Death is down

Jay Leno 1/7/2008: "The economy is so bad now that even the funeral business is suffering. How is that possible? Are things so bad that you're actually putting off burying Grandma. Prop her up by the porch there until spring!"

Ignoring the punchline for a moment, that is true. Death is down industry wide. People are living longer and until the generation gap is bridged, death will be down.

Going back to the punchline, the economics of death being down refer to the add ons that come with a funeral and burial. As we tell our clients over the phone, "a funeral is a commodity like anything else. You can get something cheap or something expensive." My guess is that people aren't propping Grandma up on the couch, but rather, they are burying grandma in a simpler casket then they may have several years ago. They're probably ordering fewer flowers for the funeral. By reducing the "add ons" they're reducing the price.

Judaism's approach to funerals and burials is fundamentally different. In death, all are equal. Man was created from dust, and will be returned to dust. Jews are buried in a simple wooden coffin. No fancy mahogany finishes, no lined interior. We are buried in simple shrouds called tachrichin, which don't have pockets to emphasize that we can't take our wealth with us.

The emphasis at a funeral should be on the deceased and his or her deeds. It should be a time of reflection and introspection. Add-ons detract from this serious atmosphere. Additionally, the funeral "add-ons" are just an additional expense for people who are in a vulnerable position, trying to arrange a funeral.

Death is big business, and there is a lot of profit out there for people to make, which is fine. People are entitled to make a living. But this shouldn't be at the expense of common sense. If the "add-ons" are too expensive, then there is nothing wrong with a simple funeral and burial. The Jews have been doing so for thousands of years.