Jewish tradition includes a view of the afterlife, as we believe humans are created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of the Divine, and thus each person is composed of a holy soul and a physical body. Central to this view is the idea that the soul survives after the death of the body. This concept affects not only how we live, but also how we treat our dead. This webinar explores and explains Jewish thinking around the afterlife and its impact on our culture, customs, and rituals.
About the Ben Zakkai Institute
The Ben Zakkai Institute offers unique opportunities to understand Jewish wisdom, rituals, and traditions around death and dying by exploring ancient and modern texts through new perspectives and insights. The Institute invites outstanding scholars and teachers to lead this discovery in which everyone gets to participate. No previous experience or level of learning is necessary to join these joyful and intriguing gatherings. Everyone is welcome.
The focus is Jewish death practices, history, rituals, and customs, with the goal of exploring and understanding the richness and depth of our heritage. We start with the insightful texts and liturgy associated with the end-of-life and extend our study to historical events, contemporary issues, and important teachers.
We embrace all walks of Judaism and welcome all to join in our explorations to learn and grow. No previous experience or background required! Everyone is welcome and invited. You do not have to know Hebrew to participate, although familiarity with common terms may be helpful.
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About JADE Webinars
These online classes are free and open to the public, but require registration to attend the live Zoom session and participate in the discussion.
No registration is required to view recordings or slide-decks.
They are scheduled approximately once/month alternating between:
Moving the cursor over a topic highlights it, and upon click, displays information about that webinar, including links to register, to view the recording, the slide-deck, and the related Hineni topic page, as appropriate.
Click on a webinar to learn more about it.
All Zoom sessions begin at 8:00pm Eastern Time, 5:00pm Pacific Time, and run for 60-90 minutes.
About JADE Tributes
JADE tributes and Hineni dedications honor and remember those we care about. (View the Hineni tool here.)
The JADE Tributes page displays a table with entries honoring living people, and entries remembering those who have died. When you move your cursor over an entry, it highlights, and upon click displays information about that person.
In addition to listing a name on the JADE Tributes page, topics in the Hineni tool can be highlighted as dedicated to the honor or memory of a loved one. On a Hineni topic page, you will see your dedication appearing above the topic content. (See an example here.)
Thus, you can enter a name to be displayed in one of two ways:
(1) dedicating a Hineni topic to honor or remember, which includes a listing on this JADE Tribute Page, or
(2) remembering or honoring soley through a listing on this JADE Tribute Page.
Click here to see the list of Hineni Dedication display time options and suggested donations.Hineni dedications are listed for 12 months unless renewed.
To create a tribute or dedication, click the “Create a Tribute or Dedication” button and fill out the form. You will be notified by email when the listing is available.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, please contact us directly by phone or email: (440-941-5233, info@JadeInfo.org).
All Hineni Dedication displays also include listing the name on the JADE Tribute Page. Once listed, a name remains on the list until we receive a specific request to remove it. (Names remain on the list after the Dedication Listing time has expired.)
Suggested Donations
Donation to honor or remember through a Hineni Tool Topic Dedication: List the dedication name on the JADE Tribute Page (indefinitely), and display the name on one Hineni topic page for 12 months: Donation of any amount, with a minimum donation of $360 per listing.
Donation to honor or remember soley by listing on the JADE Tribute Page (indefinitely): Donation of any amount, with a minimum donation of $36 per listing.
As noted above, all Hineni Dedication displays also include listing the name on the JADE Tribute Page. Once listed, a name remains on the list until we receive a specific request to remove it. (Names remain on the list after the Dedication Listing time has expired.)
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Using the Hineni Tool
Hineni is a tool to provide a simple, ergonomic, and fast way to get information about traditional Jewish death practices – what Jews do when there’s a death.
The home page displays topic choices as images related to Jewish death customs. Click on any image or its title to explore that topic.
Each topic page displays 4 window images as links to learn from different viewpoints. Click on the window of choice to read the topic summary from that perspective, as follows:
— the Practical / Physical View summarizes insights into the nuts and bolts aspects of the topic;
— the Emotional / Feelings View shares a summary of the sensitive sides of the topic area;
— the Intellectual / Text View reviews the liturgy and texts involved; and
— the Spiritual / Soul View explores the more esoteric sides of each topic.
Below the summary text explaining each perspective is the Full Story, giving a more complete understanding of that topic.
Listen to spoken text at any time: highlight the desired text, then click on the icon above the text to hear the text spoken.
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