Judaism Approach To Death

While the ideas of death and care for the dead vary between cultures one thing is constant and that is death is a transition for the living and the dead. All people who live must someday die and the idea of what comes next is something that changes from culture to culture and person to person. No one has a single definitive answer as to what lies next if there is anything at all because there is no true way to measure or determine an answer. In Judaism death is a natural process, something that should be honored and not looked down upon. Life is valued above all else and the idea of an afterlife is strong and prevalent. The Judaist way of death involves simplicity and modesty throughout every process from care of the body to burial. As far …show more content…
Many cultures have different answers to this question and this goes for Judaism and Chinese Religion as well. But the underlying power of burial and what the earth signifies is the same in both religions. Its known that Judaism takes a simplistic approach to death and this is why the burial process is so significant because they believe burial should be as minimalist as possible. Bodies are cared for by a community organization known as the Cherva Kaddisha which stands for holy society. If it’s possible no autopsy or organ removal is allowed and there is no cremation. The Judaism religion believes that the body must touch the earth because it is an important aspect of the creation of man and the idea that the body came from the earth while the soul came from heaven. One key aspect of burial in Judaism is that the burial must be simple for every person so that rich or poor a person receives the same honor in death. This idea is laid out in “The Sages” which is a religious scripture in the Jewish Religion. Chinese Religion differs in the sense that burial is meant to be extravagant and beautiful to send the dead off in style but it is similar in the sense that burial is about honor and the earth holds a power with the dead. “Families… bent on maintaining their prosperity…are compelled to secure for their dead, burial places upon which the good influences of nature concentrate as fully as possible” (DeGroot, 1910). The Chinese take burial very seriously and without the proper burial the soul of the loved on will not pass on in peace and will be stuck in their idea of hell or purgatory. The earth holds great power and with a proper burial the soul of the loved one will help and protect the family, which is why burials are elaborate and large. While both methods of burial differ the underlying idea that burial in the earth holds power for the soul and the fate of the deceased is the same for both Judaism and Chinese Culture. But this