Jewish prayers to/for the dead

[steve_b]

They don’t have anything like Catholic prayers for the dead. It is simply not how they view things. Kaddish is not primarily a prayer for the dead it is a prayer about the dead, by mourners, to God…[snip]
. Further there is no Jewish prayers to or for the dead in a way similar to Catholic or Orthodox prayers to and for the dead. After the shiva (7 days of mourning) all such prayers are not said. …[snip]… You will not find a practicing Jew praying for a dead relative 5 years after their death, the concept is foreign to the Jewish ethos, an ethos I have experienced my entire life.

…[snip]… Traditional Judaism does not tolerate prayers to anyone but God. And they are pretty clear in their belief that the dead no nothing that goes on on earth. They take Ecclesiastes quite literally in this respect.

Mel

*In the following example, (rich man and Lazarus) Jesus wants us to see that, even from the Jewish perspective, *

1. the dead in the afterlife, feel their particular state they’re in, and they see others in the afterlife in their particular state

*2. they are aware and don’t stop caring about family members on earth. *

*3. Even the rich man was asking (praying) for favors to Abraham in heaven to intercede for his father and brothers still living. Is this novel for a Jew to do? I get the sense from Jesus that it is a perfectly natural thing to do. *

*4. Asked (prayed) to Abraham, to have Lazarus in heaven, intercede. *

Jesus in telling the story, didn’t have Abraham correct the rich man for making such petitions. He merely pointed out that people in hell and people in heaven can’t help each other in any way shape or form…

*The Rich Man and Lazarus
*
*Lk 16:
*19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,3] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25"But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27"He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29"Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30” ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31"He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ "