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Sept. 7, 2007
Paying respect in Elul
Chevra kadisha facilitates visits to cemeteries.
EVA COHEN
Although the Jewish belief is that one can always access G-d, it
is also believed that He is more accessible in the 40-day period
leading up to Yom Kippur. This period begins with the 12th month
on the Hebrew calendar, Elul, and concludes with the 10 days in
the month of Tishrei from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, which are
called the Ten Days of Repentance.
During the month of Elul, there are many customs in which people
prepare for the Days of Awe. One of these traditions is to visit
a Jewish cemetery. This act is seen as "visiting the righteous
deceased." During this visit, one prays at the cemetery because
the resting place of a righteous one is seen as an opportune place
to beseech the Almighty. In other words, in the month of Elul, as
the Jewish people pray and ask G-d for forgiveness, a Jewish burial
site is a place where one can pray to those in Olam Habah
(the World to Come) for them to put their name in G-d's favor; in
the Book of Life.
For those who wish to participate in prayers by the graveside, but
who are unable to get to the cemetery on their own, it is the custom
in communities around the world to provide transportation to the
Jewish cemetery. In Vancouver, this has been going on for at least
50 years, according to Rev. Joseph Marciano, who oversees the city's
chevra kadisha (burial society).
"This has been going on in Vancouver for a long time,"
said Marciano. "It has always been a custom of the cemetery
board to provide a bus to the cemetery."
This year, the organized trip is on Sunday, Sept. 16. It will be
leaving from the Louis Brier Home and Hospital at 10:30 a.m. and
will return following services at the cemetery. There will be an
organized service for those who attend in the group.
In other cities, the tradition has not been as longstanding. In
Edmonton, the head of the chevra kadisha, Abner Rubin, heard of
Toronto's custom of providing a bus when he was visiting the city
five years ago, and subsequently proposed the addition of the service
to Edmonton's annual practice.
"I suggested the idea to the chevra kadisha and the Jewish
drop-in centre and they both thought it was a great idea,"
said Rubin. "It is so important; it makes myself and others
so happy that it has been successful."
Marciano said he is very glad this custom has continued in Vancouver
for so many years. He said the number of people who attend the organized
trip each year varies, but that no matter how many people participate,
the annual visit will always go on.
"It is a good thing [the chevra kadisha] does this," said
Marciano. "It is very important and it has always been their
responsibility."
However, a visit to the cemetery during the month of Elul is definitely
not limited to trips provided by the chevra kadisha. The bus ride
is offered so that the elderly, and others without transportation,
can participate in the rituals leading up to the High Holy Days.
Since the custom is to go throughout the month, those who can go
to the cemetery under their own steam are encouraged to do so by
Jewish tradition.
As well, it must be kept in mind that the entire month of Elul is
seen as a time for repentence. The visit to the cemetery is part
of an entire process to renew the soul. Teshuvah is the Hebrew
word for repentance. The ability to do teshuvah is seen as a generous
gift from G-d, which allows us to erase what we have done wrong.
The Torah tells us that no matter how far we stray, or how many
times we sin, G-d will wait for us to return to Him through repentance.
There are four steps in the process of teshuvah: leaving the sin,
regret, confession before G-d and acceptance for the future.
Leaving the sin consists of stopping whatever it is that you are
confessing for. Teshuvah is not sincere if a person prays for forgiveness
but has not quit doing whatever wrongful act it is for which they
are asking forgiveness. One must sincerely feel bad for any wrongs
they have done. Once one is genuinely ashamed and embarrassed of
their actions, one must confess before G-d and resolve never to
commit the act again.
Once a person has gone through the first three steps, "acceptance
for the future" occurs through an oral confession, where one
states out loud their commitment to better themselves and not repeat
their sinful acts. This process is for sins committed against G-d.
Therefore, before praying directly to Him, if one has committed
a sin against another person, they must first ask that person directly
for forgiveness. And again, the most important aspect of the entire
process is sincerity.
People search for ways to be as sincere and heartfelt in their teshuvah
as possible, and that is where the custom of visiting the cemetery
fits in. One makes a special visit to the place in order to participate
in a genuine effort to cleanse their soul and to sincerely search
for channels in order to seek forgiveness.
Eva Cohen is a journalism student at Carleton University
in Ottawa.
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