ליבערמאן וואקסט א בארד

Lieberman's beard is sign of mourning
Joseph Straw, Register Washington Bureau07/09/2005
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WASHINGTON — Observers of Wednesday's base closure field hearing in Boston were surprised to see the usually clean-shaven U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman sporting a full beard.


While the Senate is in recess this week, the beard was neither a cosmetic experiment nor a break from shaving.


The growth rather is a solemn act of mourning over the June 26 death of Lieberman's 90-year-old mother, Marcia Lieberman.

The senator, an observant Jew, is in the midst the 30-day mourning period of "shloshim," which includes the intense, initial seven-day period of sitting "shiva" following an immediate relative's burial.

The faith's traditional law, in fact, calls for a full 11 months of mourning which, in the most strict observance, calls for the twice daily formation of a 10-man "minyan" and recitation of the traditional kaddish prayer.

Observances of the three periods, however, vary between the Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed and other sects of the faith, as well as within them.

"It's partly tradition, partly the individual," said Eliana Falk, student rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Wallingford.

The common theme, Falk explained, is an abandonment of comfort and vanity, coupled with celebration of life itself.

Jewish tradition calls for burial as soon as possible, in some cases by sundown, in order to end the most painful period of mourning for a deceased's loved ones. Marcia Lieberman's funeral was held June 29.

Following burial, Falk explained, the spouse, children and or parents of the deceased return home and, before entering, wash their hands to symbolize spiritual cleansing.

Once inside, mirrors are covered, and the deceased's nuclear family eschews grooming, sitting only on wooden stools, the legs of which have been sawed to well less than their intended length.

"It's about being uncomfortable. No one is at rest while they are mourning," Falk said.

Kosher food — which preferably takes a round shape like those of bagels or eggs to symbolize the circle of life — is delivered by friends and family who regularly come calling, or by caterers.

No one eats until the primary mourner or mourners has begun, in order to encourage nourishment, Falk said.

Shiva, the name of which comes from the Hebrew word "sheva," which means "seven," can last that many days, or as few as three depending on the mourners' sect or personal choice.

Immediately after sitting shiva, mourners are to walk about their homes and neighborhood, an act representative of their rejoining outside society.

Twice-daily recitations of the kaddish traditionally followed readings from the Torah. The quorum required in orthodoxy for the reading, called a minyan, must consist of men aged 13 or older.


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