Progressive Chevra Kadisha and Tahara

Progressive Chevra Kadisha (Burial Society) and Tahara

“Our Rabbis taught: In three ways deeds of lovingkindness (g’milut chasadim) are greater than charity (tzedakah). Tzedakah is only with money, but g’milut chasadim is with a person’s body as well as their money. Tzedakah is for the poor, but g’milut chasadim is for both the poor and the rich. Tzedakah is for the living, but g’milut chasadim is for both the living and the dead.” Sukkah 49b (Babylonian Talmud)

One way Beth Emet practices g’milut chasadim is through the Progressive Chevra Kadisha (PCK), a volunteer intercongregational society that conducts the Jewish ceremony of tahara for the dead. PCK is run by volunteers from Beth Emet, Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, Lomdim, and Ner Tamid Egal Minyan to serve the needs of members and their families.

When a person dies, PCK members (men for a male, women for a female) visit the funeral home and prepare the body for burial. PCK members wash the body (rechitza), perform a ritual cleansing (tahara), and dress the deceased in a set of simple white garments (tachrichim). Finally, they gently place the deceased in the casket, ask forgiveness for any inadvertent sins, and depart.

The PCK conducts its work so that the deceased is always treated with dignity and respect. In this way, PCK extends g’milut chasadim by honoring the dead and comforting those who remember them. To learn more about tahara, to inquire about arrangements for a loved one, or to become a member of the Progressive Chevra Kadisha, call 847-869-4230 ext. 310 or email mdickman@bethemet.org.