By COLlive reporter
The current cremation rate in the United States is well above 50%, among them many Jewish people.
A new video produced by Project Chassidus shares the Rebbe‘s view on the matter to help answer and clarify some of the most frequently asked questions on the subject of cremation.
The clip presents two letters from the Rebbe, narrated by singer Aaron Holder, offering the Biblical and Jewish perspectives.
The letters were originally published in The Letter & The Spirit (vol. 4, p. 31) and Maanos Kodesh (5743, letter 45) and were prepared by Yanky Krasnianski and Tzivia Jacobson, with thanks to Avrehmal Chazanow. The background music is by Mordechai Brodsky.
VIDEO:
Letter #1
From an original English letter of the Rebbe printed in The Letter & The Spirit, vol. 4, p. 31:
“I received your letter in which you invite my comments on the question of cremation.
“The position of our Jewish religion on this question is well known. It is resolutely and unequivocally opposed to cremation, which it abhors. So much so that it is considered to have a nuance of paganism. The negative Jewish view on cremation cannot be overemphasized.
“Indeed, notwithstanding the sanctity with which Jews observe yartzeit, yizkor, kaddish, etc. in memory of the departed and for the gratification of their souls, Jewish law prohibits this observance in the case of a person who has chosen to be cremated and indeed, there were times when even the ashes were not permitted to be interred in a Jewish cemetery.
“Needless to say, the above refers only to those who voluntarily elected to be cremated after death; it certainly does not apply to those who have died Al Kiddush Hashem, our sacred martyrs, whose holiness is unsurpassed.
“The bibliography on the subject is quite extensive, but the consensus is that any Jew who has any regard for the Torah and mitzvos must absolutely reject cremation.”
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Letter #2
Translation from Hebrew originally printed in Maanos Kodesh 5743 #45:
להרוצה, ר״ל, שישרפו גופו לאחרי המיתה — יש לומר ברור ובפשטות שלהגוף יש לו קיום ״ומעין חיים״ גם לאחר סילוק הנשמה, וכל זמן שלא נרקב הגוף לגמרי, חלק מהנשמה קשור בו.
וכל המצוה או מסכים לשריפת גופו – ה”ז הסכמה לשרוף חלק מהנשמה – מעין שריפת אדם חי (אלא שלא כולו אלא חלקו (אכזריות מאין כמוה)), ואפילו בשורף נשמת עצמו ר”ל, ומצדיק עצמו שלא ידע מה עושה.
להטענה שעוד כמה אנשים עשו כן — הרי אלפי נאצים שרפו אנשים חיים ממש – וביניהם מדענים רופאים, סוחרים, בעלי משפחה וכו’.
With regards to someone who wishes to be cremated after death, we can say clearly and with certainty that the body has vitality and some form of life even after the soul departs. And as long as the body has not yet completely decomposed, there remains a part of the soul still connected to it.
Whoever instructs or consents to being cremated is agreeing to have a portion of his soul burnt. This is like burning someone alive, (albeit not all, only a part of him). This is an unconscionable form of cruelty.
[This is true] even in a case where one is burning his own soul, heaven forbid, and justifies himself, [saying] that he did not know what he was doing.
In response to the argument that there are many who have done this—there were [also] thousands of Nazis, among them, scientists, doctors, businessmen, and family men etc., who burnt people who were literally alive.
You are doing fantastic work keep it up!!
Why does intention decide if remaining family can say kaddish etc? I think you are saying if someone G’d firbid eas burned alive un a fire or bomb or gas chamber, the family can say Kaddish but if an “illeterate” jew is cremated not really understanding the consequences, or even rejecting such views, than family CANNOT say kaddish, etc
Why?
Well done.
It’s very important to do burials of non observant Jews. You never know down the line a child or grandchild or great grandchild becomes frum and wants to connect to their ancestors.