The loss of a loved one is never easy, and recognising the grieving process is different for everyone, Jewish customs and traditions dating back millennia provide comfort and support for mourners. On this page, you’ll find thoughts and ideas designed to help our members and the wider community in the most difficult of times.
Bereavement
Consoling the Bereaved
Visiting the mourner in the house of mourning is considered a great mitzvah. Usually, one should wait for the mourner to initiate conversation and refrain from making small talk with other visitors so that the focus is on the mourner and the deceased.
Visitors can share memories of the deceased, participate in prayers and other activities dedicated to the departed as well as offer words of comfort, including the traditional line:
“Hamakom yenachem etchem betoch shaar avlay tziyon veerushalayim.”
May God comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.