Mourning, grieving, bereavement, and death are issues no one can avoid. But they are subjects rarely addressed in polite company. Men and women, secular and Torah observant, often find themselves navigating this inevitable path with little direction.
Rabbi Simeon Schreiber has written a book to guide the process. From Mourning to Morning deals with Jewish laws and customs relating to loss of a loved one in a clear and concise manner. Discussion includes the transition to the moment of death, burial, funeral, shiva, and beyond. The book addresses more than etiquette and convention; it examines emotions and feelings with pathos and compassion.
One would think a volume on death and bereavement would be a somber and difficult to get through. Not so with From Mourning to Morning. To cite just one example, one can’t help but chuckle while reading about the couple referred to as “Peter and Helene” and their well-meaning but bumbling attempts at making a shiva call to a neighbor. Rabbi Schreiber has presented a heavy subject in a palatable manner. His style is both comforting and informative.
Senior staff chaplain at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, founder of Visiting Chaplain Services, Inc., and chaplain of the Bal Harbour Police Department, Rabbi Schreiber is highly qualified to publish on the topic. A graduate of Yeshiva College, he received his semicha from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University.
Schreiber’s first book, A Caring Presence, gives direction to the protocols of bikur cholim (visiting the sick). His collection of prayers and meditations for those undergoing medical treatment has been published as the Mount Sinai Medical Center Prayer Book. He has written and lectured extensively on the deportment of making shiva calls. His insights to handling these daunting tasks are helpful and welcomed.
Rabbi Schreiber and his wife Rose live in Bal Harbour, Florida. They have five children as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
From Mourning to Mourning can be purchased at local bookstores or on Amazon.
