How and by whom did the Jewish peoples prepare bodies for burial in B.C. days?

Hi byebyett,

DID THE JEWS REALLY NOT BURY THEIR DEAD? by Charles R. Arterburn
http://www.squarecircles.com/articles/arterburn/arterburn.pdf

"The Jews really did bury their dead and, as a people, never actually
embalmed them. Excavations of ancient Jewish burial sites have
uncovered both individual interments and family tombs, the latter
rock-hewn or adapted from existing caverns. With family tombs, it was
common practice, dating back to the First Temple Period (960 - 586
B.C.E.), to carry out the burial in two steps. First, the body was
wrapped or covered and placed on a shelf or in a niche inside. After
the flesh decomposed, the bones were collected and deposited together
(referred to by archaeologists as "secondary burial") in a special
chamber - the charnel room or pit- inside the tomb. During the late
Second Temple Period (20 B.C.E. - 70 C.E.), ossuaries - special boxes
made of stone or clay - were widely used for collecting the bones."

(see rest of article)



Best regards,
tlspiegel

---

Request for Answer Clarification by byebyett-ga on 11 Oct 2004 06:39 PDT

perhaps I shouldn't have used the word "burial"    it is the exact
process done to the deceased and by whom--family/friends, etc.?   what
you've posted is of additional interest; can you add to it about what
i've clarified (i hope)?

---

Clarification of Answer by tlspiegel-ga on 11 Oct 2004 09:08 PDT

Hi,

I'll be going out for a bit - when I get back I'll clarify the answer.

Thanks for your patience,
tlspiegel

---

Clarification of Answer by tlspiegel-ga on 11 Oct 2004 10:19 PDT

Hi byebyett, 

Firsts - The First Burial
http://www.jhom.com/topics/firsts/burial.html

"According to the oral tradition which prevailed over alternative
narratives, Cain did not expect Abel's death (as never before had an
experience of this kind existed) and, shocked by the silent body, fled
from the site of the crime. Abel's parents, Adam and Eve, looked for
their missing son, and their search ended upon the discovery of his
body. Here, too, we are left with several questions: Why did Abel's
body not deteriorate in the hot, sunny Garden of Eden, and why was it
not devoured by the beasts of the field? What was the reaction of the
parents upon confronting the body of their son? How did they dispose
of the body?

Answers to these three questions are supplied in four literary Midrashic versions:

1. The dog which had guarded Abel's flocks during his lifetime stood
guard over his dead master's body, so that no bird or beasts could
harm it. Another legend tells of birds, flying over Abel's body and
shadowing it, thus preventing its deterioration in the sun.

2. Adam and Eve mourned their son; they sat over the corpse which was
probably on the ground and wept.

3. The mourning parents observed a raven disposing of a dead bird of
its own kind by burying it in the ground. Following the example of the
raven. Adam (Eve is not mentioned) buried Abel's body in the ground.
Burial is introduced here as a male duty and until this very day
burial is traditionally the duty of a son, father and brother.

The three parts of our burial legend not only fill in the narrative
gaps, but also explain the origin of three extant Jewish customs
(following the order of the legend):

1. Why some time should pass between the death of a person and the
disposal of his body;
2. Why, during the period following death and preceding burial, the
corpse should be placed on the floor (not on a bed or table), and the
mourners sit beside it and mourn (weep); and
3. Why the body should be buried in the earth.

It is interesting that Jewish customs which have been mythologized are
generally customs which were attacked and disputed in some Jewish
quarters or by some Jewish sects, as the authority for their practice
was not explicitly stated in the Bible. By expanding the Biblical
story, ancient origins are attributed to a particular custom, giving
it sufficient prestige to withstand the opposition of "fundamentalist"
and "scriptural" sects.

Elaborating here on the Jewish custom of laying the dead body on the
floor shortly after death, we may assume that some Jewish sectarians
of the first centuries opposed the Jewish custom as a pagan survival
or a Christian penetration. The Jewish myth, then, not only confirms
the pre-pagan and pre-Christian antiquity of the custom, but also
sanctions its use by ascertaining its divine origin. It is not
coincidental that the single narrative which prevailed in oral
tradition regarding the fate of Abel's body was the one interrelated
with existing customs."

=================================================

http://www.aish.com/spirituality/odysseys/Taharah_A_Personal_Look_at_the_Jewish_Way_of_Death_and_Burial.asp
Traditionally, a Jewish Burial Society counted as its members the most
prominent individuals in the community. These Jews were honored to
have the opportunity to carry out the commandment of taharah -- the
cleaning and bathing of the dead -- dressing the body in shrouds, and
resting it in the coffin, with prayers woven throughout the process.

Taharah is a service unique in the fact that the recipient of the
kindness is unable to give thanks or repay the favor. Those who
perform taharahs are entrusted with a task that requires a great deal
of compassion because the dead in their hands are entirely helpless.

=================================================

http://www.rigal.freeserve.co.uk/jewish/death/death.htm

"From the second century BCE for about 500 years, it was a common
practice around the Jerusalem area to have two burials. About a year
after the first burial the bones were gathered up and reburied in
small ossuaries."

text deleted

"Although in Biblical times the dead were often buried wrapped only in
woven cloth garments, by Talmudic times coffins were used."

=================================================

http://www.aish.com/literacy/lifecycle/The_Jewish_Way_of_Death.asp

"A Jewish funeral is a ceremony of quiet dignity; a white shroud worn
by rich and poor alike, a plain wooden casket, a speedy burial bereft
of fanfare are some of the simple customs that dominate."

"A 2,000 year old custom of burying the dead in a white shroud makes
sure no poor person would be shamed."

"Jewish tradition recognizes the democracy of death. It therefore
demands that all Jews be buried in the same type of garment -- a
simple white shroud. Wealthy or poor, all are equal before God, and
that which determines their reward is not what they wear, but what
they are. Almost 2,000 years ago, Rabbi Gamaliel instituted this
practice so that the poor would not be shamed and the wealthy would
not vie with each other in displaying the costliness of their burial
clothes.

The clothes to be worn should be appropriate for one who is shortly to
stand in judgment before God Almighty, Master of the universe and
Creator of man. Therefore, they should be simple, handmade, perfectly
clean, and white. These shrouds symbolize purity, simplicity, and
dignity."

=================================================

End of Life: Funeral Business
http://www.npr.org/programs/death/980308.death.html

Jon Kalish reports on Jewish burial societies known as Chevra Kadisha
which perform ritual purification for observant Jews who have died.
These rites have their roots in Biblical times and are performed by
paid individuals or voluntary communal groups.

(read text)

=================================================

http://www.lamed.org/Glossary%20Jewish.htm

Ossuary: A bone box used in ancient times to keep the bones after the
flesh had decomposed. The ossuary was also known as a secondary
burial.

Tachrichim - Burial shrouds.

Taharah - Ritual purification of the deceased in preparation for
burial....washing of the dead body.

Takhrikhim - Shrouds prescribed by Jewish law.

=================================================

BURIAL CUSTOMS IN ANCIENT PALESTINE
http://www.bible-history.com/jesus/jesusuntitled00000280.htm 

Such tombs usually had one or more irregular chambers with ledges
where the bodies were placed and were accessible only by a short,
low-ceilinged, ramplike shaft.

No coffin was used. 

As suggested in the Gospels, a rough boulder or a specially cut
closing stone blocked the entrance, basically to protect the corpse
from jackals.

The dead were usually buried promptly, as Jesus was, because the Jews
did not embalm their deceased and bodies decomposing rapidly in the
Middle Eastern heat created a health hazard.

Normally, the corpse was immediately washed and anointed with spices,
including aloes and myrrh, then wrapped in linen graveclothes, with
special care taken to bind the chin to keep it from lowering. In
funeral processions, which were arranged by the nearest of kin, the
bereaved cried aloud or sang ritual lamentations and beat their
breasts, sometimes wearing sackcloth or rolling in the dust, while
hired musicians and professional mourners added to the public
demonstration of grief.

=================================================

Bare-Bones Burials
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/021219_Ossuaries.html

Historians are not in agreement about how or why the use of ossuaries
became so popular among Jews. It is possible that the practice was
dictated by the dearth of available land for conventional cemeteries
within Israel's narrow borders.

Some authors have pointed out that the ancient Hebrew ideal of
spending eternity in the bosom of one's family, expressed in the
biblical idiom of "sleeping with one's ancestors," encouraged the
creation of family mausoleums which were most conveniently (in keeping
with the realities of Israeli geology) situated in caves to which the
bones of the deceased would have to be relocated.

That most cemeteries and burial sites belonged to individual families
is confirmed by the archeological findings, inscriptions and
historical references, and is presupposed by the discussions in
rabbinic sources.

Although the initial burial would sometimes be under the earth, as is
our current practice, it was more common to lay the bodies in rows of
niches that were carved into a cave or mountainside.

There is significance to the fact that most Jewish ossuaries were
designed to preserve each skeleton by itself or with close family
members, rather than in collective tombs. This development seems to
dovetail with a general evolution towards awareness of the individual
in the Jewish consciousness, a perception that may have some
correspondence with the growing economic affluence of Judean society
in Herodian times.

Some scholars trace the origins of the practice to the strong Jewish
belief that there is special merit to being buried in the soil of the
Land of Israel, or better still, in the vicinity of Jerusalem, where
the resurrection of the dead will first commence in the messianic era.
The custom of transporting ossuaries from the diaspora communities for
burial in Israel is well attested in rabbinic sources, and was
sometimes resented by the natives. While there are many passages in
talmudic literature that speak of the atoning potential of burial in
the holy land or he Temple altar, at least one ancient Zionist
ridiculed the notion that Jews who had spent their lives in foreign
lands should benefit posthumously from burial to the holy land.

Aside from direct communications from the Next World, there is no way
to know with certainty how well the respective burial customs serve
the interests of those who have departed this life. It is clear,
however, that they provide the living with an opportunity to give
tangible expression of their devotion to their loved ones.

This important aspect of the ritual was poignantly stated by Rabbi
Eleazar ben Zadok, who described how he dutifully carried out his late
father's instructions to collect his bones and place them in an
ossuary. At the end of his account, Rabbi Eleazar voiced his special
satisfaction at having maintained continuity from generation to
generation:

"Just as he attended his father, so have I attended him."

=================================================

Best regards,
tlspiegel

I apologize for the delay; stuff happened. Many thanks for all you gave me.

Hi byebyett,

Many thanks for the 5 star rating and generous tip!

Best regards,
tlspiegel

Shalom!

I gave up reading the answers as they are not, under any circumstances
part of the religious training I received, and/or know about.

You must speak of the Orthodox rituals to get the proper reply, as
Conservative & Reform, while they follow most, do not follow all to
the letter:

      1.  When a person dies, the body is washed by either friends,
relatives, temple members, or appointed persons.
      2.  Burial MUST take place before sundown on the day of the
death unless this is not possible.
      3.  The body is wrapped in a white shroud, and placed in the
casket which is of plain, unstained wood (nowadays - usually pine)
that contains NO NAILS or any form of material aside from the wood. 
The coffin is held together by joining the pieces with interlocking
(blank on the name!) pieces of the wood, cut yo fit one into the
other.
      4.  Whether one is buried from the Temple, or a modern funeral
parlor, it is customary for the hearse, if a funeral parlor is used,
to pass the Temple, and the doors of the Temple are opened, and then
closed again.
      5.  A SITTER MUST stay with the body at all times until burial.
      6.  The coffin MUST REMAIN CLOSED!  Also, if one is a Cohen
(Cohain, Coien), one is not allowed to be near death.  The exception
would be for immediately family.
      7.  After the funeral service, the coffin is placed in the
ground, at the cemetery with each family member throwing a shovel of
dirt into the hole.  Some people allow anyone at the burial to shovel
the dirt.  A Rabbi will NOT leave until the grave is totally closed. 
During burial, the Kaddish is recited.  While this is NOT a prayer
speaking of death, it is used.  (Extolled and allowed be the name of
G_d......... May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make
his countenance shine upon you. May the Lord give you peace. Amen.) 
Naturally, I deleted 95% of the Kaddish.
      7. Wherever SHIVA will be observed, all mirrors are covered for
7 days. A meal is usually prepared by the temple's sisterhood for the
family, and the mourners wear the RIPPED CLOTHING, whichis ripped, or
cut by the Rabbi prior to starting the service.  It is to signify
mourning.  Today, such as when my mother and then my father died, a
black ribbon is placed on the immediate family members' lapel and
after repeating a prayer, a razor is used to cut the ribbon.  It is
worn for the period of Shiva observance, 7 days.  The mourners sit on
wooden boxes, and do not wear shoes.  It is the only time people are
allowed to walk in stocking feet, although I cannot tellyou why or
when it started. Also, a large candle is lit, which will burn for 7
days.  One also lights a 'Yartzheit Candle' on the anniversary of the
death, based on the Jewish calendar.  A donation is customarily made
to the Temple, and Kaddish is said.  The same is done 4 other times
each ear, including the last day of Passover and on Yom Kippur.
       8. Before entering the home, after the burial, there is a bowl
of water placed outside to wash the hands, to clean them of death and
not to bring it into the home.
       9.  The period of mourning is technically ONE YEAR!  Most
people today are not quite that forthright.  Each night during Shiva,
a minion (group of no less than 10 MEN) convenes and Kaddish is said.
One goes to Temple everyday for one year - again - some do 30 days,
some 7 days.
       10. The only reason burial may be delayed is Shabbos (the
Sabbath), certain holidays including The High Holy Days (Jewish New
Year ending with Yom Kippur - The Day Of Atonement, a fast day!), and,
depending on the sect and Rabbi and traditions, to await the arrival
of immediate family members.
       11.  No music or entertainment is allowed during at least some
part of the period of mourning.

Any questions?  I can try, but as I am not Orthodox, it may take
research.  The items posted above my comments have some correct
information but much incorrect information.  Also, we do NOT call it
B.C. - It is B.C.E. (Before the Christian Era).

FYI:  We have leap year 7 times every 19 years. A month is added,
which explains why the holidays are never exactly on the same dates on
the Julian calendar.  The month is between Adar and Nissan, so it is
called either Adar II or Adar-Nissan.)

Dear Sir/LeMedecin:  I knew about 90% of what you wrote.    B.C.E.,
new to me.  However, I was asking about those daysof old; Orthodox,
Conservative, and Reform weren't around. I'm in hopes that you will
not be upset with byebyett.
Had even considered calling a rabbi, but chickened out. Isn't most of
the above info probably correct for BCE days?  Am printing out your
comment; while I like research very much, you prob. do not have the
time for this and I do not think it is necessary. However, having come
across your name/info at other sites, I trust in leaving the entire
thing up to you.
Your FYI info much appreciated.

Hi byebyett-ga, 

As you so kindly let commenter LeMedecin know in your comment - what
you asked in your original question was "ancient Jewish burial rites"
and that is **exactly** what I posted in my answer.

I realize the comments made by Lemedecin were not about ancient B.C.E.
customs.  In the past 2000 years or so... customs and rituals have
developed from ancient times.  Customs such as covering a mirror,
opening and closing the doors of the Temple, etc.,  were not in place
B.C.E.

If you would like more information regarding current Jewish burial
rites - I can provide that for you.  All you'd need to do is open a
new question and put my name in the subject line.

Best regards,
tlspiegel