Obituaries
Upcoming Services

We are available 24 hours a day throughout the Bay Area.  Contact Us

Translate
Donate

Jewish Traditions

Jewish tradition offers a language and structure for navigating life, death, and remembrance. Through ritual, prayer, personalization, and communal responsibility, Judaism acknowledges grief, sorrow, and uncertainty not as something to be solved. But something to be carried and held—together.
Hands pinning a black kriah ribbon to a garment

Rooted in Jewish Values & Traditions

Reverence for the
Natural World

Jewish wisdom teaches us to move through life with humility and reverence for the natural world (Shmirat Ha’adamah).

Guided by Mutual Responsibility

We act as stewards of the Jewish community’s sacred duty to care for one another (Arevut).

Committed to
Community

As the Bay Area’s Jewish nonprofit funeral home, we have a responsibility to serve and connect with the entire Jewish community (Kehillah).

Supporting healing & honoring memory

Jewish End-of-Life Rituals & Practices

Hands lighting a Sinai Memorial yahrzeit candle on a Jewish gravestone engraved with a Star of David
Mourning & Remembrance

How and Why We Light a Yahrzeit Candle

When we light a candle (Ner) on the annual anniversary of a person’s death (Yahrzeit), we reflect on our loved one’s memory and life.
Learn More
Hand placing a small stone on top of a Jewish headstone, a traditional act of remembrance when visiting a grave
Mourning & Remembrance

Why We Place Stones on Graves

If you’ve visited a Jewish cemetery, you’ve likely seen small stones (Tz’ror) resting on a grave (Matzevah). Placing a stone can be a physical act of connection, linking us to the person who died and to the generations who have honored loved ones this way.
Learn More

Search Hebrew Words

Showing 5 of 52 results

Sort by
A–Z Z–A Oldest to Newest Newest to Oldest

A-donai

Play Pronunciation
Lord; A name for G-d
אֲדֹנָי, אדוני — One of the names used for G-d in Jewish prayer and tradition. A-donai, meaning "Lord," is spoken aloud in place of the divine name during prayer. In the context of death and mourning, invoking A-donai acknowledges that life and death rest in G-d's hands — a source of both humility and comfort.

Aninut

Play Pronunciation
Immediate mourning; The period of acute grief between death and burial
אֲנִינוּת — Jewish tradition recognizes Aninut as the period of acute grief between death and burial. During Aninut, the mourner (Onen) focuses on their emotional intensity and caring for the deceased.
Learn More

Arevut

Play Pronunciation
Jewish community’s sacred duty to care for one another; Mutual responsibility
עֲרֵבוּת — Arevut is the Jewish principle that each person's wellbeing is the community's concern. In mourning, it's the foundation of every Shiv'a visit, every meal brought to a grieving family, and every act of care offered without being asked.

Aron

Play Pronunciation
Casket; Ark
אָרוֹן — In Jewish tradition, an Aron is made of wood without metal hardware or synthetic lining so the body can return to the earth naturally. Simplicity allows the burial to show that all people are equal in death, regardless of status or wealth.

Avel (pl. Avelim)

Play Pronunciation
Mourner (pl. Mourners)
אָב (אֲבֵלִים) — Mourning periods in Jewish tradition are structured around the needs of the Avel and Avelim. Being a mourner calls for support, presence, and care from the community.