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The ways in which religious people deal with death and the funeral rites they carry out are usually very closely linked with their beliefs about life after death.

Funeral rites are very important because:

• they show respect for the dead and, in some religions, include various ceremonies which people believe are necessary to ensure that people go on to whatever their next life will be
• they give the relatives and friends of the deceased time to mourn and show their grief formally, which some people believe helps them to get over their loss

As they are dying, Jews may try to say the Shema (prayer) showing their belief in one God:

When someone dies, Jews may say Kaddish. Kaddish is often called a funeral prayer but it is actually a prayer praising God.

As soon as someone dies, preparations are made for burial which must take place as quickly as possible.

• The body is washed and dressed in tachrichim, a simple white shroud. Men are also wrapped in their tallith (prayer shawl). The fringes are cut off the man's tallith to show that he is now free of the religious laws.
• The body is put in a plain wooden coffin which is sealed. From the time of death until burial, the body is never left alone.
• Before the burial the mourners make a tear in their garments - the act of keriah - to show their grief.