Death In Judaism

At some point in our lives, we all come to realize that death is a part of life. Cultural diversity provides a wide variety of lifestyles and traditions for each of the unique groups of people in our world. Within these different cultures, the rituals associated with death and burial can also be uniquely diverse. Many consider ritualistic traditions that differ from their own to be somewhat strange and often perceive them as unnatural. A prime example would be the burial rituals of the Native American people.

The two cultures that I decided to compare and contrast is the Mexican culture and ancient Egyptians. Mexicans have embraced death as a part of life. The Mayan and Aztecs practiced human sacrifices which gave and example of acceptance of death. In Mexico when a loved one passed on to a better life the viewing traditional takes place at the family’s home. A catholic priest comes to the family’s home and leads a mass in honor of the recently departed. The coffin in placed on a table along with candles on the side. After the funeral the family members get together and pray for nine days to guide the deceased into haven and ask forgiveness for their sins.On the other hand Egyptians were buried in pyramids directly in the ground. Often bodies were

Different cultures, countries, religions, and community with various behaviors and rituals that guides their belief and action when a loved one pass away. Religious and spiritual belief, type of life after death, superstitious beliefs after death and beliefs towards the meaning of life are all based on tradition and death ritual.

Death is one of the most important topics that religions cope with. Since religion deals

As we all know death of humans has been one of the utmost mysteries we would all like to solve. Although the ancient Mesopotamia, Egyptian, and Hindu all believed in an afterlife, their understanding and celebration if any, seems to be a little different. Mesopotamians were afraid of death, although they believed in afterlife they also had strong belief about the spirits still being alive. The Egyptians had an understanding and outlook on death, in which they believed in an afterlife, but they also believed in preserving the body. However, the Hindu also had the same perspective on afterlife, they were also very religious, but the way they went about it was much different than those of Mesopotamia and Egyptians.

At death, the body ceases to function and decays, but the soul of everyone is immortal and will be judged immediately. The souls of those who are faithful to God will be purified and go to live with God in heaven. However, the soul of anyone who has denied God will spend eternity separated from God in hell. At the end of time, all of the dead will be bodily resurrected and each individual will be judged and either rewarded or punished according to the life that they led.

When an individual dies, their death can greatly impact the loved ones they leave behind. Each mourner may feel and perceive the death differently from one another, but one common factor that can influence the mourner’s beliefs, values, and views about a person’s death is their culture. Their culture can regulate the way the mourner copes with the death of a loved one, what they do with the physical deceased body, and how they may honor the dead afterwards (Cartaret, 2011). For me, my culture is relatively related to the Catholic, Hispanic American culture, which is a broad and subjective category, but it is what I believe that guides my views towards life and death. I have additionally chosen to learn about the cultural practices of Hinduism of Indians on death

There is belief of life after death. The soul of a dead person first lingers around the earth for three days as a result of separation from its body. On the third day, the soul is judged by its doings an is either taken to paradise (heaven) or to the world of punishment (hell).

Death comes to all in the end, shrouded in mystery, occasionally bringing with it pain, and while some may welcome its finality, others may fight it with every ounce of their strength. Humans have throughout the centuries created death rituals to bring them peace and healing after the death of a loved one.

Jewish people also believe that death is a natural part of the life cycle. As said in the textbook ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to  every purpose under heaven”(pg. 141). This indicates that they know that there time to leave will come and are at peace with it. Throughout life they are reminded of this and it helps them through each stage of life. They are typically surrounded by loved ones to ensure they do not enter the next life

The views of the Jewish afterlife can vary between those reading the Torah and the Talmud. The overall concepts are similar however; the minute details differ between new and old believers in Judaism. Olam Ha-Ba is the Jewish afterlife and means “the world to come”. Judaism followers believe in the idea of resurrection and reincarnation as part of their traditional belief system. They believe that upon death of the human body the soul does not cease to exist.

Judaism is a religion that celebrates life in the here and now, and the living. Life is valued above all else, however, death is not necessarily a tragedy. It is viewed as just another milestone that all Jews one day reach. It does not cause fear or anxiety and is considered to be calm and peaceful, somewhat relieving (4). As the religion is rich in history, it is also rich in tradition and ritual following the death of a loved one. The purpose of these rituals are to pay respect to the deceased and offer comfort to his or her loved ones.

The concept of death and the afterlife in Islam contrast to the ideas that Christianity may

1.) The Hinduism vision of “death” absolutely differs from that of Christianity and Islam [Monotheistic] because their culture believes that when people die they are reincarnated. Similarly, their belief of the ‘recycle’ and re-usage of any soul relates to the Law of Conservation of Matter. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed, so our soul recycling could relatively be the transference of energy.

Death is an inevitable part of life, and it is something that everyone, regardless of your status, will eventually face. Around the world, many cultures are enacted at the onset of death and practice it in all different ways. See Asians look for lotuses after the person is cremated to see if the person was a good soul. But Russia on the other hand waits until the 40th day to bury. With the given factual evidence these two cultures, Asia and Russia practice their deaths in many similar but also different ways.