better to honor the deceased by making a contribution to a synagogue or hospital, or to a medical research association for the disease which afflicted the deceased. This method of tribute is more lasting and meaningful.

In our days, flowers are used primarily at Christian funerals, and are considered to be a non-Jewish ritual custom which should be discouraged.

Another custom which is definitely alien to Jewish custom, and its spirit does violence to Jewish sensitivity and tradition is the "wake."

Visiting the funeral parlor on the night before interment to comfort the mourners and to view the remains is clearly a Christian religious practice, and not merely an American folkway.

In Judaism, the place for offering condolences is at home, during the seven special days of mourning called shivah.

The most striking Jewish expression of grief is the rending of outer garments by the mourner prior to the funeral service.

Who must rend the clothing?

• Seven relatives are obligated to perform this command: son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister, and spouse.
• They must be adults, above the age of thirteen. Minors, who are in fact capable of understanding the situation, and appreciating the loss, should have other relatives or friends make the tear for them.
• Divorced mates may cut their clothing, but they are not obligated to do so.

The funeral service is a brief and simple service designed primarily for the honor and dignity of the deceased. The service consists of:

• reading a selection from the Psalms appropriate to the life of the deceased,
• a eulogy of his fine qualities which his survivors should seek to implant in their own lives,
• and a memorial prayer asking that God shelter his soul "on the wings of His Divine presence."