Chicago Tribune
June 12, 2011
Traditional Jewish ritual of preparing a body for burial is making a comeback with liberal congregations.
On the table lay a human form covered by a white sheet. A small group of people gathered around. Nisan Chavkin, steering committee chairman of the Progressive Chevra Kadisha, led them through the ritual.
First the body was to be washed, gently but thoroughly, with most of it kept draped for modesty.
Water was to be poured onto the body from three plastic buckets in a continuous stream: The first bucket poured over one side, moving from the head down to the feet; the second up the other side, the third down over the middle.
As they poured, the group would say, in Hebrew: “She is pure. She is pure. She is pure.”
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