Learning Library

What does the Jewish requirement of k’vod ha-met, honor of the dead, actually require? Is burial a mitzvah? Is cremation prohibited? Is green burial permitted, or is it simply the oldest Jewish practice under a new name? Rising costs, honoring our parents, climate anxiety, soaring cremation rates, and new options like human composting are reshaping how we care for the dead. We’ll test our assumptions against the sources and explore how Jewish values guide us as the options multiply.

Rabbi Adina Lewittes (Dini) founded Sha’ar, a community oriented around societal, environmental and spiritual sustainability which for 20 years provided multiple gateways into Jewish life exemplified by a commitment to inclusivity, diversity and innovation. She writes frequently on the changing landscape of identity and belonging and speaks in a variety of settings including the Rabbinical School at JTS where she teaches contemporary Jewish Law. She has served on the senior rabbinic faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute, the Board of Keshet, and the AJ Heschel School in NYC. She is currently a Board Member at Limmud North America. Dini is married to Andi and together they’re blessed with 6 kids. When not in NYC or leading Jewish adventures around the world, Dini lives in Quebec’s Laurentian mountains where she’s building a nature-driven Jewish community, the Laurentian Jewish Community Centre, and the region’s first nature-based Jewish cemetery, Makom Manitou.

Source Sheet: HERE

More info: www.adinalewittes.com