Coping With the Death of a Child
Comfort for grieving parents
Celebrating Shabbat With My Son Before Child Loss We had a pleasant and happy family Shabbat table before my son passed away. Before I lost my child, the Friday night Shabbat meal was always a special time for our family. When the kids were small, we looked forward to discussing the Torah portion of the... Continue Reading →
Understanding Child Loss is Impossible for a Parent Who Has Never Experienced It After I lost my son, during the week of shiva people were coming to our home saying ‘May G-d comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem’. These are the traditional words of consolation said to Jewish mourners. But I would... Continue Reading →
Why Can't I Emotionally Cope With the Loss of My Child? My intellectual brain and my emotional heart are worlds apart. Understanding something and emotionally internalizing it are two separate realms that, in me, are totally disconnected from one another. This is why it's so hard for me to understand or accept child loss. Intellectually I... Continue Reading →
I Felt Guilty When My Child Suddenly Died When I lost my son, the nagging feelings of guilt set in and made me more miserable than I already was. I thought to myself, ‘Was there something I could have done to prevent what happened?’. Jacob, being a stoic young man, never complained about physical ailments.... Continue Reading →
A Chassidic Teaching From the Alter Rebbe - Seeing the Good How can there be 'good' in losing a child? Seeing the good in all that happens in life can be hard. Before I lost my son, I would always pray that he would get married and have a family. I prayed that his life... Continue Reading →
Parents Mourning Children in Torah and Tanach When my adult child died suddenly, everything seemed upside down. I was confused, agitated, unable to focus on anything for more than five minutes. Time seemed as if it was running backwards. Children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around. Intellectually, I knew that... Continue Reading →
My Son's Sudden Death Left Me Grief Stricken and Confused My emotional and intellectual struggle with child loss began four months ago when my dear son of twenty four years suddenly died from a heart condition no one knew he had. A kind, sweet young man, Jacob was a good son, brother, uncle, and friend to those who... Continue Reading →
Coping With the Death of a Child 