The burial service is quite similar to the
Christian service. However the meaning of the
burial may vary: for Jews, it is a sign that they will
rise up again, when the Messiah comes. After the
services, again, there might be differences depend-
ing on the denomination. Orthodox Jews have a
mourning period of seven days, known as Shiva.
in which the closest friends and family of the de-
ceased stay in their home. Other close people may
come visit them and share their grief during this
time. A year after the death, a yahrzeit candle is lit.
The differences among denominations lie
on two main assumptions: Orthodox Jews place
more importance on the physical resurrection,
while Liberal Jews place it on the immortality of
the soul.
Other rituals
Sabbath
The Sabbath is a day “commanded by God” for the
Jews. It starts on Friday night and lasts an entire
day. It is repeated weekly. The word ‘Sabbath’
comes from Hebrew, and it literally means ‘rest’.
The custom has a biblical background, for God
rested on the seventh day of the first week after he
created the universe. This is the reason why Jews
rest from work on Saturday.
The Sabbath is a reminder of the covenant
between God and his people to enjoy his kept
promises. Besides resting from work, Jews come
together with the family to adore God, and finish
their chores a day earlier so that they can keep the
day holy.
The particular ritual of the beginning of
the Sabbath is performed by a woman: she lights
up two candles and afterwards, the family drinks
wine celebrating this sacred day. They also eat
bread before every meal and dress up. Finally, it is
common for families to attend to synagogue every
Saturday to thank God for The Sabbath (BBC:
British Broadcasting Corporation, 2009).
Passover Seder
The word ‘seder’ comes from Hebrew, which liter-
ally means ‘order’. This is because Passover Seder is
a holiday meal held on the first night of Passover,
to celebrate Jews’ emancipation from slavery. The
Exodus is a symbolic historical event for Passover
Seder, since their expulsion from Egypt marked
the day in which they started a journey to serve
God. From the Exodus, Jews learned to stand up
against injustice and draw strength from God.
The Seder plate is formed by 6 parts:
roasted egg and a shankbone, which symbolize
sacrifice; bitter herbs that are sometimes replaced
by lettuce, representative of slavery; a mixture of
apple, nuts and spices that represent the paste that
built Egyptian structures, and salt water that is a
symbol for the tears shed during slavery. More-
over, Passover Seders follow a basic order of 15
steps, which include: hand washing, eating. story-
telling, and praying with songs (Stiel, n.d.).