(Jewish Group) Why You'll Rarely Hear The Phrase 'Rest In Peace' In Judaism
Before we start to examine attitudes toward death practices in ancient religions, let's start with an unlikely person: Keanu Reeves. Back in 2019 Reeves was interviewed on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" (on YouTube) when Colbert asked Reeves one of humanity's most eternal questions: "What do you think happens when we die?" The interview until then had been light, and the audience laughed at the question. After all, it's Mr. "Whoa" himself, right? Reeves simply relied, "I know that the ones who love us will miss us." Cue the tissues, clutch your chest, and admit it: You've never heard a better, clearer, more touching answer to that question.
At risk of throwing a curveball on this tale and causing a few Jewish eyebrows to raise, this answer isn't way, way different from Judaism's ultimate take on life after death. But bear in mind, when we talk about Judaism, we're not talking about any one tradition: What folks did back in Moses' day, what they do in Brooklyn, New York, or what happens within eyeshot of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. We mean generally. Moment Mag highlights a host of discussions about differing Jewish beliefs and practices regarding death, and in the end, as the article quotes, "As they say: two Jews, three afterlives."
Universally, however, Judaism eschews a focus on life after death for a focus on life. Resting in peace is wonderful. But the question begs: What now of the living?
A brief overview of Judaism's three biggest denominations -- Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox -- reveals where they overlap regarding death rites. Reform is the most secular of the three and also the most recently established. It began in 18th-century Germany as an attempt to reconcile more traditional Judaism with an evolving, humanist world (via the Jewish Virtual Library). Conservative Judaism, by contrast, adheres more strictly to high-level traditions like kosher food, disallowing rabbis to officiate at interfaith weddings, and so forth (via My Jewish Learning). Orthodox Jews are the strictest of the three, and do their best to follow the precise letter of G-d's law laid out in the Torah (via another article at My Jewish Learning).
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