At this very sad time, we are creating a virtual tahara for the victims of the Maui fire to honor their souls. Please join us for a communal virtual tahara on Thursday, August 17, at 6:45 pm for this precious Jewish ritual at end of life .      When this mitzvah is done by the team in person, there is a ritual washing, pouring of water,  and dressing of the body in traditional shrouds so everyone is equal at death. And there is a traditional liturgy that accompanies each step. Usually women from the community take care of women and men take care of men. Since this is a communal ritual for those killed in the Maui fire, we will honor both men and women together as a Jewish community. 

   Our service will be led by Malka from Oahu who is in Rabbinical school in LA and has just returned from a year of study in Jerusalem. We use the Portland, Oregon virtual tahara manual and invite you to download it if helpful. We will also screenshare.

   If possible, please have ready 2 glasses of water and 2 receptacles.  A head covering is also encouraged as well as a candle.  One glass of water is for handwashing. The other glass of water symbolizes the ritual pouring of the water during the in-person tahara ritual.  And after the ritual, we encourage everyone to pour that tahara water into a living plant, the garden, or the ocean.

     Please remember to be on mute when in the zoom room except when called upon to be a reader.  Please invite others in our Jewish communities to join us.  And let us honor these precious souls of these victims with kavannah-- intention, respect, and love.

Alice Lachman/Barry Langlieb

Chevra Kadisha Kavod of Oahu 

alachman@hawaii.edu

brrynhaw@hawaiiantel.net

 

Thanks to Rabbi Rob on Kauai, here is the zoom link for Thursday at 6:45 pm:

Time: Aug 17, 2023 06:45 PM Hawaii

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82841846057?pwd=RXdIcEMrRlhCdGhmcDBhY0NoOFg2QT09

Meeting ID: 828 4184 6057
Passcode: 103435

 

Here are the links for the manuals( men and for women) for the liturgy we will use: 

• The Chevra Kavod haMet of Portland, OR, has modified their existing taharah manual to create a new ritual called Tahara l’Nefesh, allowing taharah to be performed without the presence of the decedent’s body. See the men’s manual here, the women’s version here. You have permission to download these to use them for holy work in your community.