HaGaon HaRav Avraham Yosef Shlita announced on erev Shabbos that one may not participate in a civil funeral or a ceremony in which a Jewish body is cremated R”L.
The rabbi, during his weekly halacha question and answer program on Kol Chai Radio, responded in depth to the question regarding participation in either of the above scenarios. He lamented the current situation, “in which people feel free to do as they wish” without regard for halacha or tradition.
He added, “We are very careful not to make comparisons to the Nazis, but cremating bodies is nothing less than carrying on what the Nazis YM”S did”.
Referring to the claim that most of those who wish to be cremated or buried in alternative cemeteries are “intellectuals,” Rabbi Yosef said: “They lack spirit. They are primitive. They are not bohemians, but animals. This is secular extremism.”
It should be noted that in recent years, many “intellectuals,” i.e. secular writers and singers seek to be buried at civil funerals, including in civil cemeteries such as Menucha Nechona in Kfar Saba.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
CORRECTION TO YWN’s FIRST PARAGRAPH:
“HaGaon HaRav Avraham Yosef Shlita announced on erev Shabbos that one may NOT participate in a civil funeral or a ceremony in which a Jewish body is creamted R”L.”
to make it consistent with the headline and the rest of the article.
PS ALSO, “CREMATED” NOT “CREAMTED”
Your title is misleading. Please don’t deceive with incomplete and misleading titles.
Titles are important. Sometimes the reader will see the misleading title
and be misinformed. This may be considered as fake news.
Rabbi Yosef did NOT say one may not attend a civil funeral. Such a statement is
definitely misleading, based on the full article.
The term “civil funeral” is not exact. I heard the broadcast and my recollection is that he said not to participate in a funeral where the nature of the ceremony reflected an anti-religious attitude. Does every case around the world of what might be called a “civil” funderal really convey such a message?
The headline and the first sentence say the exact opposite of each other
Thank you for adding the “not” in the first sentence .