18Forty Podcast

Elissa Felder & Sonia Hoffman: How the Jewish Burial Society Cares for the Dead [Loss 2/3]

Jul 22, 2025
Elissa Felder, author and head of her local chevrah kadisha, and her daughter Sonia Hoffman, a dedicated Limmudei Kodesh teacher, share their profound insights on Jewish burial traditions. They discuss the Tahara ritual, emphasizing its emotional and spiritual significance in caring for the deceased. The duo also engages in a heartfelt conversation about navigating grief, normalizing discussions about loss, and the historical and communal aspects of mourning practices. Their stories intertwine the themes of love, memory, and dignity in the face of death.
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INSIGHT

Mourning is a Vital Emotional Response

  • The Radvaz teaches that not crying over loss is a sign of emotional callousness and cruelty.
  • Jewish tradition affirms the importance of mourning as a way to express loss yet continue life with eternal purpose.
INSIGHT

Death as a Liminal Transition

  • The Ramban explains death is terrifying because our souls are essentially immortal and feel eternity within.
  • Life is a temporary state between temporality and eternity, making death a liminal, unsettling transition.
INSIGHT

Soul Mirrors Divine Relationship

  • The Talmud compares the soul's relationship to the body with God's relationship to the world.
  • Our soul sees outward but cannot be seen itself, symbolizing the intimate but hidden nature of our inner self and divinity.
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