The Community Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston (CHK) is an independent,
non-denominational organization of individuals, synagogues and other Jewish institutions committed to making the full range of burial rituals accessible and
available to the entire Jewish community.
**************
TAHARA: The Truest Act of Kindness
חסד של אמת hesed shel emet
You are not alone. In the face of loss, Jewish tradition offers customs and rituals to guide you through a difficult time. Based in ancient wisdom and used for centuries, these practices are the heritage of all Jews, religious and secular alike.
The Jewish customs surrounding death are based upon two basic principles: respect for the dead and comfort for the bereaved. Judaism teaches that between the time of death and burial, the person who has died should be treated with the utmost respect and dignity and prescribes a series of simple, beautiful rituals.
One of these, tahara, includes a ritual washing, dressing the deceased in white garments and placing him/her/them in a simple pine casket. Trained volunteers from the Community Hevra Kadisha of Greater Boston perform the tahara with respect and tenderness.
Brezniak Funeral Directors can arrange for a tahara by the Community Hevra Kadisha. Contact them at 617-969-0800.