Life & Death

Jewish law is not just technical. It is sensitive to the human reality.

Does it really make sense for me to sit shivah for a man I barely spoke to for 17 years?

The Rebbe advised that a prayer book (Siddur), Psalms (Tehillim) and Tanya should be kept in the car.

Hell is real. It’s where you get rid of all that pains you.

Should I try not to fulfill my mission so I can live, or do good deeds and die?

What happens when you die? Where do you go? Is it scary?

Ethics professors often frame this conundrum as a battle between “utilitarianism” and “deontology.” What does Torah say?

The prevalence of suicide in our society has been gradually rising. What is Judaism's perspective on this urgent and oft-times taboo topic.

The question of abortion is perhaps one of the most sensitive and charged topics in the political sphere.

Some think reincarnation is like repeating a year at school: while some souls graduate to the next world, others are sent right back down to rectify things.

I love my dad very much and I want to pay him the proper respect. Am I allowed to travel to the show if I know that I possibly won’t find a minyan there to say kaddish on his yahrtzeit?

The best antidote for depression is serving others.

Many of my friends who are in their 70s are making arrangements for their Jewish burials, so that the burden won’t fall on their children. Is this appropriate?

I know she would not kill herself, but she hasn't been taking care of her health . . .

Who isn’t terrified at the notion of being in a fiery furnace for all eternity?

My dog recently died. He was my loyal companion for many years, even more loyal than some of my friends. I was wondering: what happens to animals after they die? Do they go to heaven?

I have heard that the reason is that we are not supposed to adorn ourselves while in mourning, but I am looking for a deeper explanation.

Attending a funeral can be intimidating, whether this is your first time attending or you have been to many funerals. What do I do? What do I say?

I have been told it is generally not the done thing for pregnant women to go to a cemetery. On the other hand, I do want to be there to honor my friend's memory. What do you think?

My parents say that I was an "accident." Is there any meaning in celebrating the day that I wasn't really supposed to have been born on?

A soul is Divine energy, a little piece of G-d within you. Your inner identity, your raison d'être

I know that there are religions in which it's a great thing to die for your faith, and doing so makes you a saint or gets you a ticket to paradise. What is the Jewish view? Is a person supposed to die for his beliefs?

Do you have a body? Did you say yes? So now tell me: Who is this "me" that has this body?

I've been told that each one of us has a specific, individual mission in life. How do I know what mine is?

Since the beginning of time a "piece of the world" has been waiting for a particular soul to purify and repair it; but how do we we know which piece is ours?

Why is it so hard to figure out how to accomplish our mission? Some people go through their entire lives just searching. Why is that?

The sages of the Talmud taught us that “according to the camel is the load.”

I live with constant pain. How do I cope?

I am the mother of two autistic children. I love them both dearly, but as any parent of children with special needs will tell you, raising them is challenging and can often be full of disappointment, hurt and frustration...

If life has a purpose, what is the purpose of such a short and sad life?

What consolation can we offer the soul? What can we answer to its cry: Why did I have to come down here?!

One of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism is that life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death.

I've committed a number of sins over the years; am I going to burn in Hell?

Is it true that if you commit suicide, you won't go to heaven? But if there is no Jewish hell, where will you go?

Does Judaism believe in an afterlife? From what I’ve read of the Torah, it seems that there is almost no mention of life after death.

"Remembrance" provides context to deal with the most painful of losses

Six million of our people were denied proper burial, most of them cremated. Should we willfully continue that which our enemies began?

Many find it intriguing that the Kaddish makes no mention of the deceased. Kaddish speaks of G-d's greatness. What does this have to do with the one for whom I am saying Kaddish?

How is comparing the loss of a loved one to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans two thousand years ago supposed to make me feel any better?

I am almost embarrassed to say it, but I went to my grandmother's grave and begged her to come to my wedding. Did she hear me?

What's the story with reincarnation? Who is reincarnated, and why?

I am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors but I feel haunted as if I went through it myself. I regularly see images of Auschwitz in dreams and flashes. I am sometimes even scared to tell people I am Jewish. Am I crazy?

How do you respond to a part of you dying? You can resign to the inevitable and spend the rest of your years despondently awaiting full surrender. Or you can defy that taste of death by cherishing life even more...

My grandmother always told me not to walk around the house in just socks and no shoes. Is there anything to this or is it an old wives tale?

One of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism is that life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death.

I am really struggling with a lot of things in life. Work, dating, you know the drill. Sometimes I get depressed about my shortcomings. I sometimes think I am just a big failure.

I recently saw a video about a fellow who tried to commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.

Traditions vary from the moment of conception or 40 days thereafter, to various childhood milestones. They can be synthesized by understanding the nature of our two souls.

The abbreviation, often appearing after the names of those who have been murdered, stands for Hashem yikom damam—may G-d avenge their blood.