The Truest Act of Kindness: Caring for the Dead in Jewish Tradition
Course Details
Believe it or not, talking about death can be profoundly life-affirming. Over ten sessions, this course explores Jewish end-of-life rituals not just as sacred practices, but as doorways into deep questions about mortality, the soul, and what it means to live a meaningful life. Through classical Jewish texts, contemporary reflections, and guided discussions, you’ll uncover the profound wisdom of the Hevra Kaddisha (sacred burial society) and Kevod HaMeit – caring for those who can never repay us.
Rooted in Hadar’s core pillars of Torah (learning), Avodah (prayer), and Hesed (lovingkindness), this course offers a rich encounter with primary texts, prayers recited as we care for the deceased, and the Jewish commitment to love and dignity. Along the way, you will explore the spiritual bond between body and soul, grapple with Jewish ideas about the afterlife, and gain an intimate understanding of Jewish death customs.
Whether you are curious about Jewish end-of-life practices, seeking to engage more with the Jewish value of hesed (lovingkindness), or already serve on a Hevra Kaddisha, this course is for you!
Rabbi Keilah Lebell is the director of Hadar's Project Zug. Before Hadar, Keilah served as Assistant Rabbi and Jewish Emergent Network Rabbinic Fellow at IKAR in Los Angeles, where she oversaw Hesed (pastoral and community care) and helped to launch an egalitarian Hevra Kadisha. She holds rabbinic ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and earned her Bachelors from St. John's College, Santa Fe, a distinctive "Great Books" liberal arts program.
Rabbi Keilah Lebell is a passionate educator and spiritual leader committed to empowering Jews across the world to engage in havruta learning. Through her work at Project Zug, she makes accessible this time-honored practice of text study in pairs, which she believes can help individuals and communities cultivate greater meaning, joy, and connection in their lives.
