Traditions

The cemetery is the most important object of interest for the Jewish community. In literature, it is called "House of Eternity" or "House of Life", alluding to the eternal life of the soul. According to religious ideas, the stay in the grave is thought to be temporary. After the coming of the Messiah, the Resurrection of the dead will take place, the bodies will grow flesh and rise from the graves. It is important to meet the Messiah in the Holy Land, that is, in Palestine, the country of Israel. Therefore, it is desirable to be buried in Israel. In reality, this was rarely possible, so the territory of the cemetery was symbolically equated with the territory of the Land of Israel.

The organization of the cemetery itself also corresponded to these religious ideas. In most cases, rows of graves were located from north to south, and the burials themselves were made with the head to the west. In this way, the resurrected dead, rising from the graves, would look to the east, that is, towards the Holy Land, and could immediately go to Jerusalem.

Let's trace the traditional Jewish rite from the last moments of the dying person's life to arranging the grave of the deceased.

According to Jewish law, it is forbidden to bring about the death of a person, even at his request, while everyone is obliged to fulfil any request of the dying person if it does not contradict the Law. A dying person cannot be left alone. To take one's last breath is considered a manifestation of the highest respect.

From the moment of death until the funeral, the body should be treated very respectfully, because the human body was created in the image of God, and disrespectful treatment of the body is the insult of the Creator. According to the Jewish law, the body was forbidden to be dissected or cremated. After death, the eyes and mouth of the deceased were to be closed by those closest to them. A mat was laid on the floor, the body was taken from the bed, straightened and placed on the mat on the floor with the feet towards the door. The deceased was covered with a sheet. It was forbidden to expose the body for inspection. A candle was placed near the head of the deceased. It was forbidden to leave the deceased in the room alone. Someone from the family or any other Jew had to be with him all the time, while it was desirable to read psalms near the body. In the room where the body was laid, it was forbidden to eat, drink, smoke or in general satisfy the needs of the living. The body could not be moved or even touched unless absolutely necessary. After the death of a person in the house, a window was opened. All the water that was in the house at the time of death had to be poured out, and mirrors and mirrored surfaces should have been covered. From the moment of death until the end of mourning, an unquenchable candle or lamp had to burn in the house.

In preparation for the funeral, the body had to be washed and cleaned. The body was washed thoroughly with water at room temperature. An absolutely clean body had to be consistently and evenly washed with at least 20 litres of water. There was a mikveh for this at the Hlukhiv Jewish cemetery. A pinch of earth or clay shards was placed over the eyes of the deceased, after which the body was wrapped in a shroud made of a simple white material. Shoes were not put on. Washing and wrapping had to be carried out by persons of the Jewish faith. Coffins were not used for burial ”for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19).

According to the requirements of the religion, the funeral had to take place, if possible, on the day of death. In case of death on Saturday, on a Jewish holiday or in the evening, the burial was postponed to the next day, because it is not accepted to visit the cemetery on Saturday or on holidays, and it was also not accepted to do it in the dark. Apart from these cases, it was forbidden to postpone the funeral even for one day, because delaying the funeral is an additional torment for the soul.

On the final journey, the body was carried out feet first, and only Jews had to carry the body. As a sign of mourning and despair over the loss, relatives of the deceased did a "cut" - tearing of clothes. This was considered the highest manifestation of grief. For parents, the "cut" was done on the left side, for other relatives - on the right. They did not make "cuts" on underwear and outerwear (coats). After the "cut", relatives in sorrow uttered blessings (Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe - righteous Judge).

During the burial, nothing is placed on the body, including flowers. As the grave was covered, they read "Mole" (the mourning prayer "Kel mole rahamim"). Also they read "Tsidduk ha-Din" (Justification of Judgment), psalm 17 (they were not read on the days when the penitential prayer "Tahanun" was not read), psalm 23, psalm 49 and the Grave Kaddish. Kaddish was recited only in the presence of a "minyan" (10 male Jews over 13 years of age). After that, donations were given to the poor, and those who consoled addressed the mourners with the words: "The Almighty comforts you and all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem." When leaving the cemetery, they washed their hands without wiping them.

Feasts were never arranged after the funeral. After returning from the cemetery, the mourners were served a meal of sympathy: bread, a hard-boiled egg, and boiled lentils (or beans).

The mourning of close relatives lasted for 7 days. The smallest degree of mourning lasted 30 days and a year. All the time of mourning, it was forbidden to eat meat and drink wine (with the exception of Sabbaths and Jewish holidays).

According to the Talmud, during the year after death, the soul rushes between the earthly and heavenly worlds, constantly visiting the grave. After a year, when the body finally decomposes, the soul finds peace in heaven.

The function of tombstones on graves in the Jewish tradition is to mark the place of burial. On the one hand, this is necessary in order not to fall into the zone of ritual impurity, because graves do not have ritual purity. Cohen priests, for whom there were special requirements regarding the ritual purity, were forbidden to visit cemeteries. On the other hand, if the soul of the deceased visits the grave, it is easier to make contact with it there. Visiting the graves of tzaddiks (righteous men and Hasidic leaders) became especially common. The places of their burials are perceived as holy places, people go on a pilgrimage to them, pray next to them and leave notes-kvitlach with wishes.

Tombstones are placed not only at people's burial sites. They mark the burial of sacred scrolls and books that have become unusable. There are known cases of erecting monuments at the places where Torah scrolls were buried in the ground, desecrated during the pogroms.

Jewish tombstones in Podilia were called "bobbles" by Slavs, "logs" in Ukrainian Polissia, monuments of the Jewish cemetery in Hlukhiv region were called "tongues" by the local non-Jewish population. In the Jewish tradition, a vertical stele made of local soft stone is called a matzeva. To designate the Jewish cemetery itself in Podilia or Bukovina, the Slavs used special names - okopiško or okopišche. The non-Jewish population of Hlukhiv County did not have a special term for the Jewish cemetery.