Death is a natural part of life – everyone will experience the loss of a loved one and will grieve in a personal and profound way. But every culture and faith has created their own ways to help deal with the grief and the loss. Judaism has a unique set of customs surrounding death, burial and mourning that reflect a profound wisdom with regard to human needs as well as a theology of the everlasting.
Sondra Oster Baras, an Orthodox Jew who has devoted her life to reaching out to Christians all over the world to bless Israel, provides an understanding of these Jewish customs. Sondra is joined by Kimberly Troup, Christian Zionist director of CFOIC Heartland’s US office, and Tommy Waller, also a Christian Zionist, who share common Christian customs and attitudes towards death and mourning, comparing and contrasting them with Jewish ones. Whether you are Jewish or Christian, you will find this discussion fascinating and enlightening. Watch this video and pass it on to your friends
If there is a topic you would like to see Sondra and Tommy discuss in a future episode, please let us know. Send us your thoughts and questions at Kim@cfoic.com
Shortly after recording this program, Sondra lost her father and, for the first time in her life, actually participated in the rituals of burial and mourning that she had only ever observed before as an outsider. Click here to read Sondra’s reflections on her father and on the Jewish customs that did so much to ease her grief.