Reply To: Does anyone know the halakhah concerning coffins?

Thanks for all of your replies. Unfortunately there isn’t a Chevra Kadisha society where I live or else I’d ask them. What I needed to know was if I could use glue (natural rabbit hide glue used to make musical instruments and traditional cabinetry decays quickly in the ground) or plywood. There are a number of woods that rot very quickly when placed in the ground, such as white pine, alder, hemlock, beech, yellow poplar or sweetgum to name a few. I knew about the bottom and I’d planned on cutting a number of 4″ holes in the bottom with a hole saw.

Lior: Actually, I was a little concerned about that as well, and I asked what he was going to with it until he needed it. Without batting an eye he said he’d use it as a coffee table. He was trying to keep a good attitude about what life he had left. He said don’t think of his path as coming to an end, to be accompanied with weeping and wailing and gnashing of the teeth. Rather think of him as starting on a new journey to be celebrated with a hearty “bon voyage”, and songs, stories and memorable parties.