Tag: Illness

It is considered forbidden to fast on fast days if injurious to one’s health, for the sake of performing positive commandments.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) May 10, 2023 Fasting on Tisha B'av Health

We give thanks to God every day for the gift of life, but recognize that we are mortal and that illness and death will come.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) May 10, 2023 Health Illness

Visiting the sick is counted as one of the mitzvot that is rewarded both in this world and also in the World to Come.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) May 10, 2023 Health Illness

Judaism does not recognize any gray area between life and death. Whenever possible, a dying person should not be left alone.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) May 8, 2023 Confronting Death Death and Dying

The halakhah does not generally permit autopsies, due to honoring the dead. However, there are two important exceptions to that rule.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) February 28, 2023 Confronting Death Death and Dying

Kohanim were forbidden to come into contact or share indoor space with the bodies of the dead, apart from their closest of relatives.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) February 28, 2023 Death and Dying Funerals

What do I do when I go to a shivah? Remember that conversation should be about the deceased, not the mourners or the visitors.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) February 26, 2023 Death and Dying Lifecycles

What are the Jewish laws and rituals regarding funerals? Generally, a ritual washing, burial, and a funeral, each with their own customs.

Rabbi Carl Astor, The Observant Life (Book) February 26, 2023 Death and Dying Funerals

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