This is for all of my friends and family who don’t know what to do in regards to a Jewish person passing away. My family and I did not practice the religion, other than knowing that on the holidays we’re supposed to eat… :-) We do want to do some things in her honor. In the Jewish religion, the family has a mourning period of seven days from the funeral in which they Sit Shiva. The word Shiva comes from the Hebrew word shivah, which literally means seven. The tradition was developed in response to the story in Genesis 50:1-14 in which Joseph mourns the death of his father Jacob (Israel) for seven days. During this time, the family receives visitors to the home. It is considered a great mitzvah (literally commandment but usually interpreted as good deed) of kindness and compassion to pay a home visit (make or pay a shiva call) to the mourners, a practice known as Nichum Aveilim. It is appropriate for visitors to talk about the deceased, sharing stories of her life. Upon leaving the home, visitors can recite a traditional blessing: May Heaven comfort you.” It is considered a mitzvah for visitors to bring prepared food for the mourners. It is believed that every beracha (blessing) said elevates the soul of the deceased. Therefore, one should eat a variety of foods to be able to say more than one beracha. The mourner is not allowed to serve food to the visitors and it is family and friends who take care of the guests and everyday issues. There is a prayor that we say each day, I translated it into English for any of you who may wish to say this in your home during Shiva. No matter your specific beliefs or religion, the belief in God helps this shine through. “Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will. May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon; and say, Amen. May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen. May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen. He who creates peace in His celestial heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.” On behalf of my family, I want to thank all of you for your kind words and condolences. Thank you for coming to the service, cemetery, and the repass. Thank you. Especially thank you to those of you who visited her in the hospital and the nursing homes. Since December 20th when we brought her in, she was never alone. We, or someone, were with her 24/7. That was enormous and it meant everything to her and to us. Thank you also to the Doctors, Nurses, CNAs, Therapists, and everyone else in the hospitals and rehab facilities who went the extra mile for her and for us. Mom always loved having company, going to a good party, and even just knowing that you cared enough to care. We had a great “party” on Sunday at the firehouse after the funeral, all of the food that she likes and all of the people that she loved. Words cannot express our gratitude. I can continue to write forever about her, to laud her life, to talk about all of her good deeds, to talk about the love that she shared for everyone and the love you all had for her. Your personal memories and thoughts that you have are all that she could ever ask for. Whether it was as simple as seeing her in public smiling, working with her, helping her remember something, having been taught by her, or any of the other thousands of memories, we all know for a fact that she loved each and every one of you. We will be sitting Shiva at he home till Friday. If you would like to come by, we would love to have you. Please call or text my wife Jennifer prior to coming to make sure that we’re here. 732.570.3957. If you would like to send a card or something to the house, please send it to: The Catena Family 210 Carr Avenue Keansburg, NJ 07734
Posted on: Mon, 07 Apr 2014 22:33:11 +0000