Religion 167 - Death and Dying in Judaism

This course examines ideas about and rituals surrounding death and dying in Judaism from the Biblical period through the present. The course is organized into five major units that explore a theme related to death (i.e., corpses, burial, mourning, the afterlife, etc.). Each unit begins with biblical and classical Jewish sources, and traces how these sources shape significant developments in Jewish history, theology, and practice. The course will address a wide range of topics, including: the ontological status of a corpse, the impact of Enlightenment science on burial practices, the embrace of ancient mourning rituals by modern social justice activists, responses to fetal, infant, and child mortality, debates over the belief in resurrection, the Chabad movement’s veneration of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, historiography of the Holocaust, and ethical questions raised by advances in modern medicine and the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to classical primary and secondary sources, students will also engage with “non-academic” materials, including the Reform prayer book, a twenty-first century Sabbath sermon, a practical guide for protesting in the streets, a photo essay from the New York Times, and contemporary rituals crafted for women suffering from miscarriage and infant loss. By the end of the term, students will have robust knowledge of Jewish traditions around death and mourning, as well as an understanding of how ancient debates continue to inform contemporary religious thought and practice. 

Spring Semester. Professor Eliassian.

Pending Faculty Approval.