Right now, my husband’s sitting with the deceased. Wow, that sounds pretty morbid, but he is doing a great favor to a family.
I know that sounds weird, but it really is a mitzvah. A mitzvah is a good deed. I got a call from one of our congregants who is in charge of death in our community. Though it sounds like a morbid job, it is a very important one.
A local dentist in our community died on Saturday and does not have a lot of family here. In Jewish tradition, when someone dies, they are not supposed to be alone until they are buried. This is called shemira, which means guarding or watching. In this case, watching over the dead.
According to Mishpacha, the soul is in a very confused state during this time of death (between the last breath and being buried) and hovers over the body. The purpose of sitting is to give comfort to the soul.
I was asked to sit with the body. I said I would do it with my husband but needed to ask my mom to watch the kids. My husband said he would do it and that he would be fine. I have to admit I was relived. The thought did make me a little nervous. It’s the first time I was asked to sit shemira.
I feel a little guilty not doing it, but I think my husband knew how I felt.
Oddly, my dad has done this a lot and I never thought about it. I realized that I did not know much about shemira, so this is the perfect opportunity for me to learn and to teach others about it.
Judaism has many interesting traditions. Now if you are asked to sit, you will be more prepared to help your community and a family mourn.