|
>What does Jewish law or custom have to say about cremation, as opposed to
>burial, of a deceased person?
Absolutely forbidden.
> But recently, when my wife's
>uncle died, he was cremated, and a rabbi conducted the service where his ashes
>were scattered.
Stranger things are done in the name of Judaism (see note 957).
Jem
|
| Jem,
Thanks for the reply.
>What does Jewish law or custom have to say about cremation, as opposed to
>burial, of a deceased person?
>> Absolutely forbidden.
I don't doubt the accuracy of your reply, but I was hoping for a bit more
information.
Is it forbidden explicitly by a commandment? If not, then what is the derivation
of the prohibition?
Also, at the risk of demonstrating inexcusable ignorance, I have to admit that
the title of your reply (R"L) was lost on me. Can you fill me in?
|
|
Re: .2
>I don't doubt the accuracy of your reply, but I was hoping for a bit more
>information.
>
>Is it forbidden explicitly by a commandment? If not, then what is the derivation
>of the prohibition?
According to Ramban (Nachmanides), the verse, "you are dust, and to dust
shall you return" (Gen. 3:19), is the biblical injunction to be buried
unchanged in the ground. Rambam (Maimonides) includes burying the dead
within 24 hours as one of the 613 commandments (Sefer Hamitzvot, asseh
231), from the verse, "you must bury it on the same day" (Deut. 21:23),
although the context refers to an executed criminal (i.e., *even* a
perpetrator of a capital crime deserves basic respect for his remains).
>Also, at the risk of demonstrating inexcusable ignorance, I have to admit that
>the title of your reply (R"L) was lost on me. Can you fill me in?
Not your ignorance, my insensitivity. "Rachmana Le'tzelan" literally means,
"may the Merciful One save us" (from such situations, and from those who
pervert time-honored Jewish traditions).
Jem
|