The burial of Silvio Santos’ body, which took place this Sunday (18), was carried out in accordance with Jewish traditions. The son of Jewish immigrants who arrived in Brazil at the beginning of the 20th century, the presenter was born in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro in 1930.
Based on the Torah, the sacred book of the Jewish religion, the rules determine a series of rites that must be followed by family members from the moment of death until the funeral ceremony.
According to the Congregação Israelita Paulista (CIP), the ritual begins after relatives inform the Cemitério Israelita do Butantã, where Silvio was buried, about the death of their family member.
It is up to the Chevra Kadisha, a group made up of men and women linked to the cemetery, to carry out the religious, civil and legal preparations for the burial.
The first step is to cover the body so that it is not visible. Traditionally, leaving the deceased exposed shows a lack of respect for the person’s image while they were alive.
The same reason is taken into account for not opening the coffin during the wake, which is not public and is restricted to family and friends.
Preparation
Then the body must be washed and wrapped in a white shroud. This measure signifies purification, humility and purity.
The eyes must be closed. For Jews, the deceased meets God when they die. In this way, the act symbolizes ceasing to observe worldly things and beginning to see the peace of the spiritual world.
The burial must take place on the same day of death. If the death occurs on Saturday, a day of rest for Jews and on which burials are prohibited, it must be the following day, as was the case with Silvio Santos. The presenter died in the early hours of Saturday (17) and was buried on Sunday morning.
Cremation is prohibited. Religion understands that the decomposition of the body must occur naturally.
Burial
The burial ceremony is performed without floral decorations on the site or in the coffin because everyone should be treated equally during death. Furthermore, Jews understand that ostentation serves to worship the dead.
During the burial, hymns of praise to God and requests for peace in the world are sung. Close relatives throw handfuls of earth into the coffin before the end of the ceremony.
When leaving the cemetery, family members should wash their hands to symbolize that life is stronger than death. As a sign of maintaining ties with their relative, hands should be allowed to dry naturally. The use of towels is prohibited.
Silvio Santos died at 4:50 am this Saturday (17) due to bronchopneumonia after an infection with Influenza (H1N1). He was hospitalized at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in São Paulo, and was 93 years old.
