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Memorial Burial Equals Green Burial
By Gail Rubin
The annual celebration of Earth Day on April 21 reminds
us to "green" our activities to help the planet. Beyond
recycling and using less energy, a growing number of
folks are considering green burial to reduce toxic
pollutants and resource use.
Many people don't realize that Jewish burial traditions
naturally equate to green burial. The rising interest in
green burial is actually a return to practices people
used prior to the rise of the modern funeral industry -
practices that Jews have used throughout the centuries.
A staggering amount of resources are spent annually on
traditional non-Jewish funerals, with a huge
environmental impact. According to a Cornell University
report from 2002, every year, conventional burials
utilize more than 827,000 gallons of embalming fluid,
which put toxins and carcinogens into the earth.
Over 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete is used for
vaults, more than 90,000 tons of steel and 27 hundred
tons of copper and bronze are made into caskets, and
14,000 tons of steel are buried as underground vaults.
That's enough metal to build a Golden Gate Bridge each
year, and enough concrete to build a two-lane highway
from New York to Detroit, according to Joe Sehee,
Executive Director of the nonprofit Green Burial
Council.
Jewish burial, like green burial, fosters returning to
the earth as naturally as possible. Avoiding embalming,
using biodegradable materials, and putting the body in
contact with the earth are hallmarks of both approaches
to body disposition.
No Embalming
Embalming was created during the Civil War, when
surgeon-embalmers injected toxic chemical compounds into
dead soldiers to help preserve their bodies long enough
to ship them home for burial. The process now involves
flushing blood from the veins and replacing it with a
formaldehyde-based solution that temporarily preserves
and disinfects the body.
No state laws dictate embalming, but it is a moneymaking
service non-Jewish funeral homes are eager to provide.
Many funeral homes will require embalming before
displaying a body for longer than a quick look by
immediate family.
Jewish tradition prohibits embalming, as the blood is
considered a part of the body to be buried with the
deceased. Every speck of blood, as well as any hair that
comes loose while preparing the body, is gathered in a
linen bag that is placed in the casket.
Jews also avoid displaying the body. It is considered
disrespectful of the earthly vessel that once held the
human spirit.
Jewish law calls for a burial to take place within 24
hours of a person's death, unless there is a compelling
reason for delay. It's based on two biblical
commandments, both found in Deuteronomy 21:23: "Thou
shalt bury him the same day," and "His body shall not
remain all night."
It's also a practical concern. This practice originated
in a desert culture with a hot climate and no
refrigeration. Decomposition sets in within 24 hours.
Nowadays, bodies can be effectively preserved for
several days with modern refrigeration or the judicious
use of dry ice.
A funeral can be delayed to accommodate the arrival of
very close relatives, but never more than three days.
Delaying burial is considered disrespectful to both the
dead person and the family, who cannot properly mourn
while their dead lie before them.
Biodegradable Materials
A simple wooden casket, sometimes with holes drilled in
the bottom, helps hasten the biblical commandment "Unto
dust shalt thou return" (Genesis 3:19). The casket can
be made from any kind of wood. Inexpensive soft wood
such as pine is preferred over hardwoods, because it
decomposes more rapidly. Kosher caskets contain no metal
parts or animal-based glue and are not built on the
Sabbath.
Jewish burial garments are made of pure white cotton or
linen, reflecting the clothing of the High Priest as
described in Exodus and Leviticus. The color white is a
symbol of purity. The body, the linen garments, and the
wood all deteriorate at about the same rate.
The practice of burying all Jews in the same type of
simple garments was instituted eighteen hundred years
ago when Rabbi Gamaliel instructed that rich and poor
are equal before God. We all have the same parent; we
all come to the same end - dust to dust.
Contact with the Earth
Placing the casket in direct contact with the earth is
an important element of Jewish burial, to ensure the
completion of the "dust to dust" cycle.
Most non-Jewish cemeteries dictate the use of in-ground
burial vaults of metal or concrete to keep the earth
from sinking as time goes by. The vault encloses and
protects the casket from the earth.
Jewish cemeteries may fill in earth around the casket
and use a liner above the casket to help keep the grave
level. Some Jewish cemeteries avoid using any liners,
resulting in an uneven surface as graves settle.
However, to get this kind of green burial in a Jewish
cemetery, you need to be a Jew. Some cemeteries run by
Reform synagogues allow intermarried non-Jews to be
buried with their spouses. You can find a listing of
green burial grounds springing up around the country at
www.GreenBurialCouncil.org.
Both Jews and Muslims trace their ancestry to the
patriarch Abraham. It's interesting to note that Muslim
burial traditions are very similar to Jewish traditions.
Muslims also bury within 24 hours, avoid embalming,
dress the deceased in white clothing, and bury the dead
in contact with the earth, often in burial shrouds, with
no casket.
If you want to "go green" with your burial, and there
are no Green Burial Council-certified funeral homes in
your area, tell the funeral director you want to follow
Jewish traditions. Mother Earth will thank you.
Gail Rubin is a member of the cemetery committee for
Congregation Albert and the Chevra Kaddisha in
Albuquerque, NM. She is also the author of A Good
Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to
Die. Download a free planning form from her website,
http://www.AGoodGoodbye.com. |
