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Funeral service order

Jewish funeral: the order of service, minute by minute

A Jewish funeral runs about 55 minutes and has 10 parts, from the gathering to the condolence line. 8 of them are the ones that hold the service together; the rest depend on the family.

Psalms, hesped, and the graveside — traditionally led by a rabbi or cantor.

Funeral homes serving unaffiliated families usually keep a list of clergy available to officiate.

The running order

Times are clocked from an 11:00 AM start — the funeral director’s schedule sets yours.

11:00 AM5 min

Gatheringoptional

Family and guests are seated.

11:05 AM3 min

K'riah

Immediate mourners tear a garment or ribbon, traditionally supervised by a rabbi.

11:08 AM6 min

Psalms

Recitation of psalms — commonly 23, 24, 90, or 121.

11:14 AM12 min

Hesped

The eulogy, given by the rabbi, cantor, and family.

11:26 AM3 min

El Malei Rachamim

The memorial prayer, using the Hebrew name.

11:29 AM5 min

Procession to the graveoptional

The casket is carried or rolled, with ritual pauses.

11:34 AM3 min

Lowering

The casket is placed in the ground.

11:37 AM8 min

Kevurah

Mourners and guests shovel earth — traditionally the back of the shovel first.

11:45 AM3 min

Mourner's Kaddish

The first recitation by the mourners. Traditionally requires a minyan.

11:48 AM5 min

Condolence line

Friends form two lines through which the mourners pass.

11:55 AM
End — about 55 minutes

This is a run-sheet — the timing tool the person leading the service holds, with the clock running down the margin. It is not the printed order of service handed to guests at the door. The funeral home or the family usually prints that, and the two need to agree, so send whoever is printing it your final running order.

Questions

How long is a Jewish funeral?

A Jewish funeral runs about 55 minutes and has 10 parts, from the gathering to the condolence line: gathering 5, k'riah 3, psalms 6, hesped 12, el malei rachamim 3, procession to the grave 5, lowering 3, kevurah 8, mourner's kaddish 3, condolence line 5 — minutes per part, worked out at a spoken pace of roughly 130 words a minute plus the movement around each one. These are the same figures the run-sheet uses.

What comes first in a Jewish funeral?

Gathering. Family and guests are seated. It runs about 5 minutes, and it is what the clock starts on — 11:00 AM in the example below.

What can be left out of a Jewish funeral?

Gathering, Procession to the grave — none of these is required, and cutting them is how you get the service back inside the time you were given. The rest carry the shape.

Can a friend or family member lead a Jewish funeral?

A rabbi or cantor usually officiates. Lay leadership is possible and not prohibited, but the Mourner’s Kaddish traditionally requires a minyan, K’riah is traditionally supervised by a rabbi, and the Hebrew and sequencing carry real nuance. Loop in the family’s rabbi, cantor, or Jewish funeral home before you build this service. Reform and Reconstructionist practice is more flexible than Orthodox.

Is this the same as the printed order of service?

This is a run-sheet — the timing tool the person leading the service holds, with the clock running down the margin. It is not the printed order of service handed to guests at the door. The funeral home or the family usually prints that, and the two need to agree, so send whoever is printing it your final running order.

This is the shape. The words are the other half.

Answer some questions about them and get this running order filled in with a full word-for-word script, cue cards for each part, a day-of checklist, and a sheet on what the funeral director handles.

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