Attitudes on Death

The Jewish Look at Death

The Muslims Look at Death

Interviews

Bibliography

Attitudes Concerning Death

The purpose of this paper is to look at the attitude of death in the Judaic and Islamic Religions. As I work towards becoming an accredited Chaplain, it is imperative that I understand the differences in customs and beliefs concerning death in other religions besides the one that I myself practice. I chose these two religions because of the small amount of information that I was aware of within their beliefs.

From the time of our birth, we can expect at some point that we will die. The further we age in life, the more imminent death is. All living things will face death. We cannot determine when death will appear, we only know that it will. It is to our advantage to understand how we feel about death and how it relates to our lives.

As a Chaplain in hospitals, I see the importance of understanding a patient’s feelings, and recognizing what their families may be enduring. The attitude of dying within each person encompasses cultural and religious belief. It is important for us to understand how others relate to death. What they may think helps us to recognize feelings within ourselves.

I have gathered information from a variety of different sources and have taken interviews from two different persons of those beliefs. The real names of the interviewed persons are anonymous. The sources listed at the end of this study, is where the information was from.

As you read this material, put this information to memory, for you may need it sometime in your life. Our country has become diverse in nationalities and customs. It is an asset to ourselves, by learning as much as we can about others culture and religious beliefs.

Donna Rasmussen Psychology 362 Adult Development And Aging

The Jewish Look at Death:

In many cultures life is highly valued, Judaism values life above all else. The Talmud (one of the most important holy books of the Hebrew religion and the world) notes that all people are descended from a single person, thus taking a single life is like destroying an entire world, and saving a single life is like saving an entire world.

The Jewish person is not to do anything that hastens death; they are to obtain any help available to prolong life, even if that means a lot of suffering. However, when death is imminent and a certainty, Jewish law does permit ‘pulling the plug’ or refusing artificial means of prolonging life.

To the Jewish person death is not horrible; it is a natural process. Death as in life has meaning and all is in God’s plan for each of us. They believe those who lived a worthy life shall receive rewards in an afterlife that is to come. The Jewish person does not believe in heaven or hell.

The Jewish persons never left alone while dying, the belief is that you came to this world not alone and you shall not leave alone.

The Jewish mourning rituals honor the dead and give structure to the mourning process. From the time of death until the burial (usually within 24 hours), the body is constantly attended. There is no Jewish law that they have to have a burial by sundown the next day; the custom is to bury the deceased as soon as possible. In Jerusalem, the custom is not to leave a dead person overnight because of the holiness of the city. Each part of the deceased body is cleansed and then sanctified before its’ burial. The traditional casket of the Jewish person is the wooden coffin. By all having a plain wooden coffin, this places every person at the same level and status at the time of death. The wooden coffin is from the principle of ‘dust to dust’; the body is dressed in a shroud of natural fiber. Every part body, coffin and shroud should decompose at the same rate of speed. Jewish tradition does not permit embalming or anything that preserves the body. As the coffins lowered into the burial spot, each family member shovels dirt over it. After a person takes a turn, the shovels placed on its tip in the ground and then picked up by another family member, as more dirt covers the body.

The Jewish Funeral nearly always is in a funeral home. Few funerals are in a cemetery chapel or in the synagogue of the deceased. The tearing of garments is a sign of mourning and is traditional upon hearing of a loved ones death. The reality of death; may be masked by the beauty of flowers, so flowers are avoided. Those who wish to give, in the deceased name, donate to a charitable organization. When donations are given, it is as though the deceased has given of him or her self. The family many times announces charitable organizations that are meaningful to them for donation. The grieving or mourning process goes from 7 days to a month with specific activities within that time.

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The Muslims Look at Death:

The Muslim looks at death as a preparation for his next existence. While death approaches, family and friends support and comfort them as well as reminding them of Allah and His will. This is to help the dying person remember his commitment to God and His unity with Him. Even though a minister is not required to be present at the time of death, another Muslim is.

When death comes, the family closes the eyes of the deceased. The body is than washed in preparation for burial. As cleansing occurs, two pieces of cotton put in the mouth, one in each ear, and one in the anus. The eyes and sexual organs are covered. After preparation, the bodies wrapped in a clean white cloth, a prayers said for the soul of the deceased, burial is then after the prayer. Traditionally the wrapped body is, placed directly at the bottom of the grave. The deceased is than laid on his/her right side facing Makkah (The direction of Saudi Arabia). There is a covering attached just over the body and dirt on top of that. The dirt will rise above the surrounding grounds helping to mark the grave. If the family wishes, a stone can also mark the grave. No writings are on the stone. There can be no cremation; the bodies returned to the ground in its natural form.

God in the future will raise the dead. Rewards shall go to everyone according to his or her deeds, whether good or evil. Muslims believe that there is life after death, without life after death, believing in God would be meaningless. Man has a very short life span; with many effected by each persons actions. Adequate punishments and rewards handed out on the ‘Day of Judgment’ God will decide each fate.

The family of the deceased carries out the responsibility of fulfilling any debts or commitments of that person as soon as possible. They maintain contact with close friends and relatives, and prayers given frequently for the deceased. Donations to charities, fasting, and sometimes a pilgrimage to the east is undertaken on behalf of the dead. Grave visiting is highly recommended to family, in remembering death and judgment to come.

* The rules and laws of most cemeteries require a vault for burial. There are a few, very few Jewish cemeteries, in large cities, which do not. The Jewish coffin internment is in a vault. For the Islamic funeral usually they would be wrapped and placed also in a vault.

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Interviews

ABRAHAM, (not his true name) is a Reformed Jew (more liberal); he is married and has two children still at home. We spent a couple of hours talking about his beliefs regarding death and dying. As we began, he warmed up some vegetarian chili that his wife had made and then sat down to eat it. He told me that his father came from the Russian/Polish border of Belarosa and his mother’s family was from Adeossa. They both originally came to the United States by way of New York and eventually settled in St. Louis. His parents were religious people, who wanted their children to be able to assimilate to the United States. They were not as strict in the United States as they would have been overseas with their belief. As Abraham reflected back as a child, he remarked he would have preferred the strong discipline of his religion. He believes that his own Jewish heritage would have been stronger if the opportunity had been there to grow in the way his parents grew in faith. His parents believed that assimilation to the United States was to help protect their children from the prejudice of our nation in the thirties and forties. It was better to have them safe and reformed, in order to make their own decisions than to be beaten and fearful because of their beliefs.

The Jewish person does not perceive death as something feared, it is a part of the circle of life. According to Abraham, the fear of death and the process of dying do not exist within the Jew. His father had no fear of dying, but Abraham believes that he was disappointed for he had not achieved the great adventure of his life. He was a doctor who wanted to be a cardiologist. He wanted to own a corvette and to wear a scarf that would stream behind him as he drove down the road. An ongoing life goal to the Jew is to learn as much as possible in order to help others. Education is important in the life of the Jewish person. His father died at a late age in life, peacefully while he was taking a nap. His mother died after an illness.

Abraham is now 61 has a PHD in education and is quite intelligent. He enjoys writing poetry and plans on publishing a book in the future. He believes that death is the end, but does not know what the end means. He asks whether it is the end of our relationships, as we know them, or the end of our mortal being. He says that he does not know (and continues to study), but he does know that it is the circle of life and is not to be something feared. He believes that as long as he is working on a project, has unfinished business in life, God will not take his life. He is an extremely busy person, and does not believe in an afterlife of any kind. The Jew does not believe in Heaven or Hell. When asked whether his beliefs on death are his own reconciliation or his faith in God, he stated that much of it was his Jewish upbringing but he knows that he has his own opinions about things.

Abraham has a son who is 18 year olds. His son does not look at death differently, but is learning to incorporate the reality into his life. He does not care to see someone suffer or die; yet he is aware that it is a part of life. He also has a daughter who is 13 and has difficulty facing death. Abraham believes that age is relevant, with aging there is greater conservatism of life. There is also a better appreciation of life and less concern of losing it.

The Jewish tradition is to bury within 24 hours of the death, Abraham believes 48 hours is sufficient. He is in a marriage of interfaith (she is not a Jew); therefore he and his wife cannot be buried together or in the same cemetery. Within the Sect that he belongs, they are working on finding a way for husband and wife to be together. Jewish tradition is burying in a plain wooden coffin, which he agrees strongly with. He says money is wasted on funerals and can be used somewhere else. When asked about the grieving process in the Jewish tradition he did not wish to talk about it. He did share that it took him 10 years to go to the gravesite of his mother and he is thankful that his father told him that he loved him before he died. He had some growing to do and his reality needed to mature in order for him to accept those deaths fully. He was a young man in the military when he lost his parents.

Abraham looks at life with open eyes, attends a Jewish Synagogue, and is constantly striving to learn in order to help others. Abraham sees death as the full circle of life and knows that his time is coming and he does not look at it in fear.

SAM (not his real name) is from Morocco, is a practicing Muslim and attends a private college in Wisconsin. He is in his early twenties. (The responses given to the questions are in his own words)

Sam was asked about his definition of death, he stated: Death is the end of one’s life and of his/her deeds both bad and good. If one is worshipping God the way he/she is supposed to be, this person will not fear death as he/she will have strong confidence that he/she will be saved from God’s punishment in the Day of Judgment and will have a happy after life. Sam also said, that if the dead person left a good son that would pray for him/her or constructed a road or built an institution for public benefit that people will benefit from without paying back.

Sam said; This definition has been influenced more by my religion, culture is also there but it is not a distinct culture, it is an Islamic culture and so the influence comes from Islam.

Sam was also asked if he believes in an after life: Yes, I do believe in an after life as a Muslim, where people will stand in front of God and be judged on the deeds they did on the earth life. This is because the main purpose of our creation as human beings is to worship God, the most powerful, God who has given us a lot of good things for which we can only be grateful.

Sam, whether within your culture or beliefs is there a fear of dying? I cannot answer this question by either yes or no. But as I mentioned earlier, once a person is abiding by God’s rules and works for the after life, I would say that he/she will not be fearing death as someone who is committing sins and bad deeds all the time or who is living only for this life.

Do you think your age has any relevance on how you perceive death? How so? Yes it does, in a way that as one gets older and older. He/she tries more and more to abide by our religion’s teachings and specifities the most, this does not mean however that the youth do not abide by Islamic teachings.

Sam gave permission to use his answers, but wants us to remember that he is not a specialist in Islam, he can only give answers to the best of his own knowledge and faith. He says that these answers were the best of his ability.

As we continue to age in life, we all face death. How we face death depends on what beliefs we have and our attitude towards the ending of life.

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Bibliography –

Religious Requirements and Practices

A handbook for Chaplains – Dept. of the Army

http://www.heart7.net/handbook.html

The Second Jewish Book of WHY

Alfred J. Kolatch – Jonathan David Publishers

Mishpacha: Death and Mourning in Judaism

Judaism and Death – How does the tradition help us grieve?

http://www.mishpacha.com/deathintro.shtml

Judaism 101

Life, Death and Mourning level: basic