Death and Mourning

Is it problematic at all in Halacha with Jews reciting yizkor prayers for non observant parents who have died? Or no, even if they weren’t particularly observant or religious is it still preferable to say after they’ve passed?

I have heard of a new and emerging medical technology called organ farming. There are many people across the world who die every day due to the shortage of organs. Organ farming is where a genetically manipulated cow or pig (mostly a pig) is implanted with an embryo has been changed to have some human stem cells, so that the animal they give birth to is a pig but with say, a human liver. This organ would also have a better chance at lasting in the persons body, as the stem cell would come from the human who needs the liver. I am interested in what the Jewish perspective would be on this medical technology, and if it is accepted as a possible option for a Jew who urgently needs an organ.

I am a 66 years old healthy woman. I am Orthodox but lately I can't seem to understand why we live and life is good but then we have to die. Thinking about this makes me very anxious. In Judaism is it wrong to think like this?  

Does the service leader announce, "we are saying yahrzeit for" and say the mourner's names first followed by "has yahrzeit for" followed by their relation to the deceased (i.e. "their mother") and then the deceased name? Or do they announce, "we are saying yahrzeit for" ...the deceased's name, followed by the relationship (i.e. "mother of") then the mourner's name?

My beloved teacher died and he had no living relatives. Am I permitted to sit shiva for him?

I heard that in Jewish tradition, a prophet can resurrect dead people as long as not more than 2 days. After 2 days, in third days or more, only God can resurrect. Is it true?

When I was in shul this past Shabbat, an elderly gentleman collapsed and was not breathing and his heart stopped beating. Some members of Hatzalah were there and took immediate action. After Shabbat, I learned that the gentleman, whom I did not know personally, was officially pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. I am a kohein. This congregation has lots of Kohanim. Does that mean the Kohanim were improperly exposed to a corpse?

My mother passed away on 2 shevat. When do I finish my year mourning?

Dear Rabbi: When I was a kid, my father was not much of a religious man, but he often stated to my family his wish to be buried in Israel. He expected to live to an old age like his parents and grandparents did. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and despite the appearance of good health, he died of a sudden heart attack in his forties when I was just 15. My mother, my siblings, and I could not afford to bury him in Israel and instead interred him locally at a ‘Jewish’ cemetery operated by a Reformed temple where many people who were not actually Jewish are buried. Now many years have passed. I am married with children, as are my siblings, and even my mother has remarried, and I have a close relationship with my stepdad and step siblings. Family life is great. But it still nags me to this day that my father didn’t get buried in Israel like he wanted. Today we have the money to transfer his coffin if that is possible. We don’t know if that’s a thing one can do. Does Jewish law allow this?