Death and Mourning are very difficult and personal times; they are times that require strength and courage. These times are faced in many different ways, depending on personal beliefs, tradition and religious customs. While Jews generally follow Jewish law, others, such as Hindu’s follow their own beliefs and rituals, which are significantly different to those of Judaism’s. There are many stages to a death; the amount and length vary between religions. In Judaism, after the death occurs, there’s the funeral, the burial, and the mourning period, and depending on personal belief, the afterlife or reincarnation. In Hinduism, after death, the person is usually cremated, and then the funeral takes place, Hindu’s believe in reincarnation, and Karma’s influence over the afterlife. The Hindu mourning period is considerably different to that of Judaism’s, it is not seen as obligatory to mourn, but rather to celebrate the life. Through analyzing the customs and practices of both Hindu, !

and Jewish concepts of death and mourning, it is found that their fundamental beliefs are quite similar, however their practices

are offered to the deceased to show the gratitude of the family for the life of that person. According to Hinduism, when you die, the body dies alone, the soul never dies, but the path the soul takes is decided upon by the past actions or Karma’s. Karma is seen as a very important part of a Hindu’s life, it is important for ones karma to leave the earth with as little negativity as possible to ensure better life next birth. Hinduism believes very strongly in the afterlife, that is why good Karma is so important. The process by which an individual passes through a sequence of bodies is known as reincarnation of the soul, it signifies endless passage through cycles of life, death and rebirth, “it is the natural way the soul evolves from immaturity to spiritual illumination” When all the lessons have been worked out, one attains Moksha, this means you will exist but will no longer be pulled back to be born in a physical body, this is the ultimate Hindu goal.

In Hinduism, Death marks a passage since the soul has no beginning or end. Death is seen not as a sad occasion, but as the re-entering of the soul into another form. Most Hindu’s are cremated, cremation is defined as coming again into physical body . It is seen as the quickest way for the soul to resume its journey and escape from the body. The funeral is usually conducted by a priest and the eldest brother, various rituals take place around the dead body, a lamp is placed by the head of the body,

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