kavod ha-met

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Pronunciations

kavod ha-met (kah-VODE hah-MET)

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Definitions

  • n. Literally 'honor of the dead', the guiding principle behind Jewish burial customs.

Example Sentences

  • "What’s worse is that they certainly did not have the 'best of intentions' - if they did then this woman would have been cremated like she wanted. Their motivation was based purely on their ultra orthodox religious interpretations, not on respecting the deceased. They directly violated the idea of Kavod HaMet to make themselves feel better." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • כבוד המת 'lit. honor of the dead'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      kavod hamet, kavod ha'met

Notes

  • "This showing of respect traditionally includes quick burial of the dead; the use of a shomer; and prohibitions against embalming, cosmetology, and an open casket, which might be interpreted as being undignified or irreverent." (JPS)

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