The Chevrah Kadisha conducts two main functions - The Taharah - which is the preparation of the deceased for burial and The Shmirah, which is the watching or guarding of the deceased until the funeral. Both functions have a rich tradition of prayers in both Hebrew and English that are composed of psalms, passages from Song of Songs and sections from prophets like Isaiah. The prayers have value for both the people doing the holy work as well as the soul of the deceased.

The Taharah begins when the team assembles at the funeral home. This is usually within two days of death. Many urgent phone calls and texts have been made and the team has had to adjust their daily activities to honor the person they will be spending a few intimate hours with. So, the first prayers are said in the lobby as we become grounded and prepare ourselves for holy work.

When we enter the room we see the deceased on the table covered with a sheet. We begin with a prayer asking the Meit (Male) /Meitah (Female) to forgive us if we make any mistakes and to let the Neshamah (the soul which is grammatically feminine in Hebrew) know that we will conduct ourselves for the next several hours with dignity, modesty, honor and respect. We begin with prayers as we wash our hands for cleanliness and for ritual purity. Then we recite the Prayer for Compassion - Chamol - where we speak the name of the deceased and then the line: “May their Soul and Spirit rest with the Righteous.”

As we wash the Meit/Meitah, we work silently as one of the team members reads or chants the prayers, readings from Song of Songs and Psalms. We chant words of comfort and confidence to the Soul, who is now expanding beyond the confines of her incarnation.

After washing, we prepare for the ritual of living waters - the Taharah. As we take turns pouring 24 quarts of water from head to toe, we each say or chant three times “He/She/They are Pure! Tahoreh He, Tahor Hu, Tehoreh Heh!”

After drying we dress the Meit/Meitah in Tachrichim (burial shrouds) and then place them gently in the casket. As we dress the deceased we say the “Sos Assis” prayer. Before we place the deceased in the casket, we send the Soul to her journey with the Priestly Blessing.

We end by saying the name of the deceased and asking for forgiveness for any act or omission that did not show respect, or that in any way might have caused offense.

During the Shmirah, members of the Chevrah Kadisha sit with the deceased and pray, read Psalms or poetry. There is no formal liturgy for Shmirah. While the practice of Shmirah doesn’t have the formal structure of the Taharah, it serves the purpose of being with the deceased in a quiet and meditative liminal space.

Cary Mannaberg