A Time to Mourn, a Time to Comfort: A Guide to Jewish Bereavement (The Art of Jewish Living) [Paperback]

Ron Wolfson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Art of Jewish Living | Publication Date: February 1, 2005

A guide to meeting the needs of those who mourn and those who seek to provide comfort in times of sadness. While this book is written from a laypersons point of view, it also includes the specifics for funeral preparations and practical guidance for preparing the home and family to sit shiva . Advice is given for attending a Jewish funeral, how to help during shiva, what to say to the mourners, and what to write in a condolence letter. Special sections deal with specific situations of modern life, including helping young children grieve and understand shiva, deaths from AIDS, and mourning the death of an infant or child.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Speaks in many voices: the voices of those who have endured grief, the voices of rabbis who deal daily with tragedy, the voices of those who are spiritually searching, and the voices of those who have found their own path through dark times.
Dr. David J. Wolpe, author of Healer of Shattered Hearts --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dr. Ron Wolfson, author of the books in The Art of Jewish Living series, specializes in innovative programs in Jewish family education. He is Director of the Shirley and Arthur Whizin Center and Institute for Jewish Family Life, and Vice President of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Lights Pub; 2 edition (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580232531
• ISBN-13: 978-1580232531
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #819,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Omaha, Nebraska, I earned my Ph.D. in Education from Washington University in St. Louis and the MA in Jewish Studies from the University of Judaism. I am the Fingerhut Professor of Education at American Jewish University in Los Angeles, the Co-President of Synagogue 3000, and a member of the Consortium for the Future of the Jewish Family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful book, June 8, 2005

By 

B4 Serrell "B4" - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Time to Mourn a Time to Comfort (The Art of Jewish Living Series) (Paperback)

Ron Wolfson's A Time to Mourn, a Time to Comfort constitutes a sensitive and perceptive guide to the Jewish traditions that guide the mourner and those who seek to provide comfort. The tone is honest, tender, and wise. Jewish tradition offers mourners a structure for dealing with the turmoil of emotions and a guide through the days, weeks and months of recovery from a loss. It also guides the community around the mourner with sound and specific advice on how best to reach out to comfort those in pain. Wolfson details these traditions with a gentle and direct how-to approach, explaining both the traditions and the benefits and good sense of those practices.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A COMFORTING BOOK, October 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Time to Mourn a Time to Comfort (The Art of Jewish Living Series) (Paperback)

This book helped us a great deal during the final moments of my mothers' life. Ron Wolfson personalizes the Jewish traditions by sharing experiences of other who have lost loved ones.

Moments after our mother died, a Catholic preist enter her hospital room to offer his comfort, embrace and support. He noticed this book in my fathers' hands and was curious. He then wanted a copy for himself so he can better understanf our custims and traditions when helping other Jewish patients and families. He then called our Rabbi and Jewish Mortuary as we still were grieving in that very moment.