Baruch Dayan Emet

Baruch Dayan Emet: Blessed is the Righteous Judge. This is the phrase that traditional Jews use to acknowledge the news of a death, and I am sad to be putting it here as my mother passed away on Thursday evening.

Although the very strong Jewish custom is to bury the deceased within 24 hours of death, because our family is dispersed and because the Jewish Sabbath, a day when burials do not take place, begins on Friday evening, the burial was postponed until Sunday (tomorrow). It will be in Florida, where my parents had lived for many years and my father is buried. I will be sitting shiva through Wednesday at our home in Riverdale, and complete the week in Sharon.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Jewish customs following the loss of a loved one, I include a brief description here.

'Sitting shiva' is a term used to describe the action of Jewish mourners participating in the traditional rituals of mourning. Mourners include first-degree relatives: parents, siblings, spouses, and children. During the period of shiva, mourners traditionally sit on low stools while they receive condolence calls, visits from relatives and friends who come to comfort the mourners and help remember the life of their loved one. This is where the phrase “sitting shiva” comes from, and it is a practice that symbolizes the mourner being “brought low” following the loss of a loved one.

Love,

Rebecca