JES 508 Jewish Rituals of Death and Dying
Faculty: Reb Simcha Raphael (Profile)
ABOUT THE COURSE
Judaism has an extensive set of rituals and practices to guide people through the vast array of experiences which emerge in dealing with dying and death, funeral and burial and mourning and memorialization. This course shall provide an in-depth exploration of Judaism’s rituals of death and dying. The course will combine the study of traditional halachic views on death and burial and mourning, with modern psychological perspectives on the human encounter with death and loss. Through textual study, lecture, journal exercises, and personal exploration, this course will assist students in forming their own understanding of Judaism’s system for dealing with all facets of the encounter with death.