In both the life cycle ceremony of the shiva and the religious feast of Purim, God is revealing Himself to the Jews as His Chosen People and indicating how human relationships reflect God's own relationship to the Jews. In confronting death Jews are called upon to deepen their own faith. In showing respect for an individual who has departed this world, Jews are asked to reflect upon their own relationship with a transcendental God. During the feast of Purim the bravery of Queen Esther is celebrated. Her courage helped to save the Jewish people. Esther's faith symbolizes how God reaches out to protect and save His Chosen People. Esther's willingness to risk her life to save her people symbolizes God's faithful caring for his Chosen Race.
The Jewish memorial for the dead is identified in Hebrew as shiva. The prayers which are read for the dead are known as the kaddish. People are invited to a home where rituals for the dead are observed for a minimum of three days. This life cycle ceremony is meant to honor those who have recently died and departed this life. In a tradition which echoes the Egyptian annual funeral of Osiris which lasted for seven days, the Jews observe deep mourning when a member of the community dies. During ancient Jewish rites public lamentation was to be expected. Jewish ideology intends that the bereaved express their deepest grief so as to encourage its full eruption. It is believed that to mourn fully at the time of death serves as the quickest route to full healing. To cause the wound to deepen is to allow it to scar most beneficially. Here it is suggested that to be able to grieve in depth echoes the depth of God's own feelings for His Chosen People.
During the funeral ceremony the rabbi reads prayers which reflect upon Yahweh's relationship with His People. In Psalm 90, God is seen as the one who has been "our refuge in every generation." In another reading which is o
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