Jewish ObituaryAninut
From death until burial
The time between passing and burial. The mourner is exempt from other obligations and focused only on arranging a prompt, honorable burial.
Interactive tool
Shiva planner
A quiet, practical guide through the days of mourning. Enter the date of burial and we will map shiva, sheloshim, and the first yahrzeit, with a dignified checklist for each stage.
Plan the mourning period
Enter the date of burial to map shiva, sheloshim, and the first yahrzeit, with a practical checklist for each stage.
Used to find the Hebrew-calendar yahrzeit.
Shiva begins when mourners return from the burial.
Mourning for a parent extends through the year.
Orthodox and Conservative observe seven days.
The Jewish day begins at sunset, so a passing after sunset falls on the following Hebrew date. This affects the yahrzeit.
Enter a date of burial to begin
Your plan will map shiva, sheloshim, and the first yahrzeit, with a dignified checklist for each stage of mourning.
The timeline
The stages of Jewish mourning
Shiva
Seven days from burial
The seven days of intensive mourning at home, beginning when mourners return from the cemetery. Shabbat pauses public mourning but still counts toward the seven.
Sheloshim
Thirty days from burial
A gentler thirty-day period. Mourners return to work but continue to avoid celebrations and public entertainment. For most relatives, formal mourning concludes here.
The mourning year
Twelve months, for a parent
For a parent, mourning continues through the year. Kaddish is traditionally recited for eleven months, and the first yahrzeit marks the Hebrew anniversary of the passing.
What to prepare for shiva
The community carries much of this. A few things help the home be ready before the mourners return from the cemetery.
- A seven-day shiva candle, lit as soon as the mourners return home.
- Low chairs or stools for the mourners to sit on.
- Cloths to cover the mirrors in the home.
- The seudat havraah, the meal of consolation, prepared by others.
- A minyan arranged for daily prayers so Kaddish can be said at home.
- Posted visiting hours so the community knows when to pay a shiva call.
What visitors should know
Paying a shiva call is a mitzvah. Presence matters more than words.
- Bring food rather than flowers, and check first whether the family keeps kosher.
- Let the mourner speak first; there is no need to fill the silence.
- Share a specific memory of the person who died.
- Keep the visit brief, and offer help with practical needs.
Keep exploring
More guidance for this moment
Read our full guide to shiva and the other customs of Jewish mourning, find the Hebrew-calendar yahrzeit, or open a memorial page where family and friends can gather to remember.