Death and Mourning

Headstone engraved with a Star of David with small stones on top
Death and Mourning

What is the Jewish expression to refer to someone who has died?

Rabbi Julie Zupan
In Judaism, when someone has died, it is customary to add the expression, “May their memory be for a blessing” after mentioning the deceased by name. In Hebrew, the expression is “zichrona livracha” (feminine, “zichrono livracha” (masculine), or “zichronam livracha” (plural or gender-neutral) and is typically abbreviated as z”l when
View from behind of a person blowing a shofar into the sunset while wearing a prayer shawl that covers their head and back
Yom Kippur

Unetaneh Tokef in the Time of a Pandemic

Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler
 September 10, 2020
The Unetaneh Tokef has a long list of ways that people die, often violently, a way of shocking us into realizing our mortality. The original prayer, however, can be traumatizing. This version seeks a more empathetic approach to mortality.