This volume examines in inter-disciplinary perspective the degree to which the medieval Ashkenazi were innovative in the area of communal activity surrounding burial and mourning customs. The topics cover liturgical poetry as well as statutory prayers; confessions, final testimonies and acts of charity; funeral and mourning rites; the influences of the surrounding non-Jewish; the effects of major acts of persecution.

"Lament, mourning, and the transmissibility of a tradition in the aftermath of destruction are prominent themes in Jewish thought. The corpus of lament literature, building upon and transforming the biblical Book of Lamentations, provides a unique lens for thinking about the relationships between destruction and renewal, mourning and remembrance, loss and redemption, expression and the inexpressible. This anthology features four texts by Gershom Scholem...

""Through story, poetry, and insightful reflections, reveals how ritual, community, and the sacred restore the original context of grief" --

A young man agrees to fulfill the duties of a 'shomer,' the ritualistic practice of looking after a dead body over the course of one night. He soon finds himself opposite a malevolent entity.

Daniel is a decent young man who is married to Jane. They live at his father's home. When his father dies, it his up to him to organize his funeral. On the morning of the funeral, with a suitably grave expression on his face, Daniel is ready to welcome his father's friends and relatives. But preserving the dignity inherent in such a circumstance will be a hard task. Particularly with an undertaker who botches his work; his famous, but selfish brother...