| JOIN THE EMES CARD CAMPAIGN | | |
|
| TO COMFORT AND
BE COMFORTED | | |  | | The Full Nichum V'Nechama DVD Set is available for purchase |  |
|
|
| BOARD OF DIRECTORS | Rabbi Elchonon Zohn President, Founding Director Dr. Philip Abramowitz First Vice President Rabbi Kalman Baumann Vice President Richard Miller Treasurer Tovah Kirschner Secratary Fred Schulman Executive Vice President |
|
| RABBINIC ADVISORY BOARD | Rabbi Eytan Feiner
Rabbi Tzvi Flaum
Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer
Rabbi Hershel Schachter
Rabbi Peretz Steinberg
Rabbi Herschel Welcher |
|
| DEDICATED IN MEMORY OF | חנה בת משה יהודה
Chana Waltz/Ganz |
|
|  | | | VOLUME III/ ISSUE 1 June 2014/ Sivan, 5774 |
| DVARIM ME'ROSH DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE Introducing the New Aron Mehudar Rabbi Elchonon Zohn |
 It has been quite a while since our last newsletter. This is not a sign of inactivity, as this letter will explain, but a time of unusual growth and creativity. I apologize for the recent limited communication and I urge you to spend the necessary time to appreciate and understand the wide range of educational tools we have developed. Please have all your Chevra members sign up for our email list so they can directly learn of the valuable information we disseminate. The newsletters will be sent more frequently, be"H, and we look forward to expanding your world of Kovod Ha'Mes (honor for the deceased) and Chesed Shel Emes (true charity) in powerful and positive ways. Now more than ever, we need your interest, support and, most importantly, involvement and partnership. One of the most important things we have been working on during this hiatus has been the creation of a new Aron (casket) to optimize Kavod HaMes . Many people must  wonder what happens when they see a member of the Chevra Kadisha go down into a grave and ask everyone to turn away. It seems to imply a lack of respect for the deceased, but what is really occurring is that the bottom panel of the Aron is being removed in accordance with the Minhag of the body being placed directly in the ground. What is misconstrued as a lack of respect, is, in reality, an effort to beautify the fulfillment of this Mitzvah...read more... |
The Casket Controversy Rabbi Avraham Steinberg
|
| Question: Is the original and ideal Jewish way of burial for the body to be placed directly in the ground, with the practice of using a casket only an accommodation that was made more recently because of legal pressures and partly resulting from the influence of Reform Judaism? OR Is the use of a casket actually the ideal and traditional Jewish way of burial, as indeed we find the use of an "Aron" recorded numerous times in the Chumash and in the words of our Sages? Answer: This is a big debate among great Torah authorities, tracing back quite far, and continuing until very recent times in our Halachic literature... read more... |
Introducing Fred Schulman, our new Executive Vice President |
 NASCK is excited to welcome its newly appointed executive Vice President, Fred Schulman. A lifelong resident of the Five Towns, in New York, Mr. Schulman brings a wealth of experience in community involvement as well as business and leadership skills to our organization. Mr. Schulman is a Member of the boards of Ohel, Mesorah Heritage Foundation and South Shore Yeshiva. He also served as President of Congregation Kneseth Israel, fondly known as "the White Shul," and is the chairman of the shul's Chevra Kadisha. His sensitivity and expertise in matters relating to the Chevra Kadisha have helped make the White Shul's Chevra one of the most dynamic and well-regarded in the area... read more... |
| NEWS AT NASCK NASCK's New Florida Branch and Campaign |
| New Florida Branch Under the direction of Rabbi Jay Lyons, our Florida Regional Director, the Florida chapter of NASCK, located in Boca Raton, is a model of the impact that NASCK is capable of when focusing on a specific region. NASCK has been able to support local Chevros, assisting them with Tahara issues and access to NASCK resources. Being involved with diverse Chevros has opened the door for NASCK to identify challenges many Chevros face and has enabled NASCK to address those challenges. In the retirement community of South Florida, with the rate of cremation moving toward 50%, the constant goal is to develop creative ways to expand education regarding traditional Jewish burial and to maximize the impact of our limited financial resources dedicated to stopping cremation. Nichum V'Nechama- To Comfort and be Comforted Another exciting development is the creation of a new campaign to educate the public on the needs of mourners during and after Shiva called Nichum V'Nechama- To Comfort and Be Comforted. The extremely delicate Mitzvah and exercise of comforting the mourners- Nichum Aveilim- poses a potential landmine for the typical person. A caring and well-intentioned person who goes to a Shiva house may feel inadequate or, much worse, say something hurtful simply because they have never really understood a mourner's needs. Even those who have had to sit Shiva themselves may find it difficult to translate their own experiences to suit the individual needs of the Aveil... read more... |
| PICHIFKES AND TAKANOS Small Steps to Perfecting Our Work as the Chevra Kadisha |
When one is involved in a Tahara, the care that one takes in all aspects of the preparation sets the tone for the Tahara itself, contributes to Kavod Ha'Mes and ultimately creates a higher level of Chesed-Shel-Emes. It is therefore appropriate to take care that all preparations are done neatly and with precision, including the preparation of the wash cloths (" Shmattos", the Yiddish term for such cloths). The goal is to keep the sheet evenly folded so the cloths are all the same size and to cut smoothly so that there are no dangling threads  . The recommended material to use for these cloths are flat bed sheets that are neither of flannel material nor fitted. These sheets can be procured by saving all sheets that come to the funeral home from hospitals or homes (where the family is not interested in getting them back). They should be laundered (with bleach) by a laundering service or in-house by the funeral home. Eventually, a stock of sheets is accumulated for washing, covering and drying. Before cutting, fold the sheets neatly to create even squares of the desired size (generally between 18" x 18" and 24" x 24"). Using the folds as guides will ensure evenly-sized, neat squares If one finds it too difficult to cut through all the layers at once with sharp scissors, unfold once and cut the sheet into 2 parts, then continue cutting each half separately. Rotate the cloths to ensure you have cut along every fold and fully separated the sheets... read more... |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment