The literal translation of levayah, “accompanying,” teaches us that the nature of a Jewish funeral implies involvement. It is a mitzvah and an act of respect not only to attend the funeral service, but especially to accompany the dead, walking behind the coffin for at least a few feet immediately after the funeral or at the cemetery. Despite Jewish folk lore, pregnant women are allowed to attend a funeral at the Chapel or the graveside.

The funeral service consists of suitable prayers of consolation and a eulogy memorializing the deceased, which is delivered by the Rabbi. The Cantor chants appropriate selections from the Book of Psalms and the traditional memorial prayer “El Mole Rachamim” (The Lord of Compassion).

Both the funeral and the burial services are brief. The Biblical and other texts read generally emphasize human mortality, resignation to God’s inscrutable will, affirmation of life, acknowledgement of God as the true judge, and immortality of the soul.