A conversation exploring the Jewish view of death, grief, and the afterlife. Drawing from her personal losses and decades of spiritual exploration, Elissa shares her journey, reflections from her work preparing bodies for Jewish burial, and powerful insights on mourning rituals and what they can teach us about what it means to truly live.

Elissa Felder is the Coordinator for Core’s Communities of Practice. Elissa started and actively manages Core’s community of practice for women engaged with traditional chevrah kadisha. She is responsible for providing on-going professional development for the community. The knowledge she acquired through her work motivated her to write her book, From One Life to the Next Life: The Sacred Passage of Life After Death. Additionally, she is very active in her local chevrah kadisha and speaks widely on this topic.

Elissa is the Founding Director of Core Connects RI, a non-profit organization that aims to deepen women’s connections to one another, to Jewish wisdom, and to Jewish values, as well as to empower each other to find greater meaning, purpose, and possibility in life and to cultivate unity without uniformity. As director she is passionate about providing others with opportunities to grow and become. She runs programming both online and in person. Elissa is passionate about bringing Jews together and celebrating their commonalities rather than their differences. Through all of these experiences, Elissa mentors and encourages others on their journeys.

You can purchase Elissa's book here: https://mosaicapress.com/product/from-one-life-to-the-next-life/?srsltid=AfmBOorymKsRPl9qZlNH91dglhkMuoqSkLUd1EdThXJfSxY72ARG1UeJElissa can be reached at [email protected]

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Sneak Peek

00:54 - Host’s Intro

03:30 - Welcome Elissa

05:50 - Where Did My Son Go?

07:33 - What Happens After Death?

09:28 - The Soul Separates From Its Body in Stages

10:41 - Purification of the Soul

11:37 - Resurrection of the Dead: A Soul Reunited with Its Body

12:51 - The Deeper Meaning Behind Chevra Kadisha Practices

15:09 - Talking to a Soul: Preparing for Life, Not Death

16:15 - Analogies for Resurrection

18:18 - Why Return to the Body If the Soul Experiences Divine Bliss?

21:11 - Why Are We Here?

23:05 - Elevating Each Part of the Body

24:50 - Living with an Awareness of Life's Fragility

26:27 - The Significance of Morning Prayers

27:22 - Grief is Love

28:36 - Communal Presence During Shiva

29:34 - Witnessing Grief

32:12 - The Power of Small Acts of Love

33:18 - Why We Let Mourners Lead

37:00 - The Soul’s Journey After Death

38:50 - Grief as a Companion

39:47 - The Chevra Kedisha’s Love for the Deceased

40:41 - The Rabbi Who Cared for My Father

42:44 - Caring For My Granddaughter

45:04 - Welcoming the Soul

46:13 - Do We Access the Soul at its Grave?

48:38 - It Is About Life

49:16 - Navigating Grief

52:00 - Letting Our Emotions Flow

57:05 - Choosing Love Over Anger After Loss

01:00:12 - Host’s Outro