"Let all who work for the community do so from a spiritual motive, for then the merit of their ancestors will sustain them, and their righteousness will endure forever --Rabban Gamliel, Ethics of the Fathers 2:2

"The highest act of gemilut chesed (acts of loving kindness) is that which is done for the dead, for there can never be any thought of repayment." (Tanhuma Vayehi 107A)

Rabbi Ariann Weitzman and members of Bnai Keshet’s nascent Chevra Kadisha will offer a three-session course in November to explore ways the community can expand and deepen its responses in the end-of-life continuum --from visiting and supporting those who are gravely ill (and their loved ones), through death, burial and bereavement.  Participants will learn what traditional Jewish practices are in this regard, consider why they have been done through the centuries – their functions and meanings, and how certain aspects (e.g., tahara) are performed. This course will be an excellent, hands-on and text-based opportunity for anyone who wants to find a role in these activities, whether by helping congregants to plan for their funerals long beforehand, taking part in shmira (sitting in the funeral home so the body is not alone) or tahara (cleaning and dressing the body for burial), developing our own tahara manual, sewing tachrichim (burial clothing), or providing the logistical support needed for all of these activities to occur seemlessly.

Chevra Kadisha in Texts and Our Community, Wednesday, November 6, 8:00-9:30 pm.  Rabbi Ariann Weitzman and Joel Ackelsberg will begin the first session with text study from Talmud, the charter from Prague’s 17^th Century Chevra Kadisha, and a selection of passages from contemporary tahara manuals. The session will focus on the historical and textual basis of Jewish practices that span serious illness, dying, death, care for the deceased, emotional comfort for the bereaved, grief and mourning.  Participants will learn and consider how these practices fit within traditional Jewish thoughts about death and the afterlife, and the overriding principles of kavod hamet (honoring the dead) and nichum aveilim (comforting the mourners). An overview will be given of the various activities needed for a functional Chevra Kadisha, including logistics and administration, tahara or shmira, cemetery issues, pre-death planning, etc. Participants will be encouraged to envision ways that they might want to contribute to our community’s Chevra Kadisha. At session's end, if ready and time permits, volunteers can sign up for one of the core activities.

The Final Act of Loving-Kindness: Tahara Liturgy and its Transcendent Power, Wednesday November 13, 8:00-9:30 pm.  Rabbi Ariann Weitzman and other Chevra Kadisha members, using tahara manuals, other texts and an online tahara demonstration by Rick Light (Sante Fe Chevra Kadisha), will explain how a body is traditionally prepared for burial. Tahara materials, including tachrichim and the fabric used to tie tachrichim knots, will be available for participants to examine. This session will explore echoes within the tahara liturgy of other prayers and texts and consider their meanings.

Chevra Kadisha Training: Tahara Demonstration, Shmira Readings, Logistics, Wednesday November  20, 8:00-9:30 pm.  Rabbi Ariann Weitzman and other Chevra Kadisha members will facilitate small breakout sessions for congregants who are inclined to take part in logistics and administration, shmira, tahara, tachrichim sewing, or pre-planning activities. Each group will come up with initial steps to further those functions. The tahara group will simulate a water-free tahara and dressing of a volunteer. The shmira group will consider readings, how to engage the congregation in cross-generational ways and how best to organize. And the logistics group will identify processes to notify and mobilize teams, maintain all necessary supplies and possibly build a webpage on Bnai Keshet's website. The session will conclude with a roundtable discussion about long-range plans and visions for Bnai Keshet's Chevra Kadisha.