The Mourner’s Companion
By Rabbi Reuven Drucker
Published by Ramat Gan Publications
Paperback

While many fine books have been written on the laws of mourning, none are written from the point of view of what the mourner needs to know, when he needs to know it. To accomplish this purpose The Mourner’s Companion is arranged to serve the needs of the user, in the very sequence he needs to understand what his responsibilities entail. If there are any exceptions to a given procedure or practice, they are indicated immediately.

Although bereavement is inherently numbing and lonely, there is no reason why it must also be halachically confusing. But since it is our custom not to study the laws of mourning until they become personally applicable, the loss of a loved one oftentimes leads to uncertainty. Assisting and guiding mourners through this wrenching period are the goals of this work. The Mourner’s Companion is a unique presentation of the laws of mourning, arranged to provide the mourner with all the essential halachos (laws) and minhagim (customs) in chronological sequence.

• A ready-reference at all junctures during the mourning ­period–from petirah (death) until the Yahrzeit

• Eminently usable and crafted to fit into a man’s inside jacket pocket or a woman’s purse

• Clear graphics and lucid presentation simplify an intricate, often confusing set of halachos and minhagim

• Tables provide immediate access to complex information

• Minhagim most often practiced in Chutz L’Aretz (outside Israel)

• All tefillos (prayers) needed during the mourning period–from petirah through visitation of the kever (grave)